Art Careers
Written by Joe Meiser – Revised: Feb. 17, 2011
Since schools tend to interview multiple people for a single position, it is important to take the time to prepare so that you will stand out among the candidates. To get ready for an interview, you should try to anticipate any question that you may be asked, and write out your answers in order to gather your thoughts. I suggest that you closely examine the school’s website for clues about their program. A school’s website can contain a lot of information about the type of program the school maintains, and what, precisely, the interviewer may be looking for in an MFA candidate.
After you have created a long list of potential questions and gathered your thoughts by writing out your answers, you should conduct a few mock interviews so that you develop the ability to answer questions fluidly, in a conversational manner. These mock interviews can feel awkward at first, but they will greatly enhance your ability to be articulate during the interview. You might want to do your first mock interview sessions with friends and classmates in order to get started, but you should also make an appointment with the Career Development Center. Our CDC offers mock interviews for students, and will help you work on delivering strong answers, understanding non-verbal cues, utilizing effective strategies for following up after your interview, and other important issues—you should definitely take advantage of their assistance if you are serious about the school you’re interviewing with.
No matter what school you’re interviewing with, there are some basic questions that you should be prepared to answer. Below is a list of questions that may be raised. Questions marked by an asterisk are, I think, the most likely to come up.
“Tell me about yourself” – Many interviews will begin with the very open-ended request that you “tell about yourself”. Understand that the interviewer is asking about your ‘professional self’. So, with this in mind, you should be prepared to tell about your recent and important professional experiences and activities. When I was interviewing for jobs, I usually began by telling about my educational background, and then described important recent employment, listed my main accomplishments in each job, and then I would tell about other important professional activities that I was involved in. I made sure to hit the most significant lines from my resume while doing this, and I made a special effort to address experiences I had which related to the job I was interviewing for.
What are your goals for grad school?
Why do you want to go to attend this particular school?
Where do you see yourself in five years?
What are your strengths and weaknesses? (Especially as they relate to graduate study in an MFA program)
How do you receive feedback and criticism? Give examples.
What failures have you experienced and what did you learn from them? Give specific examples.
Why would you want to relocate to this geographic location?
What can you bring to the department?
What other schools have you applied to?
Questions You May Be Asked About Your Artwork
Discuss your artwork. Be prepared for an open-ended question of this nature. List out some of the most important points you would want to make in order to describe the key concepts, processes, and questions that you address in your work.
What processes/materials might you explore in your work while in grad school?
Discuss the conceptual aspects of your work. What issues do you deal with? What are your goals and priorities? What direction do you imagine your work going in grad school?
What artists/art movements are you interested in and why? How have these artists/movements influenced your artwork?
What is your creative process like? (How do you work?)
What technologies or new genre approaches might you want to explore while in grad school?
What challenges you as an artist?
What recent exhibitions by others have influenced your work?
What books, articles, and websites do you review in order to learn about new art/ideas? Give examples and tell how they’ve impacted you and your work.
What art projects are you working on right now?
What problems are you currently facing in your own work—how do you plan to overcome them?
What influences your work (besides contemporary artists and theory).
What are you most proud of in your career as an artist?
Who would you consider to be the “leading” artists practicing in your discipline today?
Describe some of the most prominent issues faced by artists in your discipline today. (Frequently considered theoretical issues, practical concerns, and trends)
Technical Matters
Be prepare to talk about your ability to supervise a studio in your disciplinary area and assist with the teaching of classes. Tell why you would be well suited. Tell about the aspects of this job for which you would be especially well suited.
What are your technical skills?
Miscellaneous Considerations
You will probably have a chance to ask them some questions too. You will want to prepare some questions that are based on details you’ve learned about their specific program. This will have the dual purpose of letting them know that you have researched their school, and it will also give you a chance to learn more about their program. You should formulate questions that you genuinely want an answer for; it is a bad idea to ask questions just to make conversation.
Remember that examples are very persuasive. Many interviewees make the mistake of giving vague and abstract answers that are hard for the interviewers to follow. Because particular examples are tied into events that occurred in the real world, these answers are more persuasive about one’s capabilities/skills. So, as you prepare to answer questions, you should think about how you can insert examples of actual experiences you have had rather than simply answering questions in an abstract way.
When giving examples, remember the acronym STAR:
- S – describe the Situation
- T – describe the Task that needed to be done
- A – describe the Action you took
- R – tell about the Result of your action, and how the situation was resolved
You should also remember to answer questions in a positive rather than a negative way. When a candidate answers a question in a positive, optimistic, ‘can-do’ manner, it is much more attractive than responding in a pessimistic, negative manner.
The conclusion of the interview is important because it will influence the interviewer’s lasting impression of you. It is a good idea to prepare a very brief statement, consisting of just a few points that you can say at the very end. It would be good at the conclusion to reiterate your excitement about the prospect of working with them, and give a couple of reasons that you would be excited to study at their school.
Anticipate questions, be thoughtful, practice your answers, and you’ll make a great impression!
