2022 ASPIRE Mock Interview Day
This article was originally published in the 2021- 2022 Annual Report
By Leah Mann, Graduate Student
The BRET Office of Career Development’s ASPIRE Program hosted its second annual Mock Interview Day on March 28, 2022. Although this year’s platform looked different than that of the first Mock Interview Day held prior to the COVID-19 shutdown, the event was nevertheless an undeniable success that embodied the ASPIRE model of professional development.
Several years ago, Angela Zito, Assistant Director of the BRET Office of Career Development, first conceived the idea for Mock Interview Day based on mock interview relays hosted by Vanderbilt’s Peabody College of Education and Human Development. During this training event students are connected with area employers and alumni for advice on interviewing and networking skills. Collaborating with Dr. Kim Petrie, Assistant Dean for Biomedical Career Development, Zito adjusted the Peabody model to make it more suitable and effective for biomedical PhD students and postdocs. Unlike the first Mock Interview Day, which recruited local Nashville employers and alumni in diverse careers as interviewers, this year’s event was intentionally focused on interviewers working in industry R&D. The day commenced with a keynote lecture from alumnus Larry Thompson, PhD, Senior Principal Scientist at Pfizer. During his presentation, “From Academia to Industry, How to Break on Through to the Other Side,” Dr. Thompson shared his unique experience as both an interviewee and interviewer.
Dr. Thompson emphasized practicality and strived to “acknowledge the difficulties that people go through when transitioning from academia to industry.” He discussed the differences between academic and corporate research environments, and the ways in which to break down barriers through networking, interview skills, and job searches.
His best recommendations for preparing for interviews included (1) employing the STAR method for answering questions, which involves considering the situation, task, action, and result of a situation or challenge, (2) ensuring that one knows everything mentioned in his or her resume, and (3) preparing good questions to ask the interviewer. Following this talk, a Q&A session with a panel of recently hired Pfizer employees provided attendees with a rare opportunity to receive insights about the interview process. Timothy Thoner, a PhD student, noted that this session with the Pfizer hires gave him access to beneficial information that he would not typically come by in a different setting. Trainees were then matched with interviewers for one to three mock interviews. Interviewers aimed to conduct sessions in a manner similar to genuine interviews, asking both technical and behavioral questions, and allotting additional time for questions, feedback, and guidance. Alexandra Blee, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow, participated in the event to familiarize herself with the nature of questions she could face. She found that the seminars prior to the event and the event itself provided her with valuable feedback and advice on interview and job search preparations.
In addition to engaging current Vanderbilt University and Vanderbilt University Medical Center students and postdocs, the event, especially with its virtual platform this year, was a compelling way to include alumni in ASPIRE programming. While the event boasts numerous benefits, students found that one of its key strengths was the opportunity to build connections with alumni in industry. The cornerstone of Mock Interview Day is its ability to bring real-world experience to trainees, typifying the career and professional development goals of the ASPIRE program.