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.
- Please describe your past work experience for me. I am particularly interested in learning about experience that may be relevant to this position.
- What were the important career influences that directed you to choose this particular program of study (or career field)?
- Describe your laboratory experience for me.
- Describe a time you worked with a cross-functional team on a project. How did you ensure effective collaboration?
- Describe a situation where you had to develop an innovative solution to a complex problem. What was the outcome?
- Have you ever had to explain complex concepts to a non-technical stakeholder? How did you approach it?
- Tell me about a time when you were working on a project independently, but you did not have enough information to complete the project correctly and on time. What did you do?
- Tell me about a time when a person you were supervising continually ignored your requests.
- Tell me about a time when a supervisor came to you with a technical problem that you were not trained to answer.
- Give an example of a time when you had to learn a new technical skill or methodology quickly to complete a project. How did you adapt?
- Tell me about a time when you had to collaborate with multiple stakeholders (e.g., scientists, government officials, industry representatives). How did you ensure effective communication and consensus-building?
- Tell me about a time when you discovered a mistake, but realized the error was unlikely to be discovered. What did you do?
- Tell me about the last presentation you made. What was the topic? How did the audience respond?
- Tell me about a time when you had to adapt to a changing schedule or priorities. How did you stay organized and maintain productivity?
- Tell me about your experience with different types of X [relevant software, instruments, etc.]
- Have you ever had to work with a team remotely or across different locations? How did you maintain communication and productivity?
- Describe a situation where you had a disagreement or differing opinions within a team. How did you handle it?
- Describe a situation where you had to break down a difficult physics problem into simpler steps for a student. What strategy did you use?
- Have you ever worked with a student who was completely disengaged or unmotivated? What did you do to encourage their interest in physics?
- Have you ever worked on a policy issue that involved balancing scientific, economic, and political considerations? How did you navigate these competing interests?
Updated March 2025
Some suggestions adapted from ChatGPT