Interview for the internship

The Life Sciences building

Arriving in Bristol and meeting Professor Benton

As I live and study in London I had to plan my journey to Bristol but that was made easy because I was told that I would be reimbursed for any expenses concerning transport and even lunch on the day. My biggest concern was the panel interview. I was expecting a lot of problem-solving questions – similar to the interviews for university applications.

However, the whole day was much more easy going. Initially, my flatmate and I were welcomed by a cheerful Professor Benton whose amicableness helped put me at ease. After introducing ourselves, we were given a tour of the life sciences building by some post-graduate students. Next, we had our meeting with our potential supervisors, mine being Professor Benton, and finally we had our panel interviews. I was pleasantly surprised as it was not intense as I thought it would be. The questions were quite basic and very open ended which allowed me to expand on my answers and ideas.

The interview flew by and not long after my flatmate and I were on our way back to London to focus on our summer exams. We both felt that the interview had gone well and fortunately the next day I received an email by Professor Benton with an offer for an internship placement.

Tips for the interview

My flatmate and I on our way to the interview
  • Reread your application and find any areas that you could expand on in the interview.
  • Try to think of project ideas or interesting topics that the lab you’re applying for could investigate.
  • Be honest – if you don’t know something just say so or if your answer might sound weird that’s fine as such answers are more likely to stand out. 
  • Don’t be afraid to share your opinion – independent thinking is the only way a field can move forward so interviewers will be impressed if you can think for yourself rather than regurgitating a paper or an article.
  • Don’t be afraid to ask questions – whether it’s to the interview panel or your supervisor its always good to ask questions since it shows you have thought about the subject.
  • Possible questions that could be asked – Why this project and this lab particular? Why paleontology? What do you hope to achieve with this internship? Do you have any career ideas and how would this internship help you with this?

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *