As the subject indicates.. i have an interview in next three days and surprisingly it is over the phone. I am a student living in the UK. I thght I would have face to face interview as it has many advantages. I have worked on my intonations all these days and try to get right tone at right time..I am bit worried because it is only words through phone that is going to decide my future. I am really keen on this project. I have read some of the topic, but there is loads more to read. I was expecting a face to face interview next month end, but they have stumped me!!Any suggestions!!? How many of you had telephone interview for your Phd (not studentships)!!??

I may be wrong here, but I think it shows that your future supervisor cannot be bothered to set up a proper interview. Perhaps you should offer to go there, instead of a telephone interview, it would at least show your determination

Or maybe avoid the supervisor and project altogether. I wouldn't want to take on a supervisor who, from the very start, couldn't be bothered (if what you think is true Stu)

Do you agree with what I think then?

Maybe it is just the first stage and you might be asked to go to the university later if it goes well? If not and they offer you the place I would def suggest asking to visit in person and meet your supervisor, other PhD students etc.

I wouldn't read too much into it. I got offered my position without an interview. I wasn't exactly interviewed over the phone per se, but the long phone conversation I had with the supervisor went a long way to getting me there.

That said, when I called them I knew I had to make a good impression, so being warm, friendly, chatty, ENTHUSIASTIC and appearing knowledgeable really help to get off to a good start. Ask lots of questions, e.g. the topic, the dept, the university, previous research, research groups. You could say to them that you've read a couple of good articles on topic X, but you'd really like to read some more, what do they recommend?

The biggie, of course, is highlighting your achievements and why you think you're suitable. The questions they will be asking themselves are, does this person really want to do this topic, are they likely to stay the course and can I work with this person.

how long do u think the interview is going to last. I have attended telephonic interviews for jobs earlier and they would be for 1/2hr-45 mins... what do you guys reckon on this

We spoke for about 45 minutes, although we spoke again on a couple of other occasions. I wouldn't worry about the time, it will fly by. I should imagine also that once it gets underway you become relaxed very quickly.

One word of advice. Write a list of bullet points you want to cover and questions you want to ask. The last thing you want to happen is to finish the conversation thinking to yourself, oh I wish I'd mentioned that. It's the one good thing about a telephone interview, you can have some pointers in front of you.

I can't really advise on the whole application/interview business because there was NO competition for my position. In fact in my department, for those who stayed in the department, the selection process involved 1. us listing our preferred supervisor 2. the students with the highest marks being 'given' the supervisor they wanted 3. some kind of selection where it was necessary (preferred supervisor) at lower grades. I had a 5 minute chat with the head of department and that was it! (Has anyone else had this experience?) But it does seem strange that, since there IS an interview for this position, it is over the phone. I can't think of any sensible reason for this (other than maybe there are international applicants and they are giving EVERYONE phone interviews to be fair?) Talking over the phone shouldn't involve any more effort for the interviewer than meeting in person, but maybe the supervisor doesn't see it that way. Stu, I was just arguing from your perspective, I didn't even THINK about what my position was before I posted.

I say, have the phone interview (don't go there in person), and if the interviewer isn't interested (for whatever reason) you'll be able to tell. What if you demand the interview in person, the (can't be bothered) supervisor is impressed by this and takes you on?!!

I think it depends on the university and their policy. Mine is in a pretty remote location and is a long way from where I live, so they do not have an interview policy. I wouldn't read too much into whether it's a phone or face to face but rather what sort of impression the sup gives you. At the end of the day, it's a two way process so a chance for you to decide whether they're right for you.

i suppose having a telephone interview offers the advantage of having all your notes infront of you, so you dont end up kicking yourself afterwards for not saying everything that you want to say.

As long as you put the effort in preparing all your notes and answers to the typical questions it should be fine.

Good luck!

thanks guys! hope it is all fine tmr

Good luck mate!