======= Date Modified 02 27 2009 18:27:46 =======
======= Date Modified 02 27 2009 18:27:29 =======
I made a terrible mistake last month, in that I actually applied for a job. Worse still, it seems to have been a decent application and I now have an interview. Oops. It's been years since i was in the real world of interviews and I'm flapping like a dodo with delusions of grandeur. There are all these vague allusions to "handwriting exercises" and "a microsoft office based test" ..... :s I've achieved virtually zero in PhD-land since finding out.


I also have to do the most cringe-inducing presentation ever
"you're in the pub with friends and you share your excitement that you have an interview for the post of......they ask, "what's it all about?"" urgh!
Anyone else had to do something like this and keep a straight face? Anyone succeeded, more to the point? (I'm guessing my preferred approach of taking a pint glass and slurring is out)


Or even better, if anyone has ever been throught the interview process for clinical science....advice? There are stars in it ,)

is it an academic post?

No, it's an NHS one and I've forgotten how the real world operates :s

Ok well you will probably be given a competency based interview at some point. So you will need to have good examples of the old classics

-when you have worked in a team
- worked to deadlines
- had to be organised
- had to persuade or influence someone
- led a team
- communicated well (written and oral)

And anything else you think would be relevant to the job - they may have given you a competency list already, or may have one on a website


To do well in a competency based interview you basically have to follor the CAR technique

Context - what wwas it all about

Action - what was your role? what did you do?

Result - what happened in the end.


ooh and wear something a bit green - apparently you are more likely to be hired!

Have you contacted your university careers office? I discovered mine a while ago and they are the ultimate oracle on such matters. I don't mean to sound sarcastic - the ones as an undergraduate always seemed pretty dire but this time they were more than willing to help. They were also willing to give me a practice interview - great for a bit of confidence building after all these years in PhD land. If not the careers people, could you get a friend or colleague (or stranger off the street who you'll never see again!) to ask you some practice questions?

I've been recommended a book called "great answers to tough interview questions" which I had a look through and seemed like it might be useful to your scenario for the presentation.

Good luck out there in the real world :-)

Thanks guys :)

The interview is on Monday so I probably don't have time for the careers office (nearest half-decent one is three hours away) but those are super-constructive suggestions. So far I'd just been reading up on the topic and thinking about that naff presentation so a more focused approach it shall be! Given the tone of the letter I think it's certain that they've had some kind of recruitment "guru" in and will chuck cunning questions a-plenty.

And of course....green green green (thank God I don't have pink hair anymore)

Hi Teek,

in medical education students / applicants are often assessed based on:
Knowledge
Skills
Attitude

Ideally you should have be perfect in all three, however this would not be realistic. Everyone has got their strengths, weaknesses and preferences.

The potential employer can help you regarding knowledge and skills, yet it is hard to create the "right attitude". Therefore I think that may well be the crucial factor.

As such it would be useful to know what the ethos and culture is of your future employer and for you to check whether that fits with your norms and values. Common and often appreciated attributes are (which I think would probably apply to the NHS): open to other peoples' views, non judgemental, preference to work with people, enjoying interaction with colleagues, desire to strive for improving the service etc. etc.

Thanks Rick

It's good to be reminded of the attitude requirements rather than obsessing over factual knowledge.
Mercifully I seem to come across fairly well in interviews - what a charade, thank goodness they don't know my real dour phd persona ;-)

Oh yes, they are bound to ask you the two classics

"why do you want to work in this organisation?"

"why do you want to work in this role?"

To which you spout back at them all the cra p that is on their website.

My hubby had an interview recently and we really worked on playing up his experience. He taught an undergrad module for overseas students, so we rephrased that into a range of skills e.g. 'managing diversity' haha. He got the job and then turned it down (up)

======= Date Modified 03 Dec 2009 10:31:01 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============

======= Date Modified 03 Dec 2009 15:02:32 =======
============= Edited by a Moderator =============
Hi Teek
I'm also well into the scary world of job applications and interviews, and it's not a fun place to be! Although you've said the careers service isn't an option before your interview, I'd encourage you to go when you can - in my Uni they have an advisor specifically for postgrads, so you're not treated like some 18 year old undergrad with half a brain cell. They can also give you a mock interview to point out where you can improve in terms of your answers, body language etc.

Anyway, what I've learned so far is that you need to be able to give examples for the following:

-time when you've worked in a team. They might ask about leadership (how did you go about leading the group towards the goal), or a time when there was a conflict in the group - how did you persuade people to come round to your way of thinking?

-verbal communication skills. Think seminars during your PhD - great example for a time when you've explained a complex subject to an audience who might not have much knowledge of the area. Also assisting with undergrad teaching is another good example. Maybe you've had a part-time job involving customer service?

-working to deadlines. Again PhD is good. They might ask about a time when you've missed a deadline, and what you would do differently next time.

-time when you've had to analyse and solve a problem.

-time when you've had to juggle lots of tasks at once.

etc etc.

I've learned to give a range of examples, not just from the PhD, but from other interests, hobbies, clubs etc. - this shows you're a well-rounded person and don't sit in an office 24/7! And one major must do is learn as much about the company as possible - read their website, read up on the job you'll be doing. Also think about why you'd be good at the job - what qualities do you have that make you suitable? Finally, remember to have a couple of questions ready to ask at the end of the interview.

As you can probably tell, this is a subject that's never far from my mind! I wish you all the best!! :-)