So hopefully your job application goes well, and you pass the first hurdle. The next task an employer will undertake is to interview the shortlisted candidates. After all, you would most likely do the same if you were going to pay someone to do a job for you. The interview is a chance for you to shine, an opportunity to make sure the employer realises you are the one for the job. Hence, it is a critical part of the process, and one you must be prepared for.
- Don’t be late!
- Listen to the questions being asked
- Dress appropriately
- Be prepared
- Know about the company/college you are applying for
- Have examples of when you met deadlines/worked under pressure/as part of a team etc.
- Be enthusiastic
- Be courteous – the interviewers will be giving up their time to meet with you
Sample Interview Questions
- Can you talk me through your CV?
- Tell me about yourself
- What skills have you developed?
- How do these apply to this particular job?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
- What would you select as your top 3 skills and why?
- How do they apply to the job?
- What experience do you have in a work environment like this?
- How do you fare in a team? are you more of a team leader?
- What would your role in a team be?
- Can you meet deadlines? Do you have any examples of such?
- Can you work under pressure?
- Can you give me examples of when you had to work as a team? when you ever had to assume a lead position? how did it fare for you?
- Why apply for this position? Do you know what it entails? Why are you suited to this position? Why don’t you go for a lab position? Why don’t you do a PhD/MSc?
- Did you know about this area of work before? did you learn more about it? if so, what did you find out? were you surprised about what you learned?
- In relation to previous work experience, what would they have in common with this job?
- What frustrates you in a work environment?
- Why did you choose to study where you did? Why this course? What next?
- What would be a weakness you have and what have you done to address it?
- What was the most technically challenging task you have ever completed in terms of dexterity and problem solving?
- Give examples of when you had to work in a group environment where a dispute arose and how the dispute was overcome?
- Have you ever worked on a problem, whereby you had to solve a problem on your own and if so out line the problem and the process by which you solved that problem?
- What personal traits do you possess which would make you stand out from the rest of the candidates being interviewed?
- What are your personal interests and hobbies?
- Talk me through your CV
- An example of how you worked as a team?
- A challenging time when you felt a team wasn’t working and how you tried to change it or help others
- A time you didn’t get the results/marks you wanted and how you tried to change approach
- Talk us through the processes of upstream and downstream processing
- What Interests you in this position
- Why do you want to work for ???????
- Talk us through what you carried out in NIBRT
- Talk us through your research project and what was the result
In some interviews, you could be asked some technical questions (will depend on the job you are applying for). Here are some a recent graduate was asked:
- Calibration of balances and pH meters
- Cleaning up spillages/ general laboratory safety
- Information on company you are applying to?
- HPLC and GC ( workings, experience, differences between the two instruments)
- SOP’s what they are, any experience writing them
- Information on area applying for e.g. Stability department know what they do!
- GMP – what is it? Explain.
- How do you make up 1L of a 3M NaCl Solution?
- List and give an account of the analytical equipment you have used to date?
- What is SDS PAGE used for and what can it show about a proteins purity
- Whats UF / DF