Hi all, new member here, just had an informal interview over the phone today and I have the feeling I totally blown it! They decided to ask me about labs I havent done since 1st year! I managed to answer some of her questions but not all, is all hope lost? lol

Stephen

did they just ring you out of the blue?

Maybe it's like those bogus lottery scams. They'll tell you you have a PhD place and all you have to do to claim it is send them a cheque for £750!

Pay attention, this smells a little fishy, not even the good kind of fishy!

Yes it's important to know whether this was a planned phonecall, and if they stated at the start that this was an interview or part of the interview process.

Unless you're in another country or could not make the interview (and it couldn't be rearranged) then it seems a bit unfair to base your eligibility on a phone call. You get a much better feel for someone in person.

Well they said they were going to phone as a kind of informal interview kind of thing but a) they never said when and b) the never said anything about details of labs I haven't done in over 2 years now. Was just so out of the blue when she asked for specific procedures to some labs! I managed to answer some of it but feel as though I slipped up!

seems a bit off to base their choice on a phone call you were not prepared for. maybe it was just to confirm your interest. i cant see how they could take you out of the running without holoding a formal interview.

Hi MrBojangles, I'm afraid to say that you should have either asked when this "informal" interview would take place or make sure you were fully prepared for the unexpected call.

They may take into account that it has been a while since you did the lab stuff but they could also think you should have looked it all up as you knew the "chat" was coming.

When I was applying I had a few phone conversations which were almost like interviews where they asked about my interests and experiences, but they were informal and then formal interviews and visits were organised. I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it, I hadn't done much in the way of lab work and so I didn't always know what they were going on about but I was just honest and they seemed OK with that. So i wouldn't worry too much that you were unsure about things, one supervisor told me that as long as you know the basic theory then any technique can be taught. He was more interested in motivation etc.