by Noah Pittman, Associate Dean of Enrollment
So you’ve been invited to interview for one of our fellowships? Congratulations! You’re one of a very select group. This year, for the first time ever, the Honors College will be conducting all of its fellowship interviews over Zoom, a major change from the on-campus event we have hosted for nearly two decades. Although we would love to see you and all of our finalists in person, we are doing this to protect your health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Given these changes, I wanted to share a few tips so you can better prepare for your online interview.
1. Zoom interviews require a different level of preparation. Although you likely have experience over Zoom or a similar platform, this may be your first time to conduct an important interview online. Here are a few things to think about:
- What space should I use for the interview? If you’re going to do your interview at home, make sure you are in a space that should be quiet during your assigned interview time and makes you feel comfortable. If you’re going to do your interview at school or a public place, you should speak with a counselor and/or teacher to see if there will be an unoccupied space, such as an office or empty classroom. Please do not worry a ton about the background, but make sure there’s nothing behind you that would be overly distracting to the interview team. Finally, you should make sure the space is as well-lit as possible.
- What should I wear? There is no dress code for the interview; we only ask that you wear something that will make you feel both confident and comfortable.
- What should I do if something goes wrong? We understand, things can happen on the day of your interview. The space you thought you reserved is now not available. Internet is down. You name it. Just make sure to have the Honors College phone number (479-575-7678) saved on your phone. Call us and we’ll help you out, no problem at all.
2. Make sure you practice ahead of time. Polishing up your interview skills is a great way to prepare for the fellowship interview. To do this, ask you school’s counselor if it would be possible to set up a mock Zoom interview for you. Request a similar format to what you’ll see for your interview:
- A 15-minute interview with 2-4 individuals over Zoom. You will remain in the Zoom waiting room until it is your turn to interview.
- Most of the interview questions will focus on the fellowship application you submitted along with the fellowship finalist essay the Honors College asks you to complete before the event (more on that in a second).
- There should be a couple of minutes at the end for you to ask any questions related to the University of Arkansas.
On the day of the practice interview, dress like you would for the interview. Once it’s completed, ask your interviewers to provide some constructive criticism on everything from your responses to your posture. It may sound silly, but every little thing counts when you’re trying to make a first impression, even in a Zoom interview setting. You can also practice with family members at home, especially on the “Tell us about yourself” question that launches many an interview.
3. Have a plan for the day of the interview. Before the day of your interview, make sure you have a plan for where you plan to have your interview. Also, please make sure that your Zoom account has been created and that you remember your password.
On the day of you interview, you will open the email that contains your interview information. Navigate to the list of interview committees and click on the Zoom link for your assigned committee. We recommend that you try to log into your committee room at least five minutes before your scheduled interview. Please note that you will be in an online waiting room until the interview committee invites you into the room.
Finally, here are some potential issues that can occur when logging into a Zoom meeting along with some strategies for troubleshooting. You can always call the Honors College (479-575-7678) for help as well.
- Confusion over Stated Meeting Time – When you enter the waiting room of your committee’s meeting, you will notice that the time states 8 AM. This is simply a setting within the meeting and does not reflect your respective interview time. Please do not be concerned; as long as you are in the waiting room a few minutes before your scheduled interview time, your committee members will let you in at the designated time.
- “Meeting is For Authorized Participants Only” Error Message – If you receive this error message, it means you need to log into your Zoom account. Just click on the “Sign In to Join” button at the bottom of the error message box.
4. The finalist essay is a bit different this year, too. If you know anyone who has interviewed for fellowships in the past, they probably told you about the timed writing exercise that finalists complete before the event. This year, we are changing the format a little bit and allowing students to prepare an essay using any of our “big picture” question prompts. Instructions for submitting the essay can be found in your U of A New Student Center. We are expecting a little more polish on the essays this year since finalists are not under an intense time crunch to write them, although it should be noted that you are not allowed to receive help in the preparation of your essay or during the editing process. We also expect students to cite any outside sources with the citation style you are most comfortable using. Finally, your submitted essay will be shared with your committee, so don’t be surprised if you’re asked a question or two about it during your interview.
5. Connect with your mentor. In the days leading up to your interview, a current fellow at the university will be in touch with you. Your mentor is available to answer any questions you have about the interview, the fellowship award, etc. Feel free to schedule a time to meet with this person, whether over the phone or a virtual platform like Zoom or FaceTime.
6. Engage as much as possible, even if it’s all done online. During the week before your interview, the Honors College will be hosting a series of optional Zoom meetings for finalists and their families. These meetings will touch on a number of different topics, from how the award funding works to important resources available at the university. Feel free to attend any of these meetings, and please note that if their information you’re interested in, we will provide recordings for each the day after on YouTube.
I hope this gives you a good idea of what to expect with the fellowship interview process this year. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Honors College at honors@uark.edu or 479-575-7678. We look forward to meeting you – and good luck!