Interviewing potential research assistants must be completed carefully, given there are many things that can compromise the integrity of an interview. These can be anything from the following list:

• Knowing the candidate ahead of time;
• Biasing an interview based on strong GPAs;
• Failing to exert equity when handling the interview (e.g., everyone that makes it to the interview phase should have the opportunity to present themselves appropriately);
• Potential candidates memorizing key questions and answers that seemed to be received more positively (e.g., asking them what topics they are interested in psychology, and they repetitively say “social psychology” knowing full well the question will be asked and that this is a lab based in the foundations of social psychology – yet there’s obviously more to the lab as well).

When handling the interview, the applicant should be invited to potential slots based on a confidential poll that lists the availability of the interviewer and allows some time for the interviewee to indicate availability (preferably, at least 48 hours – some jobs provide much less with a phone call). See “Doodle” Sub-Wiki added to this topic.

• The main thing interviewees should concentrate on is whether the student has appropriate interpersonal skills. This is not something that can be developed during the course of the time in the lab; rather it should be possessed before being invited into the lab. The SPQRL lab is a very collaborative, interpersonal, and sociable lab. It needs positive people to handle participants that may be experiencing mixed feelings while completing experiments (as well as the potentially awkward peripheral psychophysiology hookups). Therefore, these researchers need to be good on their feet and be able to strike up conversations.
• The candidates should also be able to talk freely about their research interests: what they hope to gain out of their psychology degree, what they hope to uncover while being in a research psychology lab setting, what they hope to offer in the lab, what they hope to learn while being in the lab. They should also be freely able to discuss any lingering interests they may have about research they have read or learned about thus far and how it might apply to Professor Page-Gould’s lab. This is a key point and will separate the standouts from the average candidates.
• Lastly, the candidate should just come off as a good person to be around. They should not come off as someone that will need to be maintained, monitored, or groomed for the position. Learning the technical aspects of the lab are demanding, but as long as the candidate presents a humble demeanour, they will be open to suggestions.
• A secondary thought to consider is that although upward trajectory is a good way to judge those that are trying to compensate for earlier mistakes in their first year of studies, anyone that has a continuing downward trend in their academic success might not be best suited for a research psychology lab setting when they need to focus on improving GPA. This can lead to anything from leaving the lab early, to not being sure how to apply their skills past undergrad. These people should be handled on a case-by-case basis and should be handled very delicately.