How to prepare for a research interview

1. Interviewing
2. Top Interview Questions for Research Assistants

By Indeed Editorial Team

Updated February 22, 2021 | Published June 4, 2020

Updated February 22, 2021

Published June 4, 2020

Interviews are an essential part of the hiring process. Speaking in person or via the phone or video call allows both the employer and the candidate to get to know one another and determine if the job and applicant are a good match. Research assistants perform several vital tasks on the job, so preparing for the interview to demonstrate their qualifications for the role is vital. In this article, we offer an array of common interview questions for research assistants along with a few questions with explanations and sample answers.

Related: Research Assistant Resume Samples

General questions

Often, hiring managers begin interviews by asking general questions to get to know you as a person. Prepare for basic questions about your personality and goals like these:

• How did you find out about this position?

• Why are you interested in working as a research assistant?

• What are your long-term career goals?

• Why do you want to work for this organization?

• Describe a time you overcame a challenge at work.

• What are your greatest strengths?

• What skills are you working to improve?

• Tell me about your hobbies.

• How would previous colleagues or classmates describe you?

• What do you find interesting about research assistance?

Related: Research Assistant Cover Letter Sample

Questions about experience and background

Hiring managers want to ensure that you have the appropriate and necessary education, training and experience to complete the job responsibilities of a research assistant. Prepare to discuss your qualifications with questions like these:

• Are you competent in working with computers?

• Where did you go to school?

• What was your major?

• Have you worked as a research assistant before?

• What skills do you have that qualify you for this position?

• Do you have any research experience?

• Describe the last research project you worked on and your role in that research.

• Are you comfortable performing some data entry?

• Have you presented research before?

• What was your favorite research project?

Related: Graduate Research Interview Questions (With Example Answers)

In-depth questions

Many hiring managers ask questions that require logical thinking or in-depth problem-solving for you to show that you're capable of handling the challenges and tasks related to the position of a research assistant. Practice answering questions like these before your interview:

• Describe how you might multi-task work on several projects.

• Where do you find information for research?

• How would you cite sourced information in a footnote?

• How were the findings presented in your last project?

• Have you ever disagreed with a colleague on some aspects of the research process? How did you handle that?

• Do you have experience applying for funding?

• How do you handle a failed experiment or inconclusive research?

• What do you know about the research we conduct here?

• Describe applying a new research method for the first time.

• Have you ever felt your research ethics were tested during a project? If so, how did you handle that?

Interview questions with sample answers

Use these common research assistant interview questions with explanations and sample answers to help you prepare for your next interview:

What type of research are you most interested in exploring?

Depending on the organization, some companies, institutes or schools might have a few different areas of research ongoing. If you have a background in a certain area or if you're interested in learning more about a particular field, let the hiring manager know. If you're open to working on any project, be clear about that. The hiring manager wants to know where your skills will be most useful for the organization.

Example: "Since I'm a recent graduate, I'm interested in working on any research project. I have experience assisting my academic advisor, but I would love to broaden both my skill set and my background knowledge by researching on varied projects."

Describe your research process.

Hiring managers want to ensure you understand how to perform appropriate, replicable research. Describe how you manage research tasks and the order in which you normally perform them to show you're ready to begin researching immediately after you're hired.

Example: "The basic process I usually follow when researching begins with the identification of appropriate, peer-reviewed sources to help structure our work. From there, I work with the head researcher to structure any experiments and recruit any volunteers. Then, I assist as needed and directed through actual research and experimentation. Finally, I help process and write up our results for publication or presentation."

Are you comfortable working on a team? How do you manage task distribution?

Many research projects include a team of researchers and assistants. If that's the case for the organization with which you're interviewing, the hiring manager will want to ensure you're comfortable working on a team and prepared to delegate or perform assigned work from a leader.

Example: "I feel very comfortable working as part of a team. In my last project, there were three research assistants. We all took turns performing different functions and responsibilities so that we could all gain experience and improve our research skills. I would enjoy working on that sort of team again."

What do you hope to learn from working as a research assistant?

Research assistant positions are often entry-level jobs, and those that hold the positions usually want to go on to become researchers themselves. It's important to have and share clearly defined and goals for your time as a research assistant.

Example: "My long-term career goals include working as a primary researcher, so I hope to continue to develop my research skills as well as build connections in the field. I would be delighted to work for any of the organization's researchers, as they all have stellar reputations, and I know they would help further my knowledge and skills in the field."

How might you handle a disagreement with a lead researcher?

Research projects can be high-pressure situations with differing opinions. Hiring managers want to make sure your personality and outlook are compatible with those of the lead researcher and the organization before making any hiring decisions.

Example: "If I were to disagree with the head of the project, I would share my opinion in a calm, fact-based manner. If the lead researcher still disagreed with me, I would defer to them, as they are in charge of the project."