During one session at the American Historical Association meeting, seasoned history professors answered questions about the job market and offered graduate students tips about what to do and what not to do in interviews. Here are some of the suggestions they shared:

Chitchat matters. Whitney A.M. Leeson, an associate professor at Roanoke College, said she telephones job candidates first at home to try to get to know them. It's a chance, she said, for prospective hires to show search-committee members that they have personality—as well as the proper credentials. "Failure to have chitchat on the phone leads to failure to have chitchat in person," said Ms. Leeson. And that can be deadly. Members of an academic department are looking for a colleague they can enjoy working with for a long time....