Cheeky Logo
Ready To Transition Into Industry?
Apply To Book A Free Call With Our Transition Specialist Team

I Made 7 Ridiculous Errors At My Onsite Interview. Here’s What They Were.

As I finished my PhD, I was uncertain about what I should do next.

I wanted out of academia, but had no clue how things worked in industry or if anyone would even want to hire me.

It was a low point.

But, through networking, I found mentors and I found confidence.

I managed to get several phone interviews and even a few video interviews.

My job search was progressing.

Finally I got invited for an onsite interview for a job I would be a perfect fit for.

I should have been excited.

But instead, I was terrified.

Getting the interview invitation sent me straight back to feeling uncertain, nervous, and underqualified — Imposter Syndrome started kicking in.

I didn’t know anything about industry, and now I had to go for an onsite interview.

I had no idea how to prepare, or what to expect at this interview.

So, I prepared as best I could and went to the interview.

It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t good either.

Some parts of the interview were incredibly awkward, I didn’t know how to answer some of their questions, and I was exhausted.

I got an email, about a week later, saying I didn’t get the job.

I wasn’t surprised.

But, I was frustrated with myself.

Frustrated that I let my fear and uncertainty ruin this opportunity.

So, I decided to learn more about how I should have conducted this interview.

I identified the mistakes I made so I wouldn’t make them again.

I talked to other people going through the same process and learned from their mistakes too.

The next time, I was confident at my onsite interview and it went very differently.

What Employers Are Looking For Most At An Onsite Interview

Once you have made it to the onsite interview, you have already proven yourself to be a high quality candidate.

You look good on paper.

You interacted well via phone and/or video.

And so now, you’ve made it to the in-person interview stage.

Now is when you can really shine and show the employers why you are the best candidate, because many of the top skills employers want are difficult to convey on paper.

According to LinkedIn, the most sought after transferable skills are leadership, communication, collaboration, and time management.

The way you perform at your in-person interview can demonstrate whether or not you possess these in-demand skills.

The skill you will be able to demonstrate best during an interview is communication.

And, interviewers are highly sensitive to the way job candidates communicate throughout the interview process.

According to Careerbuilder, simple communication mistakes can lead to rejection, where 50% of hiring managers would not hire someone who spoke negatively about past employers and 33% would not hire someone who didn’t give specific examples when answering questions.

Non-verbal communication can be an opportunity-killer too, where the same survey found that not smiling was a huge issue for 44% of hiring managers.

At the onsite interview, the evaluation becomes about more than just your skill set.

Now the employer is looking at the whole picture, including your attitude, communication style, core values, and skills to see if you are the right candidate for the job.

Think about the interview process from the employer’s perspective and show them what they need to know about you to realize you are the best person to hire.

7 Mistakes PhDs Make During Onsite Interviews That Cost Them The Job

The hiring process is long.

From resume to job offer, there are many steps and many times that you will need to demonstrate that you are the best candidate.

But, the most important step is the onsite interview.

This is usually the final interview — the final chance to prove you are the one for the job.

And, all too often, PhDs make silly mistakes that ruin their chances.

Here are 7 common onsite interview mistakes that you should be sure to avoid…

1. Letting the interviewers ask all the questions and guide the flow of conversation.

While a site visit is an interview, this does not mean that you should let them ask you questions all day.

Any interview should really be a conversation, but a site interview should especially be a conversation, not an interrogation.

You are going to be spending several hours with your interviewers.

If you let them ask you questions for hours on end, you are going to get very tired, very quickly.

Instead, take control of the conversation and make it a 2-way street.

Ask them about the company, about their specific role, about their hobbies — anything to get the focus off of you.

This will give you a break from being in the hot seat.

Plus, having a conversation will build rapport with your interviewers much faster than merely answering the questions they ask you.

2. Not realizing the energy required to sustain yourself for a day-long interview.

No matter who you are or how well you prepare for your onsite interview, it will be a tiring experience.

You will be in a heightened state, trying to make the best impression possible for several hours.

