About durham university
durham university Interview Questions and Answers
Updated 21 Feb 2026Library Assistant Interview Experience
Candidate: Aisha Khan
Experience Level: Entry-level
Applied Via: Campus job fair
Difficulty: Easy
Final Result:
Interview Process
1 round
Questions Asked
- Why do you want to work in a university library?
- Describe your experience with cataloging systems.
- How do you handle difficult patrons?
Advice
Show enthusiasm for library services and be ready to discuss any relevant experience, even from volunteering.
Full Experience
I met the hiring manager at the campus job fair and was invited for an interview shortly after. The interview was informal but focused on customer service skills and familiarity with library tasks.
IT Support Specialist Interview Experience
Candidate: Liam O'Connor
Experience Level: Entry-level
Applied Via: Direct application on university website
Difficulty: Hard
Final Result:
Interview Process
2 rounds
Questions Asked
- Explain how you would troubleshoot a network connectivity issue.
- What experience do you have with university IT systems?
- Describe a time you helped a non-technical user solve a problem.
- How do you stay updated with IT developments?
Advice
Brush up on technical knowledge and prepare examples of customer service in IT support.
Full Experience
The first round was a technical test followed by a technical interview. The second round was a behavioral interview with the IT manager. The questions were challenging but fair, focusing on both technical skills and communication.
Administrative Officer Interview Experience
Candidate: Sofia Martinez
Experience Level: Mid-level
Applied Via: Recruitment agency
Difficulty:
Final Result:
Interview Process
3 rounds
Questions Asked
- How do you prioritize tasks under pressure?
- Describe your experience with university administration systems.
- Can you give an example of resolving a conflict at work?
- How do you handle confidential information?
Advice
Highlight your organizational skills and familiarity with academic administration processes. Be ready for behavioral questions.
Full Experience
The process started with a phone screening, followed by an in-person interview and a final panel interview. Each round focused more on situational and behavioral questions. The team was friendly and professional.
Research Assistant Interview Experience
Candidate: James Patel
Experience Level: Entry-level
Applied Via: University job board
Difficulty: Easy
Final Result: Rejected
Interview Process
1 round
Questions Asked
- What experience do you have with data analysis?
- Describe a challenging research project you worked on.
- Are you familiar with statistical software?
Advice
Gain more hands-on experience with research tools and be prepared to discuss specific projects in detail.
Full Experience
The interview was a single round with the principal investigator. Questions were straightforward but I struggled to provide detailed examples of my research experience, which likely affected the outcome.
Lecturer Interview Experience
Candidate: Emily Johnson
Experience Level: Mid-level
Applied Via: Online application via university portal
Difficulty:
Final Result:
Interview Process
2 rounds
Questions Asked
- Describe your teaching philosophy.
- How do you engage students in large lectures?
- Can you discuss your recent research and its impact?
- How do you handle diverse student needs?
Advice
Prepare detailed examples of your teaching and research experience, and be ready to discuss how you contribute to the academic community.
Full Experience
I applied online and was invited to a first round panel interview focusing on my teaching methods and research. The second round involved a mock lecture and a Q&A with faculty members. The process was thorough but fair, emphasizing both academic expertise and student engagement.
Frequently Asked Questions in durham university
Have a question about the hiring process, company policies, or work environment? Ask the community or browse existing questions here.
Common Interview Questions in durham university
Q: In a sports contest there were m medals awarded on n successive days (n > 1). 1. On the first day 1 medal and 1/7 of the remaining m - 1 medals were awarded. 2. On the second day 2 medals and 1/7 of the now remaining medals was awarded; and so on.On the nth and last day, the remaining n medals were awarded.How many days did the contest last, and how many medals were awarded altogether?
Q: A hare and a tortoise have a race along a circle of 100 yards diameter. The tortoise goes in one directionand the hare in the other. The hare starts after the tortoise has covered 1/5 of its distance and that too leisurely.The hare and tortoise meet when the hare has covered only 1/8 of the distance. By what factor should the hareincrease its speed so as to tie the race?
Q: Suppose a newly-born pair of rabbits, one male, one female, are put in a field. Rabbits are able to mate at the age of one month so that at the end of its second month a female can produce another pair of rabbits. Suppose that our rabbits never die and that the female always produces one new pair (one male, one female) every month from the second month on.
