Hey folks and welcome to the Grad School Sucks podcast, the show for academics and grad students. who want to leave their academic career behind and start a new career in industry. I'm your host, Dr. Matt Carlson, and today I'm going to be walking you through three steps to crushing your first non academic job interview.
Three steps. And before I get there, I want to let you know that I have an upcoming Live online workshop where I'm going to be discussing career paths for social sciences in Industry it's going to be a week from today Well the day of this recording six days from the day of this episode releasing it's going to be December 12th At 7 p.
m. Eastern, again I'm going to be discussing how I went industry, the steps it takes for the average Ph. D. to also go industry. I'm going to be talking about a variety of career paths for social sciences in industry, many of which Start at or will reach six figures pretty quickly. And then I'm going to be answering your questions live.
And additionally to being able to answer your questions live, I'll be giving everyone who shows up live some bonus resources. So be sure to show up live if you possibly can. If you'd like to register. for this webinar for free. You can do so at gradschoolsucks. com slash webinars, or you can click the link in the description of this episode.
All right, let's jump into it today. Three steps to crushing your first non academic job interview. So job interviews can be pretty stressful and unfortunately the best way to reduce that stress is actually to do more and more job interviews. But if you're coming up on your first one and you want to be sure to be as prepped as you can, here are three things you can do.
to best prepare yourself. Number one is to write out answers for the usual questions that you're going to hear. Now there are probably dozens if not hundreds of questions that recruiters use, and many of those questions will vary based on the specific job that you're applying to. But particularly for the first interview, Which would be a brief phone screen with the recruiter, typically, for medium to large size companies.
There's going to be a smaller set of questions, and a lot of them will be pretty generic. And I've got six questions here for you that I think you should prepare for. And we'll go through each one. So number one is, Tell me about yourself. This is often an opening question, something they'll say at the very start, and this is just a softball question to get things started, to give you the reins in the interview, to really lay out what kind of a candidate you are, and how you're a great fit for the job.
Another version of this question could be Walk me through your resume. And again, your goal in this time is to succinctly tell the recruiter who you are and how that's a great fit for the job. There's really no secret agenda with this question. They really just want to know who you are. So, be direct, be specific, and be brief, and then move on to the next question.
So the next question might be something like why did you apply to this job? And again, the recruiter is looking for you to give some indication as to why you might be a good fit for the company or team or role specifically.
This can be a great moment to talk about some skills that you have that are a good fit for the position or maybe values that you have that meet with the company's values or maybe a knowledge area where you are a subject matter expert and how that lines up with the kinds of duties that you'd be performing.
The next question is biggest strength or the classic biggest weakness question. And this is one where the recruiter is looking for a little bit of insight on your part. And I would be straight forward as you can talking about your biggest strength or your biggest weakness. The one thing I would say about your biggest weakness is not to end on a negative note.
Now I can, I know it's completely natural to end on a negative note. When asked this question because it's a negative question,
but you want to end on a positive note for two reasons. One is simply
psychological. People don't like negative energy and you don't want to end that part of a conversation with negative energy by saying, I'm really bad at finishing things in the final steps of our process. You don't want to just leave it at that because that kind of adds a little bit of a drag to the conversation.
And the recruiter is kind of like, eh, okay, awkward. Also, you want to show that you are making progress in this area. And that's also a thing the recruiter is going to be looking for. So you're going to end this question on a positive note. So one thing that I often talk about when I'm asked this question is that I'm a little bit disorganized.
I have a lot of things going on, a lot of things I'm interested in, and so sometimes things fall through the cracks. But I don't just leave that conversation there. I talk about what I'm doing to address that. And specifically, this year, I've been implementing a organizational system with a bullet journal, where I write down my to dos, I review them every day, and then do a thorough review every week.
I also duplicate that in Another written format, which is a whiteboard that I have next to my work desk. And then I duplicate that again with calendar reminders on my computer. So I have a system where I review everything that I'm doing, as well as multiple layers of reminders for myself. And that is a great way to tie up that kind of a question.
Because now the recruiter knows what your weakness is, but they also know how you're addressing it right now. It ends it on a positive note, and it gives the recruiter confidence in you as a candidate.
