Sample Interview Questions
Students are encouraged to book an advising appointment for a mock interview to prepare for interviews, but you can also use these questions for self-study. You can book your advising appointment on campusBRIDGE.
You can also partner with a friend and they can ask you a sample question while you answer to practice interviewing.
- What do you know about our company/organization?
- What courses have you taken which you feel are particularly relevant?
- What work and volunteer experience do you have that is relevant to [position title]?
- When was the last time you presented research, and what were the outcomes?
- Tell us about your fieldwork experience.
- If a technician gave you unwelcome advice on a project you were working on, how would you handle it?
- What do you like least about your present (or last) job?
- Are you comfortable working outside for 8 hours each day, sometimes in inhospitable conditions (heat, rain, insects, etc.)? Are you willing to work in a remote area?
- How would describe your research to someone on the street? The media? A family member?
- Describe your laboratory experience for me.
- Can you describe for me the local bird (tree, fish, insect, etc.) diversity in this region?
- From your previous experience, do you have ideas on improving the efficiency of a team carrying out fieldwork?
- What experience do you have with herbicides (autoclaves, computer programs, increment borer, etc.)?
- Tell us about a time when you had to acquire a new skill very quickly. What was the skill and what steps did you take to learn the skill?
- Tell us about a time when you gave a presentation that you felt went well. What was the topic and who was the audience? How do you know that this presentation went well?
- Define “sustainable development” (“climate change”, “evolution”, etc.).
- Have you ever written a technical report? Tell us about the subject of the report and the feedback that you received.
- Describe a situation in which you had a disagreement with another biology intern. What did you do to resolve the situation?
- Tell us about a time when you had to make a decision that was normally the responsibility of a supervisor. What was the decision, what were the circumstances, why did you make the decision and what was the outcome?
- Biologists often have to monitor materials and equipment. Give me an example of a situation where you had to monitor or evaluate equipment.
*The biological sciences are diverse, so you may find additional questions related to your career interests in the Secondary Education interviews, ALES interviews, and in related Health Sciences departments interviews.