If you're a graduate looking to get into science and need to get a feel for the kind of questions employers might ask at interview, then make sure you research these graduate science interview questions below. These questions and answers are taken from real graduate interviews, and compiled to give you an idea of what to expect and how to prepare your answers.
Example Science Interview Questions:
What have you learned during your academic career that will benefit you for this job?
You will have to tailor your response to this question to the specific job role that you are applying for. Try and incorporate all aspects of your degree in your answer, so mention how you have developed your writing skills and communication skills as well as the specific scientific skills that you have gained. Even if you have only had limited exposure to a relevant technique, still mention it but explain that you will need further training. If you are missing a skill which is crucial to your new role emphasise your enthusiasm for learning new skills and your adaptability.
Tell me about some original research you have conducted.
The first point you should make is to explain how the work is original, even if your example is where you have extended someone else’s research, explicitly explain why it is original. Impress upon the interviewer at each stage of your answer how you designed the research, as a creative capability will be an important part of your future career as a scientist. Show also how you planned your time and how the research you designed created results that would answer your research objective.
What is it about science that interests you the most?
This question allows you to get a little bit of your personality across to the interviewer as well as describing your relationship with science. The subject of your answer is unimportant but it would benefit you to talk passionately. Good responses may be that you enjoy problem solving or discovering new information. To add depth to your answer you could describe how you have always had a relationship with science or describe your inspiration. Think carefully and research an answer that is appropriate to the role for which you are applying.