The next question I might prepare for is, how would your colleagues describe you? Again, they're looking for a little bit of insight on your part, but they also want to know how you're going to play as a team player. One interesting note between academia and industry is in academia, people who are not good team players and who don't play well with others tend to still have good careers because the career of an academic, particularly a research oriented academic, is often one where you are working with others in some capacity, but you're really charging forward in your career and trying to meet your milestones on your own.
And it's generally more socially accepted in academia to be someone who is maybe not that friendly or easy to get along with, and doesn't contribute to the team vision. However, in industry, things are much more team based. There's much more teamwork, there are many more people with hands on a project, and if people, if recruiters can suss out that you are not going to be Someone who plays well with others.
They probably don't want to have you on that team. Even if you're a great individual contributor Because when working on large projects with multiple other staff You really need to be able to synergize with them contribute to the team Sacrifice a little bit of ego to move things forward. So I definitely recommend answering this question with the truth and also the truth and also ensuring that you show yourself to be a good team player.
Last two questions are, where would you see yourself in five years and what questions do you have for me or what questions do you have for us?
In terms of where you see yourself in five years, you would probably say something like you see yourself in a similar position to the one you're applying for. Maybe in a similar company, in the same space, maybe you're getting a promotion. Of course, you could go with a classic response of I see myself at this company, the one that you're applying for.
As long as you don't throw them a curveball saying you'd rather be doing something else or working with a specific competitor, I don't think there's a bad way to necessarily answer that question. But the last question is critical. What questions do you have for me, or what questions do you have for us?
In general, unless you've had a fairly conversational back and forth interview, you need to be asking some questions at the end. And I recommend you prepare at least two or three questions ahead of time to ask. If you're talking with a recruiter, you could ask more generic questions like, What do you think a day in this role would look like?
What do you think of the culture at this company? Or you could get a little more personal and say, what is your favorite part of your job or what do you think are the strengths? in this position that people should be maximizing.
What I wouldn't do is not have questions. Now, you may have 5 or 10 questions prepared. You'll probably only get through 2 or 3, depending on how much time you have. But having 2 or 3 good questions will definitely set you apart from people who do not come prepared with good questions. So, bring good questions.
Alright, the next thing that I would recommend you do is prepare some stories, and that is because you're probably going to have some questions that begin with the phrase, tell me a time when. And the best way to address these questions is with specific stories that show you As a key catalyst in whatever action is happening and delivering some great result at the end.
Talking about specific projects, specific outcomes, and specific skills and actions that you took along the way.
And frankly, the only way you're going to be able to be that specific, unless you're great on your feet and you've got a good memory, is to prepare these stories ahead of time. Literally. Write them out. Maybe not word for word, but at least some bullets so that you can jog your memory later when you need to.
So here are six questions that I think you should prepare for. So here are six stories that I think you should prepare. Number one, a time when you faced a difficult situation. Obviously, I would talk about something authentic and real when you did face a difficult situation. But also, I would ensure that this story has a Positive note on the end where you either resolve the difficult situation or you addressed it specifically in some way or you developed an ability to move forward in spite of it.
And again, with these stories, the more specific you can be, the better. And remember that the ultimate goal is to show yourself as a prime candidate for the position. Alright, story number two to prepare for. time when you solve the problem. That's a great one because this really is where you can show off your skills, demonstrate that you took action, and again, show results that are hopefully in line with the position that you're applying for.
The one thing I would say with this one is that when you're talking about you solving a problem, I would definitely bring in A note about any other collaborators that you worked with to solve this problem or anyone who helped you solve this problem along the way. I think that goes a little bit in terms of showing that you're a team player and not just someone who works in isolation.
Number three, tell me about a time when you disagreed with a colleague or a supervisor. Now, this one can be a trap because if you're the kind of person who's really confrontational and a little bit stubborn, you may show that off to the recruiter a little bit prematurely and then Too much light. So one thing that I would definitely recommend you do is think about a disagreement that wasn't like a deal breaker or ended to a really bad situation or relationship with a person, but definitely something that was authentically a disagreement.
either about a course of action, or how something might be done in the future, or about the kind of result that you were working towards. I would definitely recommend in turning this one positive at the end, showing the resolution that you came to with the person, or what you learned from the matter. And then moving on to the next thing.
