What the "Informal Chat" in Academic Job Ads Actually Means
If you have spent any time browsing UK academic job listings, you will have noticed a phrase that appears with remarkable regularity: "Informal enquiries are welcome. Please contact [name] for an informal chat." For those new to UK higher education, or coming from industry or another country, this can feel puzzling. Is it optional? Is it really informal? Will it count against you if you skip it?
The short answer is: it matters more than it sounds, and you should almost always take the opportunity if it is offered.
This guide explains what the informal chat is, what it is not, how to prepare for it, and how to use it to strengthen your application.
What Is an Informal Chat?
In UK universities, the informal chat is a brief, pre-application (or occasionally pre-interview) conversation, usually by phone or video call, between a candidate and the hiring manager. That person is typically the head of department, the principal investigator on a grant, or the professor named in the job advert.
The conversation usually lasts between 15 and 30 minutes. It is not a formal interview and you will not be scored or assessed in any structured way. But it is absolutely not a casual catch-up either. The person you speak to will form an impression of you, and that impression travels.
The practice is deeply embedded in UK academic culture for several reasons:
- Academic departments are small communities where working relationships matter enormously.
- Hiring committees want some reassurance that shortlisted candidates are genuinely interested and understand the role.
- Candidates benefit from inside information that helps them write a sharper application or decide whether to apply at all.
Is It Really Optional?
Job adverts almost always frame the informal chat as optional. Technically, it is. Nobody will reject your application because you did not ring ahead.
In practice, though, most competitive candidates do make contact, particularly for lecturer jobs and postdoc and research fellow positions. If the hiring manager speaks to five or six interested candidates before the deadline and you are not among them, you have missed a chance to make a first impression and gather intelligence that could sharpen your application.
There are situations where it is fine to skip it. If the advert lists a generic HR email rather than a named academic, the invitation is largely a formality. Similarly, if the closing date is in two days and you have only just seen the listing, do not panic: apply and mention in your cover letter that you would welcome the chance to discuss the role further.
What the Hiring Manager Is Actually Trying to Find Out
From the department's perspective, the informal chat serves a few practical purposes:
- Genuine interest. Are you actually interested in this specific post, or are you blanket-applying to everything? Academics can usually tell.
- Fit. Do you understand what the department does? Will you slot into the team, the research culture, the teaching needs?
- Basic communication. Can you articulate your work clearly and engage in a collegial conversation? This matters in a teaching and research environment.
- Practical matters. Can you start on time? Are there any complications around visa status, notice periods or relocation that are worth knowing early?
They are not trying to catch you out. They are trying to save everyone time, including yours.
What You Should Be Trying to Find Out
The informal chat is genuinely useful for candidates, not just the institution. Use it to ask questions you cannot answer from the job description alone:
- What does the teaching load look like in the first year, and how is it distributed?
- Is there a particular research direction the department is hoping this person will pursue?
- What happened to the previous postholder? (This can reveal a lot.)
- How is the department structured? Who would you be working most closely with?
- Are there opportunities for external grant funding, and does the department have a strong track record of supporting applications?
- What is the likely timeline for the recruitment process?
These questions show you have done your homework and are thinking seriously about the role. They also give you material to reference in your cover letter and at interview, which helps you stand out.
How to Prepare
Treat preparation for the informal chat as you would treat light interview preparation. You do not need to rehearse answers to structured competency questions, but you should:
Know your own work well. Be ready to summarise your research or professional background in two or three minutes, clearly and without jargon. If you are applying for a PhD studentship, be prepared to explain why you want to pursue this particular project with this particular supervisor.
Read the job description carefully. Understand what the role actually involves. For academic posts, that typically means teaching responsibilities, research expectations, administrative duties and any specific skills the department needs.
Look at the department's website. Know who the key people are, what research groups exist, and what the department's recent outputs and priorities look like.
Have your questions ready. Do not finish the call with nothing to ask. It signals lack of interest or preparation.
Find a quiet space for the call. This sounds obvious, but taking an informal chat on a noisy commute or with background noise reflects poorly on how seriously you are taking the opportunity.
During the Call
Start by briefly introducing yourself and thanking the person for their time. Let them lead, at least initially. Many hiring managers will open by asking you to tell them a bit about yourself or to explain what attracted you to the post. Have a clear, confident answer ready.
Keep your tone professional but relaxed. The word "informal" is not entirely misleading: you do not need to perform as if you are in a panel interview. A natural, engaged conversation is what works best here.
Be honest. If you are still finishing your PhD or working out your notice period, say so. If you have questions about whether your profile fits what they are looking for, it is entirely reasonable to ask directly. Academics appreciate directness.
Avoid asking about salary at this stage unless the hiring manager raises it. Pay for academic roles in the UK is typically determined by nationally negotiated pay spine points, with the specific grade outlined in the job description, though exact placement on the spine varies by institution and experience.
End by confirming next steps: when is the closing date, when might you hear about shortlisting, and is there anyone else you should contact with questions?
After the Call
Send a brief, polite follow-up email thanking the person for their time. This is not universal practice in UK academia, but it is always well received and takes two minutes. Keep it short: one or two sentences.
More importantly, use what you learned to improve your application. If the hiring manager mentioned that the department is particularly keen on someone who can contribute to a specific area of teaching, address that directly in your cover letter. If they clarified something about the research direction, reflect that in how you frame your own work.
The informal chat is, at its best, a two-way exchange that helps both sides make a better decision. Candidates who approach it as an opportunity rather than a hurdle tend to write stronger applications and perform better at interview, because they understand the role more clearly and feel more connected to the department before they even walk through the door.
If you are actively looking for roles where you might receive this kind of invitation, browse academic jobs by subject and location to find posts that are currently open across UK universities.
