Mock Interview Questions Flashcards
Elevator Pitch
Hello, my name is Sophia Francisco and I’m a second-year student at Susquehanna University, studying Neuroscience. I’m very active with several clubs, on campus, including serving as Secretary of the Pre-Healthcare Professionals Club, Public Relations Chair of the Neuroscience Club, and Treasurer of the Paranormal Club. I’ve had some experience with scientific research, which is why I’m here to talk about more research opportunities
Question to Ask Employer
How would you describe the company’s culture?
Why should we hire you for this internship/job?
I have experience working in teams to do the work that was asked and deliver results. For example, I worked with a senior at SU on his senior thesis and other research assistants to find answers to the birth defects caused by thalidomide. We used sand dollars to find the answers. We split up the work to complete the research efficiently, while occasionally helping one another on tasks that required outside knowledge and help. I was able to extract the eggs and sperm from the sand dollars and fertilize embryos to observe developmental changes.
Give an example of a time when you needed help with a task or project and how you handled it.
General Chemistry Lab courses require presentations of our lab manuscripts. I only had one partner for this project and the presentation consisted of a 6 paged lab report. I had spoken with my partner to split up the work equally. The day before the paper had been due, I had already done my parts and I was just waiting for my partner to finish his part so that he could send it to me. He tells me he hadn’t started his part and wasn’t going to start until the nighttime. I was so aggravated that I decided to complete his part and remove his name from the report. It was unfair to me, but I did end up getting an A and working with a different partner that actually helped me.
Tell me about a time when you poorly handed a stressful situation
It was my first week at Astor Row Cafe, which is just a small cafe located in NYC. The manager had left me alone on a Saturday afternoon, which are the busiest days there, while he ran errands. An unsatisfied customer returned asking for a refund on her debit card. I was willing to help her until I ran into an obstacle– I didn’t have a code that allowed me to give refunds. She immediately became more upset and started yelling at me and the line behind her was getting longer (keep in mind i was the only one working). I was able to talk to the cook, who gave me insight to politely offer her a cash refund and a free time off the menu, and tell the manager when he returned. I learned that I have to seek guidance from people who have worked there longer and try to get as much information out of the manager before he leaves me alone again.
When have you had competing demands on your time and how did you handle them?
During my teaching assistant job last semester, I was required to prepare presentations similar to the assignments given to the students. For example, creating a photo journal of myself and presenting it in front of them. That week that it was due, I also had two exams and a paper due. It was a lot to due in a small amount of time. In order to get everything done by the day it was due, I started with organizing my notes to see exactly what had to be done. Then, I started with the smaller assignments, such as studying a little bit each day for my exams. Then, a slide here and there for the presentation, and a page here and there. I was able to complete everything and had enough time to practice for my presentation when it came to that. I got exemplary grades for everything that I had to do. It was a lot of stuff that had to be done in a time frame of a week and i got it done.
Why did you choose your major and your college?
I was originally a biology major, but I decided that I didn’t like it and decided to switch to Neuroscience after being intrigued with the processes that occur in the human brain. I chose this school because I had visited after being inducted into the bio-stem scholarship cohort, which is a scholarship awarded to ten science students who show interest and ability to excel in the science industry. This school made me feel as if I was at home, even though it is extremely different than NYC.
Provide an example of a time when you offered a solution to a difficult problem
During Biology Lab, i was stuck with two partners who hated each other and the professor didn’t want to switch the groups. We had do a 6-page lab report and they didn’t want to work together. I decided to be the mediator and split the work equally so that we could all work on it individually and the two people didn’t have to interact. Before the report was due, we all put the report together and we were able to get an A on it
Describe a situation when you were a member of a team working on a project
I have experience working in teams to do the work that was asked and deliver results. For example, I worked with a senior at SU on his senior thesis and other research assistants to find answers to the birth defects caused by thalidomide. We used sand dollars to find the answers. We split up the work to complete the research efficiently, while occasionally helping one another on tasks that required outside knowledge and help. I was able to extract the eggs and sperm from the sand dollars and fertilize embryos to observe developmental changes.
What are your three greatest weaknesses?
- I am too much of a perfectionist when it comes to assignments, especially with group assignments. I love to work diligently and effectively on everything I do, may it be small or large. It might not seem like much of a weakness, but it consumes up much of my life up until the assignment is complete. I have been able to trust my skills for assignments and not spend so much time checking and rechecking my work as much.
- I am a bit shy and like to keep to myself. I have been able to work on that with classes that expect me to participate in class and taking courses such as Professional Development, where I have to complete a mock interview. \
- I had a problem with organization. So I decided to get a planner and folders for the classes i had so i didn’t end up losing anything
Give me an example of a time when your positive attitude caused others to be motivated or energized
It had been a slow day day at Astor Row Cafe, my job, so there was nothing to really do. Instead of standing around doing nothing like my coworkers, I decided to start doing a few tasks that we usually do at the end of our shifts, such as cleaning the working stations, counting the tips, filling up coffee bags. My coworkers saw how hard I was working while they weren’t doing anything, so they decided to clean as well so that our amount of work at the end would be minimal
Please give an example of a time when you set a goal and did not achieve it. What could you have done differently to reach your goal?
Last year as a freshman, I tried to limit my procrastination. So I tried to complete all assignments that weren’t due until two weeks later. I organized all of notes and started working on some assignments, but then I realized I had other assignments to do that were due before those. I just got sidetracked with other stuff I had to catch up on that I couldn’t finish them until a few days before they were do. I still got good grades on the assignments. Now I try to do all the small homework first, regardless of their due dates, so I can focus on the larger homework right after. That way I can reach my goal.
Name a particularly demanding goal that you have achieved
I had to apply to a prestigious internship and it required a lot of documents to submit which were a cv, personal statement, and recommendations. I had never written a cv before nor a real personal statement. It was very demanding, but I got help from the career development center after making a draft of both. I was so motivated to apply to the internship that I was able to get everything done and checked multiple times by my professor.
Describe a situation when you had to handle a dissatisfied customer or teammate or classmate
It was my first week at Astor Row Cafe, which is just a small cafe located in NYC. The manager had left me alone on a Saturday afternoon, which are the busiest days there, while he ran errands. An unsatisfied customer returned asking for a refund on her debit card. I was willing to help her until I ran into an obstacle– I didn’t have a code that allowed me to give refunds. She immediately became more upset and started yelling at me and the line behind her was getting longer (keep in mind i was the only one working). I was able to talk to the cook, who gave me insight to politely offer her a cash refund and a free time off the menu, and tell the manager when he returned. I learned that I have to seek guidance from people who have worked there longer and try to get as much information out of the manager before he leaves me alone again.
How have you handled a difficult working relationship
I was paired with someone I didn’t get along with at all in Chemistry Lab. It was annoying and the professor didn’t want to allow us to switch partners. So I was stuck with him. We did have huge assignments due, so I decided to be the bigger person and tried to resolve this conflict in order to complete the assignment. He agreed and we were able to get a good grade on the assignment
