A third-year postdoc asks—

I just got an interview and they said it’s going to be 15 minutes long. That doesn’t seem like a lot of time, what are you supposed to focus on in an interview that short?

Nice job, it sounds like you got a screening interview! Interview processes for different types of jobs can vary a lot in how many rounds there are, how long the interviews are, and what may happen in them, but the first-round interview is typically shorter and simpler (and involves fewer people) than later-round interviews.

The employer’s goals for a screening interview are to assess your candidacy for the role by confirming that the things in your application materials are true and that you follow instructions. Therefore, your goals are to describe clearly what makes you a strong candidate and follow any instructions they give you about the interview. You may be talking with someone who hasn’t spent much time looking at your application, and if they did, they may not remember it! So it’s completely fine to repeat things that you wrote in your application materials. You also want to keep an eye on the time so you don’t spend too much or too little time on any specific question. For such a short interview, aim to be concise. It can help to practice answers to common questions, like “Tell me about yourself.” If you’re not sure if you’ve answered a question sufficiently, you can always ask them something like “Did I answer your question fully?” or “Would you like me to talk a little more about anything I mentioned?”

Don't forget to be prepared to ask them a question or two if time allows as well.

-Ray Care, Program Director, Career Development Team for Researchers