Research Aide Interview Questions

[psychpei]

Next week, I am going to my first interview for the position of research aide. I am especially nervous because I really want to make a good impression. I need the research experience because I am applying to PhD programs next fall, and right now, I have limited research experience.

For anyone who has interviewed for a research position, what types of questions were asked? I have a pretty good idea of what questions may be asked, but would like to know what type of research specific questions may come up.

Thanks!

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[mewtoo]

I had 3 interviews for research assistant positions. A lot of it was informational about the job. Questions wise they most asked about my research experience, describing projects, lab experience, etc. I was also asked some more typical job questions like what would I do with a situation where I had a major disagreement with a coworker, what I thought would be the toughest part of this job, stuff like that. They also expect you to ask a lot of questions about the job and research you would be doing. Its a lot like a grad school interview.

 

[syzergy]

I've been the lab manager for several projects and I've interviewed lots of potential research assistants. The interviews were pretty uniform for each applicant. I asked them about their research experience, past projects, etc. Sounds like you don't have a lot of prior experience. That wasn't a deal breaker for me though. If they didn't have previous experience I looked at GPA, classes taken, asked a lot of questions about attention to detail and contentiousness.

I was at a big research school so I realized undergrads were usually applying without any knowledge of the actual research topic. It was a huge pro if the applicant did some leg work and looked up a few articles about the research area. Bonus points if it's by the main faculty on the project. However, this definitely wasn't expected. It's how you would prepare for a grad school interview so I was impressed when some of the undergrads asked knowledgeable, intelligent questions.

 

[ahpsych]

Is this a full time post grad RA position, or an interview as a student research aide? If it's a post grad position, I'd say it's imperative that you know about the kind of research that the lab does and, if you don't have previous research in that area (or if you don't have research experience, a way to show that you've taken classes in that area), you need to be able to explain why you want that job. Many a candidate for positions in my lab have been turned down because thought they were just trying to get any RA position that they could. We like seeing that they are interested in our work and want to explore this path.

 

[psychpei]

Thank you all for the advice! I have been practicing my answers all weekend and feel pretty good about them. In answer to ahpsych, this is a full time position and the job title is "research aide". I graduated with my BA is psychology in May and plan to go to grad school in 1-2 years. I am applying this fall for the 2014 school year.

My interview is later this afternoon, so wish me luck!