Academic Advising Office
March 2014
Mock Interviews
Interview Scenarios
 A student from the Faculty of Arts applying for a
1 –year exchange programme to a University in the
United Kingdom
 A student from the Faculty of Business and Economics
nominated for an academic merit scholarship
 A student from the Faculty of Engineering applying for
a summer internship programme based in Hong Kong
Debrief and Further Advice
Interview: The DOs
 Be punctual
 Dress appropriately
 Turn off / silence your phone
 Treat other people you meet politely
 Smile and have eye contact
 Be well-prepared: the background of the Scholarship/
programme/ position you are applying for
 Respond with specific examples whenever possible
 Ask sensible questions
 Relax, be friendly and be humorous (if possible)
 A thank you note to the interviewers
Interview: The Don’ts
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Don’t be late
Don’t dress too causal
Don’t keep you mobile on or take call
Don’t treat the interview causally
Don’t make negative comments / badmouth your
professors/ course mates/ room mates
 Don’t simply answer “yes” or “no”. Try to elaborate your
answers and demonstrate your communication skills.
 Don’t chew gum or smell of smoke
Business casual
Way too casual!
Sample Questions for Further Practice
Exchange
What can you tell me about globalization?
 Have you traveled abroad before? If so, what have you learned
in your travels?
 What influenced your choice of host university?
 Tell me about a time you’ve been in a new/uncomfortable
situation and what happened.
 What do you hope to learn from your exchange experience?
 Why do you think you will represent HKU well abroad?
 What could you contribute to your host universities
community?
Sample Questions for Further Practice
Academic Internship
 What are you most proud of?
 Tell me something interesting about yourself.
 We need someone who is tactful and diplomatic- how does that
profile fit you?
 How does this internship compare with others you’re looking at?
 Where do you see yourself in five years?
 Who do you admire most and why?
 Give me an example of a difficult decision that you have made.
 Why do you think you are better than the other candidates?
Sample Questions for Further Practice
Scholarship
What influenced your choice of study/major?
Why should you specifically be selected for this scholarship?
How would your current professors describe you?
In what academic areas do you think you can improve?
What motivates you? Give an example to demonstrate your
answer.
Sample Questions for Further Practice
Postgraduate Studies
 Tell me why you are qualified to enter a PhD programme.
 Why do you want to go directly into postgraduate study, as opposed to
wait two or three years after gaining some experience?
 How do you think your field of study will change in the next ten years?
 How do you plan to use your postgraduate studies to achieve your
future career plans?
 What motivates you to continue studying?
 Describe your favorite teachers.
 What's the most important thing you have learned during your
undergraduate study?
 What could you contribute to our university community?
 How do you think you could improve on your academic performance?
Additional Resources @ HKU
Academic Advising Office
http://aao.hku.hk
HKU Scholarships
http://www.scholarships.hku.hk
CEDARS (Careers and Placement)
http://cedars.hku.hk
Centre for Applied English Studies
http://caes.hku.hk
Thank You