During the PhD · Interviews

Your research and interview day

Your dissertation will come up. So will the questions you ask them, the thank-you note and a long day of back-to-back conversations.

5 min read · By Marc Sleiman

Presenting your research

Many economist interviews include your research, either as a formal presentation to the team or as a deep conversation with one interviewer. Anything on your resume is fair game. The audience usually includes people who are not economists, so your goal is different from a seminar: show that you can choose an important question, find a credible answer, and explain why it matters to people who will act on it.

Prepare three lengths

A two-minute version for “tell me about your research,” built on your pitch: the question, the answer and why it matters. A five-minute version that adds a plain-language sketch of the data and the identification. And a full presentation, usually thirty to forty-five minutes, for formal research talks. Ask the recruiter how long the slot is and who will attend, and plan to leave a third of the time for questions.

Restructure the talk for industry

Lead with the answer and its implications, not the literature. Spend more time on why the question matters and how you would use the result to make a decision, and less on robustness tables. Keep two or three backup slides with technical detail for the economists in the room. Close with what a company could do with your findings or your methods.

Questions to expect about your research

The questions you ask them

Almost every interview ends with “What questions do you have for us?” Treat it as part of the interview, not a formality. Your questions show how much you understand about the organization and how seriously you are thinking about the role. Prepare three to five for each interviewer in advance, based on your research about the organization and that person’s work, and add any that come up naturally during the conversation.

Good questions are specific and about the work itself. Some that tend to produce useful answers:

• What would I be working on in my first six months, and what would success look like after a year?
• How does analysis from your team turn into a decision? Who uses it?
• What is a question your team has been trying to answer that you have not cracked yet?
• How do economists here work with data scientists, engineers, lawyers or policy staff?
• How do new people learn the data, the tools and the business? Is there formal training or mentoring?
• How has the team’s work changed over the last year or two, and where is it heading?
• Do researchers here still publish or present at conferences? Is that encouraged?
• What are the next steps in the process, and when should I expect to hear back?

Avoid asking about salary, benefits, vacation or hours in early rounds unless the interviewer raises them; there will be time for that once you have an offer. Avoid questions you could have answered by reading the website, and avoid anything that sounds like criticism of the organization.

When the interview ends, restate your interest in the role in one sentence, thank the interviewer, and confirm the next steps. The interview is not over until you have left the building or the call has ended, so stay engaged until the very last moment.

Thank-you notes

Send a short thank-you email to each person who interviewed you, ideally within twenty-four hours. A separate note to each person is better than one message to the group. Keep it brief: thank them for their time, restate your interest in the role, and mention one specific thing from your conversation, which shows you were listening. Do not use it to restate your whole resume or to raise salary or logistics.

If you do not have an email address, a short LinkedIn message works. If you were interviewed by a committee, send each member their own note.

Interview day

Virtual interviews

Most first rounds, and many final rounds, now happen by video. Test your camera, microphone, internet connection and the platform the day before. Use a quiet room, a neutral background and light in front of you rather than behind. Close other applications and silence notifications. Confirm the times and time zones of every interview. Keep a short note with each interviewer’s name and role, a glass of water, and paper for working through a problem. Look at the camera when you speak, and if the connection fails, rejoin calmly and pick up where you left off.

On-site visits

An on-site day, sometimes called a fly-out or super day, can include a presentation, back-to-back individual meetings, a case or technical exercise, and meals with the team. Every part of the day is part of the evaluation, including lunch, dinner and the walk between rooms. People are assessing not only what you know but how easy you would be to work with and how you engage with topics outside your own field. Pace yourself, ask for a short break if you need one, and treat every person you meet, from the receptionist to the senior partner, with the same courtesy.

Throughout

Be honest when you do not know something; saying so and reasoning out loud about how you would find out is far better than guessing. After each conversation, take a minute to note what you were asked and anything you want to mention in a thank-you note. And remember that each interview is a fresh start: a weak conversation in the morning does not decide the day.

Sources and further reading

University of Connecticut Center for Career Readiness, Concluding the Interview; Grinnell College Center for Careers, Life and Service, After the Interview: Writing Thank You Notes; Stanford Department of Economics, Ph.D. Placement Guide.