How to Rock Your Grad School Interview Via Video Call

It’s grad school interview season and they’re looking very different from how they were last year… for obvious reasons! I just had an interview this past weekend and have some insight that I want to share with you guys!

*Just want to let you know that everything stated below is from my own experience, so take everything with a grain of salt!

1. Research the Field and the Program

It’s super important to understand the field and program you want to go into. You want to make sure you know what the roles and responsibilities are required for the job because you can see if the field is a good fit for you. It’d be rough if you don’t because you don’t want to spend time, money, and effort on something that will not fulfill you career-wise.

2. Dress for the Part

Make sure you dress for the part! An interview is still an interview, even if it’s via video call. Plus, dressing up will put you in the “grad school interview” mode!

3. Check Your Surroundings

Here is a little checklist of things to keep in mind while you set up for the interview:

• Make sure you have a quiet working space. It can get distracting, so make it easy for your interviewer to hear you loud and clear.
• Speaking of quiet, make sure to silence your phone and put it away. You don’t want any interruptions during your interview.
• Clean up the areas that will be captured in the video footage… because you don’t let your dirty laundry air out there 😂
• Check the lighting! The best lighting is natural lighting, so if you can get in front of a window, that’d be great! If not, then be sure to have the light coming in from the front to light up your beautiful face.
• Pray that the Wi-Fi works! LOL but for real, double-check that the Wi-Fi is functioning well. It sucks to have technical difficulties throughout the interview.

4. Anticipate Some Standard Questions

Here are some questions that were presented during the interview that seem pretty standard for any field:

• What made you want to get into the field?
• How did you find out about the program/field?
• Why did you choose this program/school?
• Do you have any experience in the field?
• What skills do you possess that will help you in the field?

5. Make Sure to Ask Questions

Show that you have some interest in their program. You want to learn about the program as much as you can because you will be attending the school in the future! Somebody told me that you’re also interviewing the program and making sure it’s a good fit for you. So make sure you have some knowledge of the school. Here are some questions you can ask:

• What does practicum/internship look like?
• What is the teaching style?
• What is the workload like?

6. It’s Okay to Feel Nervous!

Breathe! You’re going to do fine! You’re being considered for the program, so show them why you are their perfect candidate!

Best of luck to everyone preparing for their interviews! Go rock your interview! You got this!!! 💖.

XOXO

Pauline

If you just went through the interview process for grad school, then comment down below any advice you may have for everyone!