Interviews

Not all national fellowships require an interview: the Javits, NSF, Udall, Goldwater, and Fulbright select scholars on the basis of the written materials alone. But many-Truman, Rhodes, Marshall, Mitchell, Mellon, Watson and more-conduct regional and national finalist interviews.

At Willamette, as at most universities, faculty committees stage mock interviews for candidates, to increase their comfort level in the interview setting, and expose them to potential lines of questioning. At times, the mock interviews feel like endurance tests: a grueling half hour of fielding impertinent, unanswerable, and seemingly irrelevant questions, digging yourself into moral and ethical holes, from which you emerge with your confidence and self-esteem in tatters.

Take heart. In these pages you'll discover reams of advice from Willamette students, both finalists and scholars, selection committees themselves, and examples of questions posed to candidates in interviews across the country.

• Preparing for Interviews

  Your applications are signed and mailed, and the waiting begins. Although you will not know for several weeks whether you have been selected to interview, you should prepare now.

  Why practice for interviews now? First, the skills you hone aren't wasted; they will serve you well for graduate and professional school interviews, and for job interviews in the future. Second, the more you practice, the more comfortable you will feel with answering questions "on the fly"-and ease in the interview setting is an important ingredient for success.

  Know what to expect:

  • Read what Willamette students have to say about interviews past, and thumb through years of interview reports on file in the Office of Student Academic Grants and Awards in order to get a sense of the range and kinds of questions.
  • Talk to people who have been through similar interviews to find out what helped them and what they wish they'd done, or not done.
  • Use your mock interviews to listen to yourself, to practice framing answers that include the information you want to convey, and to help you with your sense of timing. Twenty minute interviews go by fast. The committee will give you feedback on your 'performance'; take advantage of their suggestions to reflect on (and plan for) possible trouble spots in the next mock interview or the real thing.

  Prepare yourself:

  • What points do you want to be sure to make? What character traits do you want to project? Write them down, and review your list before each interview. Have a brief statement ready of what you most want committee members to know about you, in case you are asked for a 'closing statement' at the end of the interview.
  • Go over your application carefully. Interview questions will mostly derive from your application materials: the personal statement, study or policy proposal, activities, transcript, and letters of recommendation. Mentally review past course material, consider what activities matter most to you and why, and be prepared to discuss anything and everything.
  • Brainstorm a list of possible questions, and practice speaking the answers. Although actual interview questions will most likely be very different, the practice you'll gain from thinking on your feet could transform a hesitant and cautious response into an articulate, confident and effective statement.
  • Brainstorm a list of potential questions in your major field of study. Ask your advisor to help you. Focus on issues that would interest an educated generalist (and since you've been reading the New York Times, The Economist, or the Wall Street Journal, you know what these are). Formulate your answers verbally.
  • You may be asked questions on current events. Know what is happening in the world, and have opinions to articulate. Be able to defend knowledgeably your positions on cloning and stem-cell research, campaign finance reform, the federal budget, missile defense, etc. You don't have to know something about everything, but you do need to be reasonably well informed, and aware of any breaking news in the days leading up to your interview.
  • Don't be surprised by questions that touch on your extracurricular interests, the kind of books you read, and what you like to do in your free time.

  Managing the Interview:

  • The committee members are intelligent, accomplished, successful and occasionally famous people. Don't, however, let yourself be intimidated. Engage confidently in the exchange of ideas; respectful differences of opinion are expected and even welcomed. Know the difference between a debate and an argument, and avoid engaging in the latter. Remember how short your time is, and how many other things you have to say.
  • Take a moment to think before you answer. Ask for clarification if you need to. Don't be afraid to admit you don't know the answer to a question; do be afraid to fake it.
  • Remember how short your time is, and how many other things you have to say. Keep your answers fairly brief-take as long as you need to respond to the question, but don't editorialize, don't embroider, and above all don't keep talking to fill the silences.
  • Know when to stop. If you feel you could talk forever on a particular topic, give a brief answer and ask the committee if they would like you to go into more detail.
  • No matter how well you prepare, you will be asked questions you can't anticipate. Don't worry about it--how you think is often as important to the committee as what you think, so invite them into the process as you work through an answer to something you didn't expect. Even if you feel you've just made a fool of yourself, don't look back! Remember that you have answered other questions well, and move on.
  • Be honest; be confident; be yourself.
  • Remember to thank the committee! Regardless of whether you are successful in gaining a scholarship or grant, each of the committee has invested time and energy in you, and whether you can appreciate it at the moment or not, you have just had a valuable learning experience.
• Characteristics of Successful Interviews

  Candidates demonstrate comfort with the interview setting.
  Although some nervousness is natural, successful candidates generally relax quickly, enjoying the give and take of the interview. They are not put off by challenging questions, nor by the lack for encouraging words or smiles from panelists. The best interviews happen when candidates turn them into a conversation with panelists by engaging with questions, rather than merely responding.

  Candidates demonstrate a sophisticated grasp of the issues facing society, or in their chosen fields of study.
  This means understanding that rarely are solutions clear-cut, that nothing happens overnight, that there may be opposing, but equally valid, points of view. Just saying that something should be this way or that way is rarely enough for an interview panel.

  Successful candidates are rarely "single-issue" types.
  They have a variety of interests, and a breadth of knowledge beyond their chosen career field. At the very least, they can discuss issues that relate to their studies, and make connections to other, tangential topics.

  Candidates show some ability to analyze "on the fly."
  Panelists like to see a candidate thinking out an ethical issue, or grappling with concepts they haven't previously considered. "What are the most critical issues facing American society?" is one example of a question that can throw a candidate who isn't prepared to think it through.

  How does one deal with such questions? You can never anticipate every questions, but you can think of how you might answer variations of questions, such as: five books you would recommend to the President; three figures from history you'd invite to dinner at the White House; four most important people of the 20th century; three characters from Shakespeare; how you would divide the national budget; how you would spend the next 24 hours if you could do anything you wanted to. Make lists, brainstorm, go wild! (note: each of the previous questions was really posed to a scholarship finalist.)

  What do you want the panel to see? That you have opinions, a sense of humor, an understanding of your priorities; that you care about people, the issues, the future. There is no one right answer. The only right answer is one that accurately reflects who you are. The only wrong answer is having nothing to say.

  Candidates demonstrate commitment to their community, and show they lead an active life.
  Panelists aren't looking for scholars only; being smart isn't enough.

  When a candidate isn't handling a question well, he or she doesn't get bogged down.
  Few candidates, even successful ones, answer all questions well. Far better to keep your answers short, admit you don't know instead of bluffing your way through, and cut your losses. Let the panelists pose lots of questions so you'll have more opportunity to shine.

  Successful candidates, whether or not they are selected as Scholars, keep the interview-and the outcome-in perspective.
  Feeling that you "have to win" virtually guarantees a poor performance. Don't think about what you think the committee wants to hear; think about how you can help them get to know the real you. Be yourself.

  And above all, practice, practice, practice!

  Adapted from "Characteristics of Successful Truman Scholarship Finalists" by Louis H. Blair, Executive Secretary, Truman Scholarship Foundation.