You will get fatigued.

Once you accept this reality, you can prepare for it.

First, get a good night’s sleep and give yourself some good food fuel in the morning to set the day off right.

Also, make sure you are drinking water throughout the day.

If you are given a few minutes break, or if you take a bathroom break, use the time to calm yourself, take a few deep breaths, and try to rest.

Many PhDs don’t realize how taxing it can be to have to interact with and answer questions for a whole day — this is especially true if you are an introvert.

This doesn’t mean that you will not do well in the interview, it just means that you need to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the long day ahead.

3. Neglecting to communicate with the HR department in the lead-up to the interview.

Before your onsite interview, call the HR person that you have been communicating with and ask for details about your interview day.

You might be nervous about calling them, but this is the only way you will know what to prepare for.

Don’t wait for them to send you the details because, by that time, it might be too late for you to prepare properly.

When you call HR, here are a few questions you can ask:

Who will I be meeting with?

Will I need to give a presentation?

How long is the presentation and what should the focus be?

Will I be doing a technical demonstration?

How long is the interview?

Will we be having lunch and dinner together?

What is the company dress code?

This is not a comprehensive list of questions and, if there is something you are unsure about, ask.

The more you know, the better you can prepare.

And, the more prepared you are, the more likely you are to impress your interviewers.

4. Not preparing enough questions to ask the many people you meet at a site interview.

Site interviews are long.

You might be there just for an hour or two, but most of the time, a site visit interview is an all-day affair.

Think a whole 8-hour work day.

You are going to be having lots and lots of conversations.

This means you will need to prepare lots of questions that you can ask people during those conversations.

Instead of having awkward moments, or allowing the other person to ask you question after question, be prepared with your own set of questions.

By preparing these questions beforehand, you can also tailor them to each person you know you will be meeting at the interview.

Do a bit of research about the main people you will interact with and create thoughtful questions.

Getting someone to talk about themselves and their passions will build rapport quickly.

5. Forgetting that you might have to give a hands-on demonstration of your technical skills.

If the position you are interviewing for has a technical component, the company may ask you to demonstrate your skills.

Doing this in an interview, with a supervisor watching you carefully, can be intimidating.

The company may want to know that you have the right technical skills, or they may just want to see how you act under pressure.

Either way, if you have been away from the bench, or haven’t used the required technical skill in a while, doing a bit of brushing up might be helpful.

This is also a reminder not to say you have a specific technical skill if you don’t actually have it.

If you read a job description and don’t have the exact technical requirements, and if you think you meet enough of the other requirements, it is okay to apply for the job.

It’s not okay to lie and say you have a skill when you don’t.

SImilar to giving a hands-on demonstration of a technical skill, your onsite interview may also contain a whiteboard session where you might be asked to work through a problem.

Just be prepared to demonstrate the skills you have.

Remember — you are a PhD, you are an expert in your field, and have a high level of skill.

Don’t let the interview environment intimidate you.

6. Leaving the interview without asking what the next steps in the process are.

As your interview draws to a close and you say goodbye, always ask about the next steps.

You will probably be exhausted, but make sure you ask this last question.

Otherwise, over the next few day or weeks, you will just be left agonizing over when you might hear back about your interview.

You also won’t know what time frame you should follow up within.

Just make sure you ask what you can expect next.

You may also want to ask for the contact information for the new people that you met at the interview.

Then, follow up with these people within 24 hours, expressing your thanks for the interview and your excitement about the company.

Sending a hard copy postcard after the interview, to thank them for the opportunity, is also a great way to differentiate yourself from the other candidates.

But, make sure you send this right after your interview, so they get the note the next day or, at most, 2 days later.

7. Stopping your job search after you have an interview where you “nailed it”.

It is a wonderful feeling to leave an interview knowing that you did a great job.

You connected with the people at the company, your presentation went really well, and you are a perfect fit for the company.

These are all signs of a great interview.

But, these signs do not mean that you have gotten the position.

