For further advice on how you can achieve the 'winning interview', we have spoken to people who have actually been in the position of interviewing candidates for a PHD. For this blog post we spoke with Dr. Emily Cross - a senior lecturer and co-director of the Social Brain in Action Laboratory. Her research is primarily within the area of social and cognitive neuroscience.
What do you look for in a PHD candidate?
- "Students who show they've done their homework and are extremely keen about either the advertised project or the general work going on in my lab."
- "Students who can speak easily about their MSc or undergrad dissertation, and be very clear about what parts of the research project they had ownership over is also super."
- "A set of skills that serve you very well during a PHD, such as coding or advanced data analyses/statistics is a huge bonus."
- "Letters of reference or discussions with your prior supervisors can also be a really big deciding factor - I particularly heavily weight them when I know (at least on a professional basis) your MSc or BSc dissertation supervisor."
Common pitfalls in a PHD interview?
- "You'd be surprised how many interviewees come into an interview and have just not done their homework!"
- "Make sure you've read some of the key publications from the laboratory."
- "Come with a few questions about their work."
- "Be enthusiastic (or at least interested!) in the research process - I'm always really puzzled by interviewees who seem bored (or perhaps just too nervous) to engage with the interviewers and really talk about the research topic."
Key advice...
"Do your homework!"
"Try to do a practice interview with either peers or other faculty members before you do the real deal."
"Dress professionally."
"Be on time."
"Come prepared with questions of your own."
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