Interviewing for a Job at a Religious College

Questions about faith: Perhaps the most surprising experience for some candidates occurs when they are asked personal questions about faith and religious life. At religiously affiliated colleges, these kinds of questions are legally permitted, although inquiries about spouses, marital status, and children are off-limits. If religious faith is deemed an essential part of an institution’s mission, a right to raise questions of personal faith and practice is recognized in law, by accrediting agencies, and even by the American Association of University Professors. It’s controversial but true; religious institutions are allowed to discriminate on the basis of religious faith.

So at some point during the interview process, you will probably be asked about your faith commitments and activities. If the application process involved writing a spiritual autobiography or faith statement, you might be asked to elaborate on or to explain further these comments. You also face questions about your church participation and involvement, or what kind of volunteer and service work you’ve done. Other queries might concern the religious tradition in which you were raised, if any, and how you currently view that tradition.

Some of my faithful readers will remember a post I did a few years ago about interviewing for a history teaching job at a church-related school.