Anthro Skills
Open-ended: Explain how your anthropological training has prepared you for working in diverse teams
Example: My anthropological training has honed my cultural relativism and active listening skills and in a recent project with team members from different cultural backgrounds, I was able to facilitate a more open dialogue and mediate potential conflicts.
This type of interview often involves multiple rounds with different team members or departments.
What is a panel interview
In the STAR method, this component describes the context and background of the situation that is being discussed.
This pre-interview research technique can help you better align your responses with a company's values and goals.
What is company research or background research
Example: While giving a guided tour to a wide range of visitors, I adapted my communication strategies to include more interactive elements and simplified language to cater to a younger audience while keeping them intrigued.
An example might include mixed-methods approach, some in person interviews and participant observation, additionally looking at media communication and how it all synthesizes
This practice involves rehearsing responses to potential interview questions with a friend or mentor
What is mock interviewing
This part of the STAR method focuses on explaining the specific actions you took to address the situation
What is action
During an interview, this type of question asks you to provide and predict your behavior based on a hypothetical future scenario
What is a situational interview question
Example: In my role as a user experience researcher at a tech company, I was able to apply ethnographic methods to understand exactly how customers interacted with our products. Through interviews and observation, I was able to identify points within the data sets, leading to an eventual increase in user satisfaction and sales.
This is a term that moves to describe the comprehensive framework and view of culture that considered all aspects of social life to be interconnected
What is a holistic perspective/worldview
This career preparation technique involves creating a very brief but compelling summary of your professional backgrounds, personal achievements, and goals.
What is an elevator pitch
Open-ended: Using the STAR method, describe a challenging experience with fieldwork (or similar) and how you over came it
Example:
S- During a field study we encountered a language barrier that hindered our interview process.
T- I was responsible for collecting accurate data despite communication challenges/barriers.
A- I moved to collaborate with a local intrepreter to facilitate an effective interview process
R- We were able to collect the needed/intended data that propelled research.
Open-ended: Explain how you might use feedback from multiple sources, i.e a friend or colleague as well as the interviewer to prepare for future follow-up interviews/opportunities
Example:...... categorizing feedback into specific skill sets, within each category identifying specific actions that can be taken for improvement and responses. Creating a key or checklist of your strongest and weakest points might prove helpful
Anthropologists often develop this necessicary skill through managing complex fieldwork situations and research projects
What is leadership and or initiative
This more analytical skill involves identifying complex patterns and themes through qualitative data
What is thematic analysis or pattern recognition
Open-ended: Describe how your ability to work independently in a fieldwork or other setting has prepared you for future self-directive roles across industries
Example: Through fieldwork, I was forced and taught to set goals, manage my time effectively, and remain motivated while not under direct supervision. Ex. Independent research projects abroad and close to home
What is a result
Open-ended: Describe a strategy for turning a potential weakness into a strength during an interview
Example: Acknowledges the weakness and immediately pivoting to what steps have been, currently, and will be taken to improve in this specific area, connecting to how this awareness increases professional growth
Anthropologists often devlope this skill through working with diverse populations and through adapting their approaches based on cultural context/knowledge
What is cultural adaptability or situational awareness
Example: ... paying attention to informal power structures and systemic barriers, creating resources for accommodations or addendums
Please describe a time where your actions changed an outcome, whether intended or not
This is why it is important to quantify your results in the R section of the response whenever possible
What it is to demonstrate impact or provide measurable outcomes
This is a controversial interview practice that involves asking more unusual or irrelevant questions/information to assess a candidates creativity and ability to think and react on the spot.
This skill involves an individuals ability to recognize and mitigate one's own biases in research and decision-making processes
What is reflexivity or self-awareness