Turn Turbulence Into Triumph: The Mid-Career Woman's Guide to Interview Success

Navigate university restructuring with confidence and land the role that advances your career

University restructuring has become the new normal. Departments merge, roles evolve, and suddenly you're facing interviews in a landscape that feels entirely different from when you started your career. If you're a mid-career woman navigating these choppy academic waters, you're not alone—and you're more prepared than you think.

Whether you're applying for a promoted post within your institution or pivoting to a new university entirely, these 10 strategies will help you present your best professional self and demonstrate why you're exactly what they need during uncertain times.

1. Practice Out Loud (Because Your Inner Critic Needs to Hear You Succeed)

The single most effective way to feel confident and prepared is to actually hear yourself succeeding. Don't just think through your answers—say them out loud. This is particularly crucial for women in senior leadership roles who often face the double burden of proving competence while managing perfectionist tendencies.

Hearing yourself speak helps you refine your phrasing, spot unclear points, and build the fluency that translates to executive presence. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or work with a trusted colleague.

2. Prepare for Your Achilles' Heel Question (And Transform It Into Your Strength)

We all have that one area of our experience that feels vulnerable—perhaps it's limited international collaboration, a career break, or a sideways move that doesn't fit the traditional academic trajectory. This is your Achilles' Heel Question, and it can trigger what I call the "I'm not worthy slump."

Here's the key: Identify this question and practice it more than any other. Reframe your perceived weakness as strategic growth. For example:

• "My career path has been deliberately diverse, which means I bring cross-functional expertise to complex challenges."

• "Taking time for family responsibilities strengthened my resilience in leadership roles and my ability to support team members facing similar transitions."

Remember, overcoming imposter syndrome in leadership often starts with owning your unique journey.

3. Master the STAR Technique (Your Secret Weapon for Demonstrating Impact)

The STAR framework—Situation, Task, Action, Result—is particularly powerful for university roles where you need to demonstrate both intellectual rigor and practical impact. It's also invaluable when building your personalised leadership strategy narrative.

STAR Examples:

• Situation: "During the 2023 restructuring, our department faced a 30% budget cut while maintaining research output expectations."

• Task: "As Programme Director, I needed to maintain teaching quality while significantly reducing resources."

• Action: "I led a strategic review, implemented collaborative research clusters, and mentored junior colleagues to develop grant-writing skills."

• Result: "We exceeded our research targets by 15% while staying within budget, and three junior colleagues secured their first major grants."

4. Be Clear and Concise (Because Clarity Is Leadership)

Academic environments can encourage lengthy explanations, but interviews reward precision. Practice timing your responses and aim for 1–2 minutes per answer. This demonstrates leadership clarity support—a quality essential for senior roles.

Clear structure shows clear thinking, and in times of institutional turbulence, decision-makers value leaders who can cut through complexity.

5. Power Up Your Language (Words That Win)

Transform your achievements into leadership impact using result-oriented phrasing:

• "The result was a 25% increase in student satisfaction scores..."

• "This allowed us to secure three new industry partnerships..."

• "Which meant that our department became the university's top performer in research commercialisation..."

These small linguistic shifts make a significant difference in how your impact is perceived and position you as a woman ready for senior leadership roles.

6. Combine Numbers and Narrative (The Core Advantage)

Your background gives you a natural advantage here. Back up your achievements with data and context that resonates with academic values:

• "This led to a 40% improvement in our graduate employability metrics, moving us from 15th to 3rd in league tables."

• "Reorganising research administration saved £200K annually while improving submission success rates by 35%."

• "Turnaround times for ethics applications improved by 60% after implementing new processes, directly supporting our research-intensive mission."

7. Show You'll Make Life Easier (The Ultimate Leadership Value)

Your potential line manager—whether a Dean, PVC, or Department Head—is thinking:

• Will this person help navigate our current challenges?

• Will they solve the problems I don't have time to address?

• Will they help our team thrive during uncertainty?

Frame your answers to align with these needs. Position yourself as a discreet executive growth partner who can be trusted with sensitive institutional challenges.

8. Nail the Opening Question (Your 90-Second Leadership Pitch)

"Why do you want this job?" is your moment to deliver a compelling mini-pitch. Use this formula:

"I have [X] years' experience in [role], supporting [audience] to achieve [result]. I specialise in [skills], and this role offers the opportunity to [goal] during a particularly dynamic time for the sector."

Example: "I have twelve years of experience as Associate Dean for Research, supporting academic colleagues in securing £15M in funding while navigating three major restructures. I specialise in strategic planning and change management, and this role offers the opportunity to apply my expertise in building resilient academic communities at a time when universities need adaptive leadership most."

9. Ask Questions That Demonstrate Strategic Thinking

When invited to ask questions, avoid focusing on practical details. Instead, show your strategic mindset and curiosity:

• "What's the biggest challenge you hope the successful candidate can help solve?"

• "How is the department positioning itself for the next REF/TEF cycle?"

• "What opportunities do you see emerging from the current restructuring?"

These questions demonstrate you're thinking like someone ready for executive leadership development.

10. Research Beyond the Job Description (Show You Understand the Bigger Picture)

Go beyond what's on paper. Explore:

• The university's strategic plan and how this role fits

• Recent news about the department or institution

• Current sector challenges and how they might impact the role

• The leadership team's backgrounds and recent initiatives

Mention something specific in your interview to demonstrate you've done your homework and understand where you could add value during this period of change.

Your Next Steps

Remember, midlife career transitions in academia aren't just about survival—they're about leveraging your accumulated expertise to thrive in new ways. Every challenge you've navigated, every crisis you've managed, every team you've led through uncertainty has prepared you for this moment.

You're not just applying for a job; you're positioning yourself as part of the solution to higher education's current challenges. That's not just valuable—it's essential.

Wishing you every success.

Christina

Professor Christina Hughes

Founder and CEO, Women-Space Leadership Limited

Ready to transform your interview approach and advance your academic career with confidence? Book a clarity sessionto develop your personalised leadership strategy and discover how to present your expertise with the impact it deserves.