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West Campus, Health Sciences, and School of Medicine

Interviewing ⇒ Selecting a Final Candidate

Interview

Stakeholder Feedback

While search committees are NOT required, the interview stage is an opportunity to get insight from existing lab members and/or stakeholders.

Phone Interview

Consider a 30-minute phone interview to narrow down the candidate pool before conducting in-person/skype interviews.

A 30-minute phone interview can help gauge the person's level of interest in your research and relevance of their skillset.

Salary Expectations

Discuss salary expectations to ensure they are in line with the salary range for the position, keeping NYS Executive Order 161in mind. 

Final Selection

The final selection of a Postdoc will take into account scientific capabilities and training as well as interpersonal skills. You may be able to teach them a technique, but will they fit into the culture of your lab and existing team?

References

References are an important component to the candidate selection. In addition to seeking formal letters of recommendation, we also recommend contacting references by telephone because people tend to open up more over the phone and say things they might not want to put in writing. 

Ask the reference open-ended questions such as:

→What are the candidate's strengths?

→What are some issues to be on the lookout for?

 

Interview Questions

Don't forget to ask if they have questions!

Utilize interview questions that target the skills needed for the project, explicitly discussing the research and lab work, communicating expectations of the position.

Are the Postdoc’s expectations of the position aligned with your expectations?

Project Life-Cycle Questions

Consider using tailored interview questions to capture the project's life-cycle
→How are your goals in line with this research project?
→What qualifications do you feel you have that will withstand the length of this research project?
→How do you plan to remain current in this field?

Soft Skill Questions

Questions meant to gauge the more interpersonal skills
→How do you approach multiple, competing priorities?
→Can you describe your preferred communication style?
→Describe your ideal supervisor.