PhD studentship interview next week

[RyvitaHayworth]

It's so long since I've been on MN I had to reregister but I thought I remembered a section called Student Parents or something? Anyway if this is the wrong place I'm sure I'll be removed sharpish.

I have applied for a funded PhD for a specified topic - i.e. the funders chose the topic, but it happens to be one I am very keen to do - and have just got an email saying I have an interview next week. Apart from a few extra-mural courses I've been out of the academic world since 2007 (and then I wasn't exactly in the academic world, I was just doing a masters) and so while I know I could do the PhD I am not confident of convincing the interview panel (3 academics from the dept.) of that. The PhD is not even in my ordinary subject, I would be crossing into another department for it.

I am having a bit of an attack of the nerves. I don't even know how to present myself for the interview. I have been mostly at home with the children for a few years and am out of the habit of shaping myself for an interview.

Could anyone give any advice? From the shallow wtf-do-I-wear to the practical expect-it-to-last-20-mins to the detailed they-are-likely-to-ask-X etc etc please please please.

I really, really want to get it and really, really believe I would do a good job of it.

When I interview for Phd funding for specific projects, I am looking for:

Understanding of recent literature in the area
Understanding of methodological issues and any ethical concerns
Enthusiasm for this project

I also always ask if they had the opportunity to change something, what would they do differently and why

I also want to know why they want a PhD, and to know how this fits into any career plans. If they want to stay in academia, I also expect them to have a good understanding of how tough it is to get into and what they have to do to get there (eg publications, networks, teaching etc etc)

Good Luck

First off, congratulations on getting an interview!

Have a look at this Student Room thread on PhD interviews. There is some sound advice there, particularly:

Be confident and speak fluently. Made the audience know you are confident (even though you might not feel like it)

Focus on your research unless asked not to and relate this to the project. Essentially what can you bring to the table?

I know it's pretty basic stuff, but when preparing for something like this I found (in my first PhD interview) that I spent so much time on really specific detail that I forgot the big picture.

It might be worth having a search on TSR to see if anyone has talked about their interview experience in the same department at the same HE institution, as departments can vary widely in their practice. The PostGrad Forum and this DOs and DON'Ts of a PhD interview article may also be useful to you.

Make sure you have a good idea of the direction you want to take the research and why (don't worry, you won't be tied to this if successful as everyone's ideas change a lot in the first year of a PhD). Do ensure that it seems feasible in the allotted timeframe.

If you are nervous about not having been in an academic environment for a few years, don?t worry. Spend a little time developing it into the narrative of why you are the right candidate for the studentship. Those years away from HE can be a real strength, enabling you to bring a unique perspective to the work & research (especially when compared to a 22 year old who has never left full time education!).

Finally if - in a worse case scenario - you don't get the PhD please remember that getting an interview is a significant achievement in itself these days (given the number of applicants). You should continue to apply for any others that match your research interests as you obviously have the skills and knowledge to make an attractive candidate.

Good luck

I was going to suggest you read up old notes that are relevant to the PhD. Do you have any?

You must have said good stuff in your application form. You will probably be asked more in depth about what you wrote.

Thank you both very much for replying.

creamteas when you say you ask about something they would wish to change - are you talking about something in their career to date, or are you talking about whether they've rethought some element of their research proposal?

Thanks for the congrats Audeca, I am tickled pink to have got the interview and just hope I can pull off the interview. I know I can do the research and the writing, my wobble is over my lack of background in this particular discipline. My undergrad is in a cognate discipline (more or less - and it was 20 years ago) and I do have several postgrads across different disciplines, but my main worry is that I will appear to be a lightweight, academically, because of sort of parachuting into this department. I suppose they would not be interviewing me if they didn't feel that this was a surmountable obstacle though - would be a waste of everyone's time.

I honestly am very enthusiastic about the subject matter so I hope to be able to convey that. I wonder as well about how much I can take the subject into my own hands - perhaps that's more an interview question than one for here - the funders have specified the topic, and have an interest in the topic, so presumably there is a bit of a tightrope act ahead (for whoever the successful candidate is, please let it be me) between the funder, the supervisor, the department and the student.

What about the clothes question - it seems stupid to ask but does it matter, do I need to get kitted out as if I were going to a job interview, or can I wear sort of smart casual? Someone once told me what you do is you imagine yourself doing the job, and wear more or less the smartest outfit you could imagine going to work in, iyswim. Does that apply to this kind of interview?

I always think dress up rather than dress down.

And it sounds like there could be several people around the interview table. Sometimes, they can have different ways amongst themselves, as to where they want the research to go.

I would look up who those interviewers are, or at least the PI (that person would be the named person on the application form) and see where/how that person views this particular topic, what they favour etc.

Read up lots on this particular area, and at least know the names if not the theories....

will teaching be involved? if so, have a think about what level you'd be comfortable in and what you'd like to do.

clothes - I imagine at this time of the year a shirt/blouse with a conservative bottom and smallish heels if you wear heels would be fine.

good luck!

I meant about what you would change about the project.

Dress codes vary enormously, but it is always better to be too formal than too casual!

