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 man has a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage. He must cross a river with the two animals and the cabbage. There is a small rowing-boat, in which he can take only one thing with him at a time. If, however, the wolf and the goat are left alone, the wolf will eat the goat. If the goat and the cabbage are left alone, the goat will eat the cabbage. How can the man get across the river with the two animals and the cabbage?
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: A rich merchant had collected many gold coins. He did not want anybody to know about them. One day his wife asked, "How many gold coins do we have?" After pausing a moment, he replied, "Well! If I divide the coins into two unequal numbers, then 32 times the difference between the two numbers equals the difference between the squares of the two numbers."The wife looked puzzled. Can you help the merchant's wife by finding out how many gold coins they have?
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: A rich man died. In his will, he has divided his gold coins among his 5 sons, 5 daughters and a manager. According to his will: First give one coin to manager. 1/5th of the remaining to the elder son.Now give one coin to the manager and 1/5th of the remaining to second son and so on..... After giving coins to 5th son, divided the remaining coins among five daughters equally.All should get full coins. Find the minimum number of coins he has?
Q: Consider a pile of Diamonds on a table. A thief enters and steals 1/2 of the total quantity and then again 2 extra from the remaining. After some time a second thief enters and steals 1/2 of the remaining+2. Then 3rd thief enters and steals 1/2 of the remaining+2. Then 4th thief enters and steals 1/2 of the remaining+2. When the 5th one enters he finds 1 diamond on the table. Find out the total no. of diamonds originally on the table before the 1st thief entered.
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: 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: At 6?o a clock ticks 6 times.The time between first and last ticks is 30 seconds.How long does it tick at 12?o clock?2.A hotel has 10 storey. Which floor is above the floor below the floor, below the floor above the floor, below the floor above the fifth.
Q: There is a room with a door (closed) and three light bulbs. Outside the room there are three switches, connected to the bulbs. You may manipulate the switches as you wish, but once you open the door you can't change them. Identify each switch with its bulb.
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: Every day a cyclist meets a train at a particular crossing .The road is straight before the crossing and both are travelling in the same direction.Cyclist travels with a speed of 10 kmph.One day the cyclist come late by 25 minutes and meets the train 5 km before the crossing.What is the speed of the train?
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: There are 7 letters A,B,C,D,E,F,GAll are assigned some numbers from 1,2 to 7.B is in the middle if arranged as per the numbers.A is greater than G same as F is less than C.G comes earlier than E.Which is the fourth letter
Q: Jarius and Kylar are playing the game. If Jarius wins, then he wins twice as many games as Kylar. If Jarius loses, then Kylar wins as the same number of games that Jarius wins. How many do Jarius and Kylar play before this match?
