Physics Research Interview Preparation Guide
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64 Physics Research Questions and Answers:

1 :: What is your philosophy towards work?

This is typically a straightforward question that merits a straightforward answer. Do you have strong worth ethic? Will you do whatever it takes to make sure the job gets done? Just say so in your response. Keep it short, direct and positive.

2 :: What would you do if you won the lottery?

The interviewer is asking this question to find out what your true passion is. Ideally it aligns to the type of work you're interviewing for. If not, tie it back in terms of how it relates to the job, for example, "I believe I'll learn the necessary skills in this job to pursue my passion later on in life."

3 :: Describe your management style?

Try to avoid specific classifications, whatever it may be. Organizations usually prefer managers who can adapt their skills to different situations.

4 :: If you felt like you were hitting the proverbial "wall" and getting burned out, what would you do to re-energize yourself?

Take a break to rest. Work in smaller increments of time to increase focus with breaks in between. Delegate tasks to those that are willing to help.

5 :: What is the most irritating thing you've experienced about your co-workers?

This question is designed to find out if you get along well on team, with other and whether or not you'll be a fit with the interviewer's organization. It's a trap. Think real hard but fail to come up anything that irritated you about your co-workers. A short positive response is best.

6 :: Tell me about a time when you had to use your presentation skills to influence someone's opinion In Physics Research?

Example stories could be a class project, an internal meeting presentation, or a customer facing presentation.

7 :: What are your thoughts about working from home?

This is a new policy some companies are adopting. If the company you are interviewing for allows for it, then you should be thankful for the flexibility and convenience yet state that working from home is a privilege that you would honor. The key point you want to make is that you would still be able to focus and be just as productive working at home.

8 :: Top 17 Behavioral Interview Questions In Physics Research:

Behavioral interviews In Physics Research where popularized by industrial psychologists in the 1970s, and have been used at big companies like AT&T. The idea behind them is that past responses to situations are the best predictor of how candidates will respond in the future.


1. Tell me about a time you faced a conflict while working as part of a team.

2. Talk about a goal you set for yourself. What did you do to make sure you met the goal?

3. Give an example of a time when you had to work with someone with a very different personality from yours.

4. Talk about an instance where you wish you’d handled a situation differently with a team member.

5. What’s the most difficult problem you have had to solve In Physics Research?

6. Give an example of how you handled a situation where you needed information from a colleague who wasn’t responsive.

7. Talk about a time when you had problems building a relationship with a key team member. What did you do?

8. Tell me about an instance when it was important to make a great impression on a client. What did you do?

9. Tell me about a situation where you had to work with a difficult client.

10. Tell me about a situation where you disappointed a client, and how you tried to fix it.

11. Talk about a time when you had to strategize to meet all your obligations.

12. Talk about a time when you failed at something. How did you react?

13. Talk about a time you took on a leadership role.

14. Tell me about a long-term project you oversaw. How did you keep it focused and on schedule?

15. Talk about a time when you were under a lot of stress. What caused it, and how did you manage?

16. Do you prefer to work alone or with others In Physics Research?

17. Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed by the amount of work on your agenda. How did you handle it?

9 :: Describe some problems you encountered in your most recent position In Physics Research and how you resolved them?

Discuss your work experiences. The key is to show you're calm under pressure and can handle sensitive situations with a clear train of thought.

10 :: Who has been an inspiration for you?

Cite your role models (possible examples could be your parents, people successful in the industry, world leaders, etc)

11 :: If you were given more initiatives than you could handle, what would you do?

First prioritize the important activities that impact the business most. Then discuss the issue of having too many initiatives with the boss so that it can be offloaded. Work harder to get the initiatives done.

12 :: Give me an example of a time when you were able to successfully communicate with another person even when that individual may not have personally liked you (or vice versa). How did you handle the situation? What obstacles or difficulties did you face? How did you deal with them?

First, the key is to state the differences in personality to give the interviewer some background. Second, you want to discuss how that was affecting the situation. Third, show how you were able to adapt to the way the person wanted to be communicated with to achieve your goals

13 :: What is your greatest achievement outside of work In Physics Research?

This is a great opportunity for you to discuss how you've given back to the community, how you've achieved in a competitive extracurricular activity (think sports or clubs), how you've mentored others, and so forth.

14 :: Tell me a difficult situation you have overcome in the workplace?

Conflict resolution, problem solving, communication and coping under pressure are transferable skills desired by many employers In Physics Research.
Answering this question right can help you demonstrate all of these traits.
☛ Use real-life examples from your previous roles that you are comfortable explaining
☛ Choose an example that demonstrates the role you played in resolving the situation clearly
☛ Remain professional at all times – you need to demonstrate that you can keep a cool head and know how to communicate with people

15 :: What is the difference between a big ego and a healthy ego?