Even if one of the interviewers tells you that you probably got the job, this doesn’t mean you got the job.

Hiring decisions, especially at larger companies, are complex processes.

So, no matter how your interview goes, do not stall your job search.

Keep your job search strategy moving forward until you have signed a written contract.

Keep up with other interviews, informational interviews, LinkedIn interactions, job posting searches, etc.

A rejection after an interview is tough, but it’s even tougher if you have prematurely stopped pursuing other opportunities.

The best outcome would be to have more than one job offer, and then you can use that situation to negotiate the salary you want!

So, never stop your job search until after you have signed a contract.

Getting an onsite interview is a part of the job search process. It means you are getting closer to receiving a job offer! But, getting a site interview can also be scary and nerve-wracking. Instead of giving in to this fear and ruining the opportunity, learn from the common mistakes that PhDs make at site interviews, such as: letting other people ask too many questions and guide the flow of conversation, not realizing the energy required to sustain yourself for a day-long interview, neglecting to communicate with the HR department in the lead-up to the interview, not preparing enough questions to ask the people you meet at your site interview, forgetting that you might have to give a hands-on demonstration of your technical skills, leaving the interview without asking what the next steps in the process are, and stopping your job search after you have an interview where you “nailed it”.

If you’re ready to start your transition into industry, you can apply to book a free Transition Call with our founder Isaiah Hankel, PhD or one of our Transition Specialists. Apply to book a Transition Call here.

Book a Transition Call
Get Free Job Search Content Weekly

ABOUT CATHERINE SORBARA, PH.D.

Cathy has a PhD in Medical Life Science and Technology and is COO of the Cheeky Scientist Association. Cathy is passionate about science communication including translating science to lay audiences and helping PhDs transition into industry positions. She is Chair of Cambridge AWiSE, a regional network for women in science, engineering and technology. She has also been selected to take part in Homeward Bound 2018, an all-female voyage to Antarctica aimed to heighten the influence of women in leadership positions and bring awareness to climate change.

Catherine Sorbara, Ph.D.

Similar Articles

15 Questions To Ask Employers To Show You're Industry-Ready

15 Questions To Ask Employers To Show You're Industry-Ready

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I know many PhDs who moved from one lab to another or one adjunct ship to another and never really had to interview. Because academia is such an isolated environment most PhDs already know most of what they need to know about the culture, pay, and what’s expected of them. This familiarity gets them in the habit of not asking questions during industry interviews and blowing it spectacularly.  I kept bombing my early industry interviews and I couldn’t figure out why – I knew I was the most qualified candidate they’d interviewed. Many of the interviewers told me so. I…

Interview Follow-Up For PhDs: Exactly What to Say And When To Say It

Interview Follow-Up For PhDs: Exactly What to Say And When To Say It

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I wish I could say that I didn’t know I should send a thank-you email after my industry interviews, but that’s not entirely true.  Thank you notes weren’t a totally foreign concept to me.  I’d read or overheard it said that I should “be sure to send a thank you message after you leave your interview.”  But every article or blog post I read about this topic was roughly 10 years old. How trustworthy is job search advice from a bygone decade? And some of the points these articles wanted me to include sounded desperate to me. Like reminding them…

What Is A 30-60-90 Day Plan And Why Every PhD Needs One

What Is A 30-60-90 Day Plan And Why Every PhD Needs One

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

On my first day of work at my new role in industry, I was so excited.  I hadn’t just walked away from academia – I sprinted away and never looked back.  And it was a long road that I had traveled to find this job. I had no industry experience at all (unless you count shoveling snow out of driveways or mowing lawns).  I didn’t know the first thing about resumes or networking or how, exactly, to find a job. And my job search journey reflected that.  But now I had arrived. A large company and an exciting job in…

10 Questions To Ask During An Interview That'll Convince Employers You're The Best Fit

10 Questions To Ask During An Interview That'll Convince Employers You're The Best Fit

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

My first industry interview still stands out so clearly in my mind. I was as prepared as any one person could possibly be. Resume copies pristinely printed? Check. A business casual outfit laid out and ready to go? Check. Following the company on LinkedIn and relevant connections added? Check.  This job was in the bag – I was 200% sure.  The interview went without a hitch.  I could tell by the rapport I had with my interviewer that I was the perfect blend of charismatic and enthusiastic. “And did you have any questions for me,” the interviewer asked as our…

Is Your Body Language Costing You The Job?