What discipline is the PhD in? This could make a big difference as to what they are interested in.

what creamteas said.

'I do have several postgrads across different disciplines'. That's something I would want to get ready to defend. Obviously they shortlisted you, so they think you are a good candidate. However, I would ask why so many MA?/MPhil? in different disciplines. It can be an asset, but it can also be a sign of an indecisive mind. Make sure you can show it is the former.

Clothing. DO NOT go black and grey or mid-blue or anything boring. This is a Ph.D. interview, make yourself stand out. Be smart, but not professional. Show that your brain is peppery also through your clothes. Add colour or use smart lines that will differentiate you from the others also through your clothes.

When you go in, think that you already got the job. You are not there for the interview but as a follow up before you start working there. Bang it into your brain that you got the job. You will be smiling more, be more relaxed, and behave as though you are already a member of the team. Ask questions, look involved. You are not there to defend/propose yourself, you are already a member who is starting to know her colleagues.

Good luck.

It's in a history department. So far as I know there is no teaching involved and to be honest I don't think I would be comfortable teaching.

Clothing. DO NOT go black and grey or mid-blue or anything boring. This is a Ph.D. interview, make yourself stand out. Be smart, but not professional. Show that your brain is peppery also through your clothes. Add colour or use smart lines that will differentiate you from the others also through your clothes

This makes no sense to me whatsoever. Any dept that it judging on colour is not fit to work in. Tidy, clean and smart yes, but beyond that it will not matter.

Well, obviously they have already decided you have the right credentials looking at your cv. Now they want to meet you. You might not be the only one whose research/interests fit in with what they are looking for, especially given that there will be a few people with different agendas around the table. I am not saying go in yellow because red is a no-no, but all being equal with other candidates showing your personality will also give them an idea of who you is, and that, in my neck of the woods, is as important as a solid cv. Personality of course means behaviour but also presentation. No dept will judge on colour of course, but in mine (history) colour/personality/something to look at after a long day of interviews is noticed and focuses our attention on what you are saying. ...To be honest, tidiness and cleanliness are not the first to adjectives that come to mind when I think of many of my colleagues!

I interview quite a few doctoral students and what we particularly look for is their knowledge of research skills, so we ask about their previous research experience - what they did, how they did it, what they'd do differently. So I might suggest you read your MA/Msc dissertation carefully and be prepared to be asked about that. Also if you've done any recent relevant reading - journal articles etc, then be prepared to discuss that.

In my part of academia we really don't care what clothes people wear to interview. Any old rags would do. Different disciplines vary on that, but history is usually fairly casual.

No one will care what you wear. I have seen several people turn up for interviews for lecturer posts wearing jeans, and some of them got the job. At this level there is usually enough to distinguish candidates without having to resort to scrutinising clothing.

You should be prepared to talk about research methodologies you have used in the past, and also how you would approach this particular project. Also think about how you would contribute to the research culture in the department (running a reading group, for example, or organising a conference).

Well - clothes-wise I think I will just dress in a groomed version of myself.

What does PI stand for?

I have put together the suggested questions and issues, I'm going to take them off and think about them, but I'll post them now as well as they might be useful for people in the future as well. They are in no particular order and of course some overlap.

1. Which journals would be most relevant to publish in?
2. How do you see your career progressing?
3. Which sampling strategy do you think would be suitable for this study?
4. Why do you want to do a PhD?
5. Five year career plan - how the PhD fits in?
6. Can you tell us about your undergraduate/masters dissertation?
7. You work, can you tell us about that?
8. Which journals would be most relevant to publish in?
9. How do you see your career progressing?
10. Which sampling strategy do you think would be suitable for this study?
11. Skills as a researcher, negotiating access to sites, why you want a PhD at this stage of career?
12. Being a self-starter, knowing it's going to be tough?
13. Enthusiasm?
14. Explain choice of res qs with reference to the literature?
15. What difficulties you expect to encounter with the project (considering ethics, finance, patient populations etc)?
16. How you would deal with these especially in a financially limited era?
17. Do you know what academic publishing involved and how journals are ranked according to impact factors and specialisms?
18. Do you know where to go for help with publishing queries?
19. What your recruitment strategy would be and why?
20. Defend your choice of methodology - one particular meth of analysis over another?
21. What other organisations would be involved and how would you approach them?
22. What general skills other than those that are academic could you bring to a PhD?
23. Understanding of recent literature in the area
?
24. Understanding of methodological issues and any ethical concerns?
25. Opportunity to change something?
26. What would you do differently and why?
27. Staying in academia? Understand how tough it is? Requirements of pubs, networks, teaching etc.?
28. Why have you done the previous work you?ve done?

God sorry, typos, I have had no sleep.

Just wanted to say good luck!

You've obviously got yourself sorted with the questions, you sound brilliantly prepared.

Funding. I don't see it in your list. n. 27 is getting there though. It is all about academics getting external funding in these days. Mention it during the interview that you are planning to apply for funding for a project related to your research interests once you are done with your PhD.

Thank you!

I may sound brilliantly prepared - and may I sound brilliantly prepared - but that list of questions comes from what people have said on the thread.

I hadn't thought at all about funding for another project!