Professional achievement

Hi there,

Q: I am a current PhD student and my example is from an extracurricular activity I have done as a student representative. Would this be fine to use as a professional example?

It depends on what exactly they mean by professional example (eg if they want to hear something directly related to your PhD or not).

I would recommend to:

1. Have a backup story for your PhD (ideally you should have 2 stories for each major dimension in any case)
2. Clarify with the interviewer if the student representative experience could work well (it is a good idea to have a one-line sum up of your stories to check if the interviewer is fine with them)

If they confirm the student representative story is fine, you can go ahead with that. If not, you can use the backup story.

Good luck!

Francesco

Hi there,

I think this is an interesting question that may be relevant for many people. I would be happy to share my thoughts on it:

• First of all, since you most likely do not have any professional experience except for internships in the more distant past, I would advise you not to worry about the example you chose.
• Moreover, as long as you provide an example you can discuss in detail and that can be applied to a professional environment, the interviewer will certainly be satisfied with the example you chose.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on how to best prepare for your upcoming interviews, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Hi there,

If you don't have work experience then absolutely you can grab something from your studies. Please just make sure that this example is truly “great” in the sense that you did a lot and accomplished a lot. Also, remember the importance of being structured and detailed in your response.

Hi there, 

The example doesn't only have to be from your PhD, it can also just be related to it and if you explain that well enough, then there shouldn't be a problem. 

If I were you, however, I'd rather reflect on whether this extracurricular activity you did as a student rep is indeed your biggest career achievement or if you feel there are other things that you show you at your best. 

Best,
Cristian

Your interviewer will know that you're a PhD student and so unlikely to have deep standard professional experience. If it's a great example where you faced a high level of professional challenge, then that sounds like it'd work well! 

Good luck!

You should be fine. I would not worry too much whether it is personal or professional experience. As long as the achievement  & the story you tell is great.

Your example should be as close as possible to a professional / business setting. 

As I see it, your experience as student representative may (or may not be) more relevant than your PhD one, depending on the specific examples you have.