Forschungszentrum Jülich Interview Questions
& Process

We started with a relaxed introductory chat, then you presented your PhD topic. After that, we discussed your research from your Master's thesis. Finally, you gave a presentation of your Master's thesis to the institute's team to show your scientific results and communication skills.

The interview scheduling was rigid, with them setting the dates and times for the first two interviews without any flexibility, forcing me to rearrange my entire schedule which felt unprofessional. The job description was poorly written and didn't accurately represent the role's actual tasks. During the interview, the interviewer would interrupt and even answer questions on my behalf if they didn't like my responses. I decided to reject the role before receiving any rejection email from them.

So, first I sent over my CV, Cover Letter, and certificates, and they got back to me in about three days to set up an interview. The first interview was with the Head of the Research Group and a Senior Group member. We talked about my education and some technical stuff for about an hour. A week later, I had a second interview with the Director of the Institute and some other research group folks. They asked a lot of technical questions, focusing on my Bachelor and Master Theses and the courses I took during my Masters.

For the interview, you need to prepare and present a 15-minute presentation in English (using PPT) on a topic relevant to the position. After that, there will be a standard interview with questions about your motivation for this role, your reasons for wanting to switch jobs, and your relevant previous experience. We'll delve into your positive and negative experiences with past projects, how you deal with conflicts and stressful situations, and your general ability to work in a team, ideally with specific examples.