Now that the Coronavirus pandemic has closed down schools, businesses and public places, everything is going virtual more than we ever thought possible. Zoom is the current meeting place for classrooms and business gatherings, but for some, interviews are now taking place online as well.
In mid-March, I had a virtual interview for graduate school. This was not the way I intended things to happen, but now that I’ve been through this experience I’ll share how I went about this process. I will also share tips, so if you find yourself in the same situation, you, too, can use Zoom to succeed on a graduate school interview. During this process I took advantage of Lehigh’s resources for graduate school.
I was supposed to travel to New York City to interview at Teachers College, Columbia University, but I received an email about four days beforehand informing me of the cancellation of in-person interviews. The interviews were rescheduled to take place online. I flew up to New York from New Orleans, where I was on my spring break vacation, so I called the airline and hotel to cancel my plans. Most companies currently have policies in place to get refunds on already booked flights and stays, so I didn’t think it would be a problem to cancel. When booking trips, I recommend reading the fine print to see what the company policy is in the event a cancellation needs to be made.
The first email sent to me by the university didn’t explain how the interview was going to work. Over the course of the next few days, information was sent laying out the details. During this time, it was very important that I kept a vigilant eye on my email because things were changing so rapidly. Eventually, I found out that we would have a virtual group information session, and then they would schedule individual interviews with students.
The information session was scheduled for the morning the original interviews were set to take place. I learned to make sure you know how the software you’ll be using functions. My interview and information session took place on Zoom, but I was using a phone, so I had to learn how to set up my audio differently than I would when using a laptop. Before the session started, I made sure I was in a quiet place with a neutral background and I was wearing something presentable—at least on my top half! The information session was an overview of the program and members of the faculty were introduced. If this is a part of your graduate school interview, definitely ask questions and make yourself known to the group.
As I would for any interview, I prepared answers to questions that would likely be asked of me. For any graduate school interview, it is critical to answer why you are interested in the school’s program and why you are interested in pursuing that particular field. I also had my resume and personal statement nearby in case I needed to answer any questions about them. It was interesting that my interview was with a student rather than a faculty member. The interview felt more relaxed, and the student was accommodating regarding the virtual change. We went through various questions and I answered to the best of my ability. Again, ask your interviewer questions because this shows interest in the school, and you’ll learn new things about the program.
Although this interview didn’t exactly go as planned, I ended up getting into Teachers College, and I learned how to use Zoom to succeed on a graduate school interview. The key to mastering online interviews is to treat them as if you would be doing the interview in person—prepare answers to common questions, relax and ask questions yourself.