Q: 9 cards are there. You have to arrange them in a 3*3 matrix. Cards are of 4 colors. They are red, yellow, blue and green. Conditions for arrangement: one red card must be in first row or second row. 2 green cards should be in 3rd column. Yellow cards must be in the 3 corners only. Two blue cards must be in the 2nd row. At least one green card in each row.
Q: There are 3 clans in an island - The Arcs who never lie, the Dons who always lie and the Slons who lie alternately with the truth. Once a tourist meets 2 guides who stress that the other is a Slon. They proceed on a tour and see a sports meet. The first guide says that the prizes have been won in the order Don, Arc, Slon. The other says that, the order is Slon, Don, Arc. (the order need not be exact). To which clan did each of the guides and the players belong? ...
Q: 36 people {a1, a2, ..., a36} meet and shake hands in a circular fashion. In other words, there are totally 36 handshakes involving the pairs, {a1, a2}, {a2, a3}, ..., {a35, a36}, {a36, a1}. Then size of the smallest set of people such that the res...
Q: A light bulb is hanging in a room. Outside of the room there are three switches, of which only one is connected to the lamp. In the starting situation, all switches are 'off' and the bulb is not lit. If it is allowed to check in the room only once.How would you know which is the switch?
Q: There are 3 sticks placed at right angles to each other and a sphere is placed between the sticks . Now another sphere is placed in the gap between the sticks and Larger sphere . Find the radius of smaller sphere in terms of radius of larger sphere.
Q: The egg vendor calls on his first customer and sells half his eggs and half an egg. To the second customer, he sells half of what he had left and half an egg and to the third customer he sells half of what he had then left and half an egg. By the way he did not break any eggs. In the end three eggs were remaining . How many total eggs he was having ?
Q: Tom has three boxes with fruits in his barn: one box with apples, one box with pears, and one box with both apples and pears. The boxes have labels that describe the contents, but none of these labels is on the right box. How can Tom, by taking only one p
Q: A vessel is full of liquid. From the vessel, 1/3rd of the liquid evaporates on the first day. On the second day 3/4th of the remaining liquid evaporates. What fraction of the volume is present at the end of the second day
Q: In a Park, N persons stand on the circumference of a circle at distinct points. Each possible pair of persons, not standing next to each other, sings a two-minute song ? one pair immediately after the other. If the total time taken for singing is 28 minutes, what is N?
Q: If I walk with 30 miles/hr i reach 1 hour before and if i walk with 20 miles/hr i reach 1 hour late. Find the distance between 2 points and the exact time of reaching destination is 11 am then find the speed with which it walks.
Q: Given a collection of points P in the plane , a 1-set is a point in P that can be separated from the rest by a line, .i.e the point lies on one side of the line while the others lie on the other side. The number of 1-sets of P is denoted by n1(P)....
Q: Consider a series in which 8 teams are participating. each team plays twice with all other teams. 4 of them will go to the semi final. How many matches should a team win, so that it will ensure that it will go to semi finals.?
Q: A family X went for a vacation. Unfortunately it rained for 13 days when they were there. But whenever it rained in the mornings, they had clear afternoons and vice versa. In all they enjoyed 11 mornings and 12 afternoons. How many days did they stay there totally?
Q: A person meets a train at a railway station coming daily at a particular time. One day he is late by 25 minutes, and he meets the train 5 k.m. before the station. If his speed is 12 kmph, what is the speed of the train.
Q: There are some chickens in a poultry. They are fed with corn. One sack of corn will come for 9 days. The farmer decides to sell some chickens and wanted to hold 12 chicken with him. He cuts the feed by 10% and sack of corn comes for 30...
Q: The profit made by a company in one year is enough to give 6% return on all shares. But as the preferred shares get on return of 7.5%, so the ordinary shares got on return of 5%. If the value of preferred shares is Rs 4,000000, then what is the va...
Q: Six persons A,B,C,D,E & F went to solider cinema. There are six consecutive seats. A sits in one of the seats followed by B, followed by C and soon. If a taken one of the six seats , then B should sit adjacent to A. C should sit adjacent A or B. D should sit adjacent to A, B,or C and soon. How many possibilities are there?