Fellowships Interview Basics
Prepared by Dr. Luciana Herman
Interview Preparation
- Plan ahead. Ask the committee about interview length, format (formal panel, one-on-one, or a more informal group chat) and what topics are likely to be covered.
- Set your goals. What do you want the interview to be about, and what do you want to avoid? What do you hope to accomplish in the interview? In general, you should be ready to educate or explain, persuade, and engage the committee.
- Be prepared for a range of questions. You will likely receive some predictable questions, but don’t be surprised by hard questions or by references to tangential subjects. Interviewers bring their own interests and assumptions to the room. Try to anticipate those interests by making up a list of possible questions in advance. Know, too, that if your area of study is controversial, some interviewers may slip you a question that is designed to trip you up.
- Focus your message. Identify the specific ideas you want to get across. Utilize key phrases, insightful metaphors and buzz words that will capture the audience’s attention, but avoid jargon. If necessary, prepare a few bullet points that summarize your key ideas. It can help to come up with three main message points, each with three subpoints, to address the crucial areas of your field or interests.
- Practice. You can do this alone or with someone else asking the questions. Plan a pre-interview mock with your fellowships committee so that you can get a better feel for how you might address questions.
- Develop different ways of delivering your key points. Keep your responses concise, especially if the interview is brief. Remember, time is limited.
- Expect a free-flowing interview. The interviewer may interrupt you midway through an answer to shift the topic. Develop some stock response phrases that will allow you to regroup your thoughts during the interview. Maintain your composure and reframe your answer with what you know. Return to your key points to maximize their impact.
During the Interview
- Dress the part. Wear professional attire that will match the image you wish to convey. As a general rule stick to solids rather than plaids or stripes. Avoid busy ties or accessories. Keep jewelry on the simple side. Avoid linen and other wrinkly fabrics that can quickly look rumpled if you have to wait a long while before you are called in for the interview.
- Maintain good posture. Sit up straight – it makes you appear confident and will complement your message. Feel free to use your hands during the interview and be certain to make eye contact with every person on the committee.
- Be yourself. Speak confidently in a relaxed tone. Avoid “ums” or other irrelevant utterances. There’s nothing wrong with an occasional moment of silence while you are gathering your thoughts. Slow down a bit if you are a fast talker; otherwise the interviewers may be unable to follow your discussion. Remember to breathe and relax. It can help to have a bottle of water with you and to take a sip in the waiting area before you start the interview.
- Stick to your primary messages. Your challenge in a short interview is to express your primary points in the brief time allotted. Your challenge in a lengthy interview is to avoid getting sidetracked onto a tangential discussion that prevents you from showing the committee how you think about questions important to your field, interests, or aspirations. The committee is there to get to know you in some detail. This is your opportunity to engage them with your ideas.
- Know something about your interviewers. Are they specialists or do they represent other disciplines? You may be able to obtain their names in advance and do a bit of research on their backgrounds and interests. This will help you anticipate the kinds of questions they might ask you and help you modulate your answers so that everyone in the room understands your academic interests or specialized work.
- Use language appropriate for the context. Use terminology that most people will follow; answer everyone in the room with your response. Don’t speak in “acadamese.” Avoid jargon and clichés.
Top 20 Tips for Improving Fellowships Interviews
1. Know what you want to convey in the interview. Determine your key message in advance.
2. Know to whom you are speaking. Who is the audience?
3. Know the format for the interview. How many interviewers? Will there be a panel or will it be one-on-one? Is the intention to chat more informally or to probe your academic interests?
4. Review the facts behind your application. Provide details that you did not have the space to present in your initial application.
5. Have a bit of fun with your answers. Smile when appropriate. Be yourself!
6. If you are applying to do work with an organization, know the details about that organization. Speak confidently about the mission of the organization and the work you would do.
7. Be friendly and cooperative, relaxed and professional.
8. Relax. Think of the interview as your opportunity to talk with people who are interested in you, your ideas, and your ambitions.
9. If you don’t know, say so, but then try to reframe the question around what you do know.
10. Don’t stop with “I don’t know.”
11. Share your personal story, but don’t get carried away with emotion.
12. If the interviewer has the facts wrong on a question, gently correct and reframe the question.
13. Put your conclusion or most important point first, then expand.
14. Speak plain English, don’t use jargon. Avoid acronyms.
15. Make your point quickly, with short remarks that you can expand on if you have time.
16. Stay focused on your main issues.
17. Avoid hypothetical or “what if?” answers.
18. Keep your cool. Don’t argue or repeat negative statements
19. Listen carefully to each question and, with complicated questions, include the question in the answer.
20. Be ready for the final question: “Do you have anything you would like to ask us?” Have a question in mind that you would like to ask the interviewer/s or be able to offer thoughtful insights on the overall process at the end of the interview.