Preparing for a postgrad position interview

Below are suggestions for preparing for an interview for a postgrad position. Be sure to prioritize questions that are important to you. Keep in mind that an interview is as much an opportunity for you to learn about the role/your potential mentor as it is for them to learn about you. The interview is an opportunity to understand if you feel the role is a good fit

and that your expectations for the role match those of your potential mentor.

Be sure to share why you want the position and why you feel you’d be a good fit
Be sure to share your relevant content knowledge and skills for the role
Be sure to review the job description carefully and note any questions you have based on the description (for instance, working hours/expectations, professional development opportunities, etc.).
- Some job descriptions may not have full information – it can help to look at the potential faculty mentor’s personal/lab webpage to find more information and to create a list of what’s missing from the job description that you wish to know about.

Some broader questions around mentorship, educational and professional development, and expectations you might ask include:

How does this role fit into this unit/lab/department?

Who else works in this unit/lab/department?

What are your day-to-day expectations for this role?

What are your broader expectations for this role (i.e., by the end of the postgraduate position, what do you hope I would have accomplished/learned/developed)?

What is important to you in terms of mentoring?

What do you find helpful in setting up a productive mentor-mentee relationship?

How do you evaluate performance and give feedback to mentees? How often do you meet with mentees?

What do you think will be most challenging for the person who takes on this role?

How do you manage conflict in your unit/lab/department?

What kinds of professional development opportunities are available as part of this role (such as conference presentations, conference attendance, publication, grant writing, etc.)?

How do you support postgrads in their professional development and achieving their educational goals? How do you incorporate these into the postgrad training plan?

What kinds of resources are there for professional development?

What kinds of roles or graduate/medical programs do postgrads in your unit/lab/department move on to?