So the next question is tell me about a time when you felt stressed. Again, I would talk about a time genuinely when you were under pressure at work, facing a deadline, or you had a difficult problem you couldn't solve. But then I would focus on the resolution at the end, the way that you addressed the problem, the way that you handled the stress and moved forward.
And put your best foot forward so that you can show that you're a good fit for the position. Next one is tell me about a time when you made a mistake. Now this is a great one because admitting that you make mistakes is crucial to being a good team player because someone who can never admit they make mistakes will probably never be able to work well with others particularly when maybe they've negatively influenced the situation.
So I would definitely be genuine in talking about a mistake that you made, hopefully it's a smaller one or a mid sized mistake, not a big one that ruined a project. But then I would also focus on what you learned, what you take away, and how. That knowledge and experience has positively affected how you've moved forward in your career.
The last one that you should prepare a story for is tell me about a time when you worked together as a team. And this is a great one because it can show off how you are a good team player, and how you can address issues while collaborating with others. And frankly, I think As an academic, this is fertile soil because there are so many interdisciplinary things we do.
And even though there are many academics that work siloed and don't play well with others, there are a lot of opportunities for us when we're in grad school to be able to talk about projects, whether they're research oriented or teaching or publishing. That can really shed light on how you can be a great team player.
All right, so those were the six stories to prepare for whenever you've got a job interview coming up. The last thing I would say, the last step to having a great first non academic job interview, is to do a mock interview.
Now I love, now I know that nobody likes doing role playing, especially when it's something like a job interview or something a little more serious. When I was a grad student learning to be a clinician, we did all kinds of role playing. Someone would play the part of the clinician, the other person would play the part of the patient or client, and it was always awkward, it always felt forced or fake, and it never truly prepared you for what doing real therapy was like.
But It got you part way there. Maybe it got you 25 or 50 percent to the real experience of being in the room. And that's what I want you to experience with a mock job interview. It's really to kind of desensitize you from the stress that you might experience when it's live, you're talking with a real person and answering real questions and trying to get that job or just to get to that next stage in the interview process.
And if you're really nervous about interviews, I'd recommend you start with a mock interview with a friend. Someone that you trust, someone that you have a good relationship with, so that you can try out answers to usual questions, and some of the stories that you've prepared ahead of time, live, in a really neutral or positive environment.
However, I would also recommend you try this out with someone who you trust. But maybe could be a little bit intimidated by. Maybe
they're a little bit older than you. Maybe they're a little bit further in their career. But for some reason, you could be, intimidated a little bit in a mock interview with them. And I think that's a great experience because that's a little bit more of what doing an actual interview will be like.
You'll feel a little bit of pressure. You'll stumble over your words a little bit. Maybe you'll forget some of your perfect answers to the usual questions, but that's okay because you want to simply experience that stress and let it flow through you and do your best to answer the questions and move forward because the next time you do it, you'll feel even better.
You'll feel more prepared. You'll be more able to answer questions. questions fluidly and with accuracy and precision in your mind and Experiencing it over and over again is the best way to get better at doing job interviews. I recommend you do at least one mock interview with a trusted friend or colleague, someone you have a positive relationship with and are not intimidated by.
And if you want to ramp this up and really prepare, find someone who can intimidate you a little bit, maybe a PhD who's already in industry and they can ask you a little bit more tougher questions and be a little bit more of like a neutral presence that you strive to connect with through the interview process.
Alright, so those are those three steps that I have for you in terms of preparing for your first non academic job interview. Job interviews are always stressful, and unless you're five or six interviews into an active job search, it's probably going to be a little bit of a pain and a little bit awkward.
But that's okay. That's honestly what it's like for the vast majority of people, and it's only going to get better by doing a little bit more prep, and more and more experience. More and more reps is how you get stronger.
Alright, that's all I have for you today. Make sure to register for my upcoming live workshop if you want to find out about industry, careers for social scientists, and how to obtain them. And I will see you all next week for another episode.