Academic Advising Office March 2014

Mock Interviews

Interview Scenarios

A student from the Faculty of Business and Economics nominated for an academic merit scholarship

A student from the Faculty of Arts applying for a 1 –year exchange programme to a University in the United Kingdom

A student from the Faculty of Engineering applying for a summer internship programme based in Hong Kong

Debrief and Further Advice

Interview: The DOs Be punctual Dress appropriately Turn off / silence your phone Treat other people you meet politely Smile and have eye contact Be well-prepared: the background of the Scholarship/ programme/ position you are applying for Respond with specific examples whenever possible Ask sensible questions Relax, be friendly and be humorous (if possible) A thank you note to the interviewers

Interview: The Don’ts

Don’t be late Don’t dress too causal Don’t keep you mobile on or take call Don’t treat the interview causally Don’t make negative comments / badmouth your professors/ course mates/ room mates Don’t simply answer “yes” or “no”. Try to elaborate your answers and demonstrate your communication skills. Don’t chew gum or smell of smoke

Business casual Way too casual!

Sample Questions for Further Practice

What can you tell me about globalization? Have you traveled abroad before? If so, what have you learned in your travels? What influenced your choice of host university? Tell me about a time you’ve been in a new/uncomfortable situation and what happened. What do you hope to learn from your exchange experience? Why do you think you will represent HKU well abroad? What could you contribute to your host universities community?

Exchange

Sample Questions for Further Practice

What are you most proud of? Tell me something interesting about yourself. We need someone who is tactful and diplomatic- how does that profile fit you? How does this internship compare with others you’re looking at? Where do you see yourself in five years? Who do you admire most and why? Give me an example of a difficult decision that you have made. Why do you think you are better than the other candidates?

Academic Internship

Sample Questions for Further Practice

What influenced your choice of study/major?Why should you specifically be selected for this scholarship? How would your current professors describe you?In what academic areas do you think you can improve?What motivates you? Give an example to demonstrate your answer.

Scholarship

Sample Questions for Further Practice

Tell me why you are qualified to enter a PhD programme. Why do you want to go directly into postgraduate study, as opposed to wait two or three years after gaining some experience? How do you think your field of study will change in the next ten years? How do you plan to use your postgraduate studies to achieve your future career plans? What motivates you to continue studying? Describe your favorite teachers. What's the most important thing you have learned during your undergraduate study? What could you contribute to our university community? How do you think you could improve on your academic performance?

Postgraduate Studies

Additional Resources @ HKU

Academic Advising Officehttp://aao.hku.hk

HKU Scholarships http://www.scholarships.hku.hk

CEDARS (Careers and Placement)http://cedars.hku.hk

Centre for Applied English Studieshttp://caes.hku.hk

Thank You