Interviews with people outside your research area

[magwi11]

Hi guys~
With my first batch of interviews coming up in the next couple of weeks, I am realizing that unlike the Ph.D. program interviews that the post-docs in my office have helped me to prepare for, a number of my MSTP program interviews are going to be with faculty outside my intended graduate department. I was just wondering if all of you folks who have been to a million interviews already can comment on how that experience was for you, and how you found a balance between demonstrating that you are knowledgeable about your research area without over killing the details for someone who is in a different field.

Example: I do research in cognitive and affective neuroscience and I'm interviewing with a dermatologist and a molecular biologist.

thoughts?

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[OncDoc19]

Hi guys~
With my first batch of interviews coming up in the next couple of weeks, I am realizing that unlike the Ph.D. program interviews that the post-docs in my office have helped me to prepare for, a number of my MSTP program interviews are going to be with faculty outside my intended graduate department. I was just wondering if all of you folks who have been to a million interviews already can comment on how that experience was for you, and how you found a balance between demonstrating that you are knowledgeable about your research area without over killing the details for someone who is in a different field.

Example: I do research in cognitive and affective neuroscience and I'm interviewing with a dermatologist and a molecular biologist.

thoughts?

I was worried about this as well especially because I want to do something non-trad for my PhD but found my fears to be unjustified. Just approach it like you are giving a talk to a mixed group of scientists. Also make sure when you are talking to pay attention to the person's facial expressions. If they look confused or bored ask if they need further clarification.

 

[juventusman31]

Ditto what OncDoc said...

Also, check the Web sites of those programs; you may have been assigned these interviewers because they are on the steering committee/admissions committee for the program. That being said, your justification/reasons for an MD/PhD will be just as important as your research background for these interviewers.

 

[Vader]

Also be ready for them to ask some insightful questions about your research. I found on interviews that it was actually the people not in my specific areas that often asked the toughest questions because they were ones I had not thought of before.

 

[seraph524]

One thing I noticed is just how interconnected everybody's research is. I study the Hsp90 chaperone, and I was surprised that a significant amount of interviewers' research involved Hsp90 in some way or form. However, they will always try to come into your research from their own research field, and often they are the hardest questions...

So I guess be prepared to say "I don't know"...nobody knows everything...

 

[Hard24Get]

Also, remember that many people will just want a "quickie" on your research, to ask about your career goals, and then spend the rest of the time talking about what THEY do. It's actually quite fun and interesting, and asking insightful questions about their work usually impresses them more than an audience-appropriate lecture.

 

[seraph524]

Also, if you can, pull up a couple of papers written by your interviewers and read them before hand...this will prevent those awkward silent moments when nobody has a question... Try to just read the review articles, or just the introduction/conclusion/discussion of the primary scientific articles.