"Ego" should be replaced by confidence. It's good to be confident as it shows that you know what you're doing. However, a big ego is when confidence spirals out of control and you become arrogant.

16 :: What is your biggest weakness In Physics Research?

No one likes to answer this question because it requires a very delicate balance. You simply can’t lie and say you don’t have one; you can’t trick the interviewer by offering up a personal weakness In Physics Research that is really a strength (“Sometimes, I work too much and don’t maintain a work-life balance.”); and you shouldn’t be so honest that you throw yourself under the bus (“I’m not a morning person so I’m working on getting to the office on time.”)

17 :: Explain what are your strengths In Physics Research?

Bad Answer: Candidate is unprepared for question or only gives generic answers.

This is the most common job interview question - everybody should be expecting it. If they don't seem prepared, or give a fairly stock answer, it's probably a bad sign.

Good answer: The consensus is to go for quality, not quantity here. Candidates should give a short list of strengths, and back each one up with examples that illustrate the strength. Also, they should explain how these strengths will be useful in the job you’re applying for, and use this question to say something interesting about themselves.

18 :: Why do you want this job In Physics Research?

This question typically follows on from the previous one. Here is where your research will come in handy. You may want to say that you want to work for a company that is Global Guideline, (market leader, innovator, provides a vital service, whatever it may be). Put some thought into this beforehand, be specific, and link the company’s values and mission statement to your own goals and career plans.

19 :: What are your weaknesses for Physics Research position?

Try not to be too critical when answering this question. Instead, pick one of your weaknesses and try to turn it into a positive.
For example, you could be a perfectionist, which means that you sometimes take longer on tasks, but you make sure that they are completed to a high quality. It is important to make a negative into a positive as it doesn’t make you appear overly critical and shows you can reflect on your own performance.

20 :: What do you expect from this job In Physics Research?

Talk about the potential career development, your career aspirations, your work relationships and the learning you'll receive.

21 :: How much are you willing to sacrifice to be successful at work In Physics Research?

With anything comes sacrifice. The questions is how much of it are you willing to sacrifice with regards to work life balance, stress, etc?

22 :: Describe to me a time where you had to make a hard decision In Physics Research?

Hard decisions are hard for a reason. It could dramatically effect the company. It could affect other workers. So if you have a story about how you made a hard decision and had a good outcome, share that. If you have one where the outcome wasn't great, explain how you would have changed the way you approached the decision to show you learned how to improve.

23 :: How do you define arrogance? Are you arrogant?

Arrogance is having an attitude of superiority beyond reason. Confidence is believing in yourself without being cocky. You should not be arrogant.

24 :: What is your biggest fear?

Don't try to sugarcoat the answer by listing something ambitious as a fear, unless you truly mean it (for example: I fear being a great leader) - Share your real fears but discuss how you would overcome them.

25 :: How do you feel about taking on repetitive tasks In Physics Research?

This answer depends on whether or not the job has a lot of repetitive tasks with no variation. If it does, then you would need to be okay with the idea of doing the same task over and over again. If you feel you can offer more than repetitive work, then describe how you would be able to do so.

26 :: How would your former employer describe you?

In all likelihood, the interviewer will actually speak with your former employer so honesty is key. Answer as confidently and positively as possible and list all of the positive things your past employer would recognize about you. Do not make the mistake of simply saying you are responsible, organized, and dependable. Instead, include traits that are directly related to your work as a medical assistant, such as the ability to handle stressful situations and difficult patients, the way you kept meticulous records, and more.

27 :: What is your ideal working environment?

Describe your ideal working environment. Do you like flexibility with work hours? Do you like working in a cubicle or independently? Do you like to be micro managed or empowered? Do you like to work on your own or in a team? Do you like being driven by metrics in your role? How much responsibility do you want?

28 :: What's been your biggest success to date?

Talk about a story / experience about how you achieved success and be sure to share details on the results and outcome. Have it highlight a strong characteristic such as leadership, work ethic and so forth.

29 :: What do you aspire to be?

Discuss your aspirations for the near, immediate and long term. You want to show them you are thinking of making an impact now as well as the future.

30 :: Why are manhole covers round?

This is a classic brainteaser, which was reportedly first asked by a Microsoft interviewer. Here's how to ""solve"" this brainteaser (remember to speak and reason out loud while solving this brainteaser): Why are manhole covers round? Could there be a structural reason? Why aren't manhole covers square? It would make it harder to fit with a cover. You'd have to rotate it exactly the right way.
The pipes below are also round, so fitting them might be easier, as might be making them. So many manhole covers are round because they don't need to be rotated. There are no corners to deal with. Also, a round manhole cover won't fall into a hole because it was rotated the wrong way, so it's safer. Looking at this, it seems corners are a problem. You can't cut yourself on a round manhole cover. And because it's round, it can be more easily transported. One person can roll it.