By Sanya Jain
Interview Preparation Tips
Don’t Stress Too Much
If you’ve been invited for a zoom/Skype call, it’s a SOLID sign that they like your research ideas sufficiently.
Evaluation of Your ability to articulate your research ideas ORALLY
Tell about unusual circumstances
(my take) e.g., traveling 7+ hours per day → lower GPA → yet published a good paper even in covid
Take Key Details to The Notebook
In a notebook, write any particular finding or project of theirs that has really fascinated you. Maybe you could ask them questions about the project and steer the conversation by giving your ideas about the same or similar projects in the future.
This will give them an impression that you have the ability to build ideas on existing work that’s going on there. It’s a huge PLUS for them from an investment point of view.
Ask For Another Time for Presentation of Detailed Idea
If you are asked to explain your idea in more details, ask for another interview, or allow you to record yourself presenting your idea on a slide.
Take Notes During the Meeting
Make quick notes on a notebook about any information that you might consider important (such as deadlines, SoP tips, grad student contacts etc.) while you’re in a meeting with them.
Don't ask admin questions
Avoid bugging them via email requesting them the information that they have already shared over the call.
(my take) See my take on Minimalize admin tasks for the PIs.
Your Questions
- What opportunities exist for collaboration with peers, other departments & universities
- What kind of learning opportunities will I get during the program? Grant writing/authorships/conference presentations & so on.
- What are your expectations from your grad students?
- What is the bigger/long-term aim of your lab?
Openness to these questions are telling something
If some questions were not addressed, ask them through email. If you got an adequate answer, then everything is fine.
Dos and Don’ts
- Be prepared to join the meeting as soon as they let you in. Be ready about 15 minutes earlier.
- If you’re the host of the meeting, be inside the room at least ten minutes before the start
- Don’t sit in a noisy or a poorly lit area; if you are at home, make sure no one comes/goes.
- Wear formals or semi-formal clothes.
- Thank them for their time at the end
Thank You
Also send them a sweet and short email about what all you liked in the meeting and thank them again for meeting with you.
- if they said that they’ll send you some documents for reference, send them a reminder if they haven’t followed up for a week
- Chill!
Showing Interest > Matching XP
Kindly Note that the professor are mostly looking for the persons who are really interested, so if your research experience might not be in her domain but as long as you can get the professor convince that you are really interested in her work, that might not be an issue. Hence while i didn’t have much experience in some of the things that she asked for , i still was able to get her convinced for taking me in promising that I would try to take the courses of that skills either in semester of my MTech college or eventually in the PhD. —Yash Kumar Singhal Fall 2022 Interview Experience
Interest > XP; Apply if you really like it but don't have all the XP asked for
if your research experience might not be in her domain but as long as you can get the professor convince that you are really interested in her work.
(my take) Note
This is particularly a great advice for people with less opportunities; this way, we don’t blame ourselves and find ourselves unworthy because we don’t have one specific skill in the requirements even though we might really like the topics/advisor.
Ref: https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1436395651047198723.html (the original post has been deleted)