Is Your Body Language Costing You The Job?

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I ran into an old colleague a few days ago – literally. We actually collided going into the same coffee shop.  As luck would have it, we both had some time to kill, so we took a seat and started visiting. I told him all about the work I do, connecting PhDs with the strategies to get hired in industry.  He’d since gone on to work in human resources as a manager at one of the Global 500. We talked about things we wish we’d known after graduation – the importance of things like networking and creating a powerful resume…

5 Ways To Bomb A Perfectly Good Interview Presentation (And What Savvy PhDs Do Instead)

5 Ways To Bomb A Perfectly Good Interview Presentation (And What Savvy PhDs Do Instead)

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

The first time I was asked to give a presentation as part of an onsite interview, I thought, ‘Well this should be a cake walk – I’ll just redo my defense presentation.’ I didn’t get the job. And I knew that mid-way through my presentation. To start, they had only scheduled 30 minutes for my presentation, yet the one I had prepared was an hour. I ended up speed talking my way through the entire thing. Mistake number one. Mistake number two was not appealing to my audience. My presentation was highly technical, but my audience included people from R&D,…

The PhD Cheat Sheet For Conquering An Onsite Interview

The PhD Cheat Sheet For Conquering An Onsite Interview

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

When I was offered my first onsite interview, I was elated. But that elation quickly turned into panic. I had no idea what to expect. I had heard about other colleague’s interviewing experiences, but they all seemed so different. Some were in panel interviews, some had back-to-back one-on-one interviews, others had presentations, while others had a combination of all the above. I didn’t even know where to start in my preparation. So, I did what many PhDs do. I memorized verbatim answers to a handful of interview questions. I even reread my thesis to make sure I remembered every last…

The Shrewd PhD's Guide For Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

The Shrewd PhD's Guide For Answering Behavioral Interview Questions

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

I went through three rounds of interviews and now the company is ghosting me! What did I do wrong?! I’ve heard so many PhDs utter these words. If you can relate, chances are, you’re not going into your later stage interviews fully prepared. You may think that you’re in the clear or that late-stage interviews don’t matter as much. No matter the reason, just know that now is not the time to put your guard down.   The key to nailing later stage interviews is anticipation and preparation.   You must anticipate what types of questions you’ll get during an…

6 Ways To Crush The Competition During Your Next  Video Interview

6 Ways To Crush The Competition During Your Next Video Interview

By: Isaiah Hankel, PhD

During my first industry job search, I was doing everything I could to prepare for in-person interviews. I got together with friends and colleagues, asked them to act as the interviewer and give me the tough questions. I asked them to critique my body language, my speech, and even how I planned to dress.   I really thought I was ready. So, after my first successful phone screen, I was completely sidelined when they told me the next steps included a video interview. A video interview? I wasn’t ready for this! At first, I prepared for it as I would…

Top Industry Career eBooks

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

63 Best Industry Positions For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD & Arunodoy Sur, PhD

Learn about the best 63 industry careers for PhDs (regardless of your academic background). In this eBook, you will gain insight into the most popular, highest-paying jobs for PhDs – all of which will allow you to do meaningful work AND get paid well for it.

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Complete LinkedIn Guide For PhDs

Isaiah Hankel

The LinkedIn tips & strategies within have helped PhDs from every background get hired into top industry careers.

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Industry Resume Guide for PhDs

Isaiah Hankel, PhD

Learn how to craft the perfect industry resume to attract employers. In this eBook for PhDs, you will get access to proven resume templates, learn how to structure your bullet points, and discover which keywords industry employers want to see most on PhD resumes.