Before the pandemic, the maths department ran a programme of mock interviews on Friday afternoons during the summer for graduate students and postdocs. Sadly, the programme only ran in a very minimal form last year but this summer we will be running a full programme again, with (most or all) interviews taking place online. We'll circulate details of some fictional jobs for mathematicians with PhDs, including roles both within and beyond academia, and if you are a DPhil student or postdoc and would like to practise producing a job application and being interviewed, please apply.
There will be mock interviews, with interview panels including both senior people with experience of recruiting in those roles and postdocs looking to develop their own experience. The whole point is that this is being done in a familiar and friendly environment, with constructive feedback offered at the end, to help you when you're applying for real jobs. More details and a draft timetable are available here.
There will also be interview training for postdocs, in particular for those interested in being part of a mock interview panel, on Friday 9 July; please contact Frances Kirwan @email or Helen McGregor @email if you would like to take part in the training and/or one or more interview panels.
For the fictional jobs you will be expected to provide at least a CV and a cover letter (more in the case of academic jobs), but no referees. If you’d like tips on writing a CV or a cover letter, please see these helpful tips from Harvard.
If you have any questions about any aspects of the mock interview programme please email Helen McGregor @email
