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Before the Interview

Advance preparation for an interview is key to feeling ready to successfully communicate your science and advocate for your candidacy.

Invest Time to Learn More

Once you have been invited for an interview spend time to learn more about:
  • The hiring institution, and its:
    • mission
    • history
    • leadership
    • organizational structure
  • People who work there and what they do
  • Aspects of the job that resonate with you
  • Recent news
You can seek this information through:

Tell Your Specific Story

During the pre-interview phase, work on crafting and communicating your story to highlight your research, interests, skills, goals, experiences, and accomplishments. Identify ways you could meaningfully contribute to the organization’s mission and strategic priorities.

Studies have shown that interviewers often make up their minds about candidates in the first few minutes of meeting them (NIH). What does this mean for you? And how can you best prepare?

Circular diagram divided into puzzle pieces. One piece: Opening: who you are, your academic training, what you do and your institutional affiliation. Next piece: Interests and impact: your areas of interest/ expertise and the impact of your research projects. Next piece: Optional: If you think it can make your story more compelling, add a sentence about how you became interested in your area of work. Next piece: Skills and background: relevant scientific/technical skills and background. Middle section: connecting and closing: why you are interested in this particular job/team/organization and what kinds of contributions you hope to make.

"Tell me about yourself” is a classic opening question that sets the stage for the rest of the interview. Explore strategies of telling your story by filling out the "Tell Me About Yourself" Interview Question worksheet to prepare a cohesive and compelling 1-2 minute response. As you craft your response, check out these response examples. 

Put It Into Practice

Visit Deliver Authentically to explore the significance of telling a scientific story. This is a powerful way to communicate your message and connect with your audience. You can also learn more about how considering your audience can inform the approach to conveying your message.

Prepare to Answer Common Interview Questions

Interviewers will ask questions that focus on different topics and themes depending on the role, organization, field, interview stage, and interviewer.

Commonly asked questions include ones about:

  • The position and why the opportunity is of interest to you:
    • Why do you want this job?
    • What specifically interests you about the department/organization?
  • Your scientific background:
    • Describe your research and its impact.
  • Your career goals:
    • What are your short‐term goals (3 years) and long‐term goals (10 years)?
  • Working with others:
    • Describe a (meaningful/productive/difficult) time when you were working with a group or team, and explain the role you played.
  • Your approach to problem-solving and handling challenging situations:
    • Please share an example of when you engaged in problem-solving during an unexpected challenge.

Put It Into Practice

It is common for interviewers to ask behavioral questions as a way to evaluate your past and predict your future performance. These questions require you to describe scenarios of when you used your skills for a project or how you navigated a given situation. To learn more about behavioral questions and effective techniques on how to answer them, check out Interviewing Skills: Using the SAR Technique, a short video by the Office of Intramural Training and Education at the National Institutes of Health and the resources provided by the career services office at Harvard Law School.

Put It Into Practice

You should know which questions are illegal and how to handle them. This Interview Preparation resource from the career services office at Yale University includes the kinds of questions that are illegal and guidance on how to approach them.

 

Consider Questions YOU Want to Ask

You will have the opportunity to pose questions to the interviewer. Prepare a brief list of questions that will help you:

  • Learn more about the job and what it would be like to work at the organization.
  • Show more of who you are, your interests and values.
  • Express your level of engagement and preparation.

Effective and insightful questions to consider asking the interviewer include ones about:

  • The role:
    • How would you describe the ideal candidate for this job? 
    • What does a typical day look like in this position?
  • Department/organization:
    • What are the current and future priorities of the department/organization?
    • How would you describe the work culture of the organization and the team environment?
  • Changes/challenges within the department/organization:
    • Are there any anticipated major new developments/changes that will impact this position?
  • Hiring process:
    • What will the rest of the interview process, including the hiring timeframe, look like for candidates who make it to the next round?
  • Interviewer’s experience:
    • What do you most enjoy about your job?
Important reminder: Consider adjusting how you frame your questions depending on the context, e.g., the type of interview, role of the interviewer, and stage of the interview process that you are in.

Potential Interview Questions

Explore these and other types of representative interview questions so you can come prepared to communicate your responses and questions thoughtfully and effectively. 

Qualities of a Strong Interviewee

Learn about strategies around the art and science of answering and asking questions effectively and your overall participation in the interview.

Put it Into Practice: The following resources are available to help your practice before your interview.

Explore videos of mock interviews:

Consider aspects that went well and potential areas of improvement. Start with these mock interview videos.

Participate in a mock interview:

Practice with your friends or colleagues by having them ask you some sample interview questions.

Practice on your own:

Record and watch yourself answering common interview questions, take some notes, and identify ways to enhance your performance. Use a phone or computer (such as the Camera app on a PC or Photo Booth on a Mac) to record and review your responses, or try out an interview software program—consult your institution’s career services department about available software programs. 

Assess your performance:

Review key qualities of a strong interviewee and utilize this tool to assess your performance in a mock or actual interview.

More on communication strategies for an interview:

Use the following techniques to add to the flow and content of the conversation and show the interviewer that you are interested and engaged in the discussion:

  • Be present and listen closely to what the interviewer shares.
  • Avoid talking over or interrupting the interviewer.
  • Allow for natural moments of pause.
  • If a comment from the interviewer really resonates, make that meaningful connection by referencing or expanding on it in your response or asking a follow-up question.

Up Next | During the Interview:

How to employ the results of your advanced preparation and practice during an interview.