Science & Technology Interview Questions & Answers

I was invited to the venue near Fareham to arrive at 8:15am where I was provided with a security badge for the day. After a presentation from the graduate team about working for DSTL we performed a group exercise in which (there were 7 candidates) we had 45 minutes to choose a solution to a worldwide problem, world hunger. We were given a set of solutions and we had to come to an agreement on one of them. Half of us then went off for a break whilst the other half had their interviews. We then switched over (after a security check) and I went for my interview. It lasted just under an hour for which the first ten minutes I was asked to give a short prepared presentation on my final year project. After this I was asked questions on my presentation and then general questions related to the role and my skills and development through university. After the interview was finished I was invited to ask the two interviewers questions that I had and then I was taken back into the main room for sandwiches and refreshments with the other candidates

I was asked simply how I felt if changed as a person throughout university, which was a great question but very difficult to answer.

Don't worry too much. The assessment centre only involves a few other candidates and isn't as high pressure as it can be for other places. The interviewers were very friendly and although I was nervous they did put me at ease very quickly. However if you are interviewing at the portsdown west campus do not walk there from the train station! You run out of footpath and before you know it you're walking up a muddy hill on the side of the road wishing you'd booked a taxi.

The assessment centre was mostly the group excercise as described earlier, although we did have to complete a verbal and numerical reasoning test before the interview was held

Create an app using 5G that vodafone can create to improve some sector. I was asked more implementation details than expected, and I was asked questions in detail about the software choices.

The interview for all STP trainee positions take place in Birmingham. They include 4 interviews/assessments, in a 'speed-dating' type setting.

You have 10 minutes at each station, where you are interviewed by 2 people at each. 2 are based on your specialism (Medical Physics in my case), one was general Science and Maths, and the fourth was more questions you'd typically get for any job interview, about your aspirations and motivation to apply for the job as well as a chance to get your personality across.

Some in depth medical physics questions, which without my MSc in Medical Physics would have been very hard (it is not required that you have medical physics experience, only Physics and Maths).

Before the assessment/interview day, numerical, logical and verbal reasoning tests were carried out online, these were very difficult.

Read around the subject you are to specialise in, as well as general scientific knowledge.

Read journal articles / magazines such as New Scientist.

Join up to IPEM / other relevant professional body if offered before/after the interview takes place.

It was very well organised, with each interviewee being given a starting table, and a way to move around to the other 3. Also a bell is rung to identify when each 10 minute interview should be finished. The trainee is then given a 2 minute break while the interviewers make notes.

The IBM group assessment centre was very well run. The morning is split into four segments, where you are asked to work as a small subgroup in two of them, do a short test (to verify earlier test results) in one, and watch a "history" video and presentation.

The day is an excellent chance to network, and if you're successful you're asked to stay for the afternoon, do an individual interview, prepare a presentation and other activities. I was not successful unfortunately but it is a very competitive position and I fought hard!

We weren't really asked interview questions in that sense. However the group activities were difficult because we had to work with 6 other people we'd never met before and come to a consensus within 30 minutes on our projects.

Participate as fully as possible with your potential colleagues.
Do NOT sit in silence - you will not be chosen!
If you have an idea, speak up. Let people know you have something to say.
If you figure something out, tell people.
If you're not sure, clarify.
Enjoy yourself. It's for them AND for you.

We were split into 4 groups of 7.
We watched a 10 minute "history of IBM" video (available on YouTube) of what the company had gone through between 1911 and 2011.
We carried out a logic puzzle in order to answer questions. This required co-ordinating information
We carried out a "project management" task with a time limit, budget limit, strict client requirements and creativity.
We carried out a 10 question sequencing test to verify earlier results.

I submitted an application for the position via the NHS jobs website, I later received an email inviting me to attend an interview at the hospital pathology department. The interview was at 9am and lasted for 30 minutes.

The interviewers were the Laboratory Medicine Ops Manager and the Chief Biomedical Scientist of the Histology department.
I was firstly asked to confirm my I.D by providing a drivers license and proof of address. There was an initial chat about my application, and discussion of how I had used my time at university and about the relevant work experience that I already had. I was then asked questions about why I wanted the job, and why I believed I was a good fit for the job. In addition I was also asked about my understanding of data confidentiality and about health and safety and risk assessments. We also discussed support that would be available for career development, and for relocation.

After this, I was asked to submit a handwriting sample, and was also given some basic maths problems to solve with no time restrictions.

I was then given a tour of the lab by a member of staff, who had previously held the role I was applying for which gave me ample opportunity to ask more questions about the job role.

What qualities do you have that make you a good fit for the position?

If going for a pathology based role, be prepared to answer questions on what you understand by data confidentiality and about health and safety risks.

I would also ask if you can have a tour of the lab, if they don't offer it in the beginning. This can give you a greater perspective of what the job role entails, and it gives you a chance to be reminded to raise more job specific questions about your daily working tasks.

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Once my application had been accepted I was invited to an Assessment day. The day involved; an introductory exercise to test our communication skills, a tour of the offices with discussions with staff, a group assessment, a 45 minute interview with 2 interviewers per applicant and an hour and a half individual assessment where editing skills were tested. The layout of the day worked well as it allowed everyone to relax into the assessments. Throughout the day 10 or more staff members watched our actions. The interviewers took turns to ask a variety of questions involving giving an example of how you have used a skill in the past.

Describe a problem you have faced in the past that you did not deal with well and how you would have dealt with it in hindsight.

Make sure you are presentable and try to make yourself known to all of the members of staff observing you. Be friendly and memorable. If you haven't done any professional editing make sure you get lots of practice before attending the interview.

We were divided in to two groups of 7 and had to complete a timed challenge to test teamwork skills.

I was e-mailed by an administrator after applying for the role (by completing an online application form, submitting my CV and personal statement) that I had been invited to interview in around 1.5 weeks' time. I arrived in plenty of time and thought I had prepared enough by revising my undergraduate dissertation and bits about my placement and postgraduate literature review. Unfortunately, I hadn't prepared enough and I spent too much time explaining the background to my project topic (Toxoplasma gondii, it's discovery and how it was eventually identified in many areas globally but that older misconceptions could not explain these occurrences as it was thought the parasite could only survive in the felid intestine, yet it turned out it could survive just as successfully outside of the felid in other secondary hosts), so overall I struggled through the interview as I was under-prepared. Yet I have since asked my undergraduate university for help with interviews and will hopefully soon go on to do well at interviews I have lined up very soon.

Sometimes it could be a very easy question (or in this case it should be for me who completed a Masters in Stem Cells and Regeneration) you weren't expecting: twice this happened to me.

1) I was asked on one occasion "so in layman's terms, what is a stem cell?" and although I knew what one was I couldn't put it succinctly and proficiently into a sentence, I replied with "it is a cell that can form many other cell types by differentiating along specific lineages" - so I really hadn't answered the question, it wasn't in layman's terms as the panel had to ask me later on "what is a lineage?" and I hadn't stated that there were different types of stem cells and that they don't always form many different bodily tissues e.g. somatic stem cells and progenitors are uni or oligopotent - so can only make a cell that is anatomically close to them i.e. a cardiac progenitor will make a cardiac cell. Moreso, I hadn't also said that stem cells can proliferate for extended periods in culture and are developmentally younger than residents cells whose biological fate has been decided.

2) Also I was asked "what techniques I might expect to need to learn or improve upon in order to fulfill my role?" - really this was all provided in the person specification of the advertisement e.g. fluorescence microscopy, qRT-PCR, cell culture etc. but I had focused my efforts on remembering all about my previous work rather than considering what was needed of me in this role, so I stumbled through by giving one example "fluorescence microscopy" followed by a lot of 'erms' which is no good at all!

Make sure you have a healthy knowledge in balance between your work/achievements and the work you are going to do with the company you apply for; don't get caught short either side by knowing too much about yourself but not enough about the company or vice versa

I arrived on my own and at the time was the only person being interviewed (I think this was purposely carried out so that only one person was called to be interviewed each day or at markedly different times). I notified reception of my arrival, waited for around 15 minutes, was taken upstairs by an administrator who seated me outside the interview room for a further 10 minutes, then I was called in and sat in front of an academic panel of 4 (3 of which were my supervisors, 1 of which was an external examiner), I was quite nervous - the interview was very formal and some appeared more friendly than others and I never really eased into it, though I was happier that my potential supervisors were actually present rather than a previous interview where I was being interviewed by unrelated academics; the interview lasted around 40 minutes (including me asking the panel questions).

Online Application
Fill out form online. Read about Intel case studies to help you structure the answers. Contact people on Linkedin who work for Intel to get some idea about what type of things work. Main thing is to show an interest in technology and understand how Intel helps firms.

Online Situational Judgement Test
Consider what capabilities are liked by Intel. Look at all the information on the Intel recruitment website and try to make those qualities stand out. This is more based on your determination to work long hours, work independently, work collaboratively. Getting the balance right between leadership and team work is vital.

Phone Interview
Few competency questions and then case study. For competency questions just be sure about Why Intel? Why this position? Why you? Have your answers planned according to S.T.A.R - Situation - Task - Action - Result. The Case Study is all about showing you can think analytically and systematically. Analyse wider issues etc.

Group exercise was difficult for me. There were around 4 people in my group. All of them were quite confident. I was the only one who was a bit nervous but finally I managed to do well.

- Learn a lot about the company
- Be one of the main speakers in the group exercise
- Be able to talk about what you did right and wrong

There were 5 people in my assessment centre. We were first given a presentation by a senior member of staff about his career. Then we were presented with a video which described a case study. We had to as a team find the best solution in each of four different categories and it had to come under budget. It shouldn't be too hard to find a solution to this. The hr people ask you some questions at the end. My feedback said that I didn't defend my opinions enough during the exercise so if you disagree with someone do say something but just don't let it turn into an argument.

We were next given a project planning exercise based on the solution youve cone up with and you have to list risks and dependencies. You then have a one on one interview which is mainly focused on defending your project plan and then they go on to ask about your knowledge of Intel. They also ask you about how you performed on the exercise, it's important to go into a bit of detail here and I think they want to know that you're aware of your strengths and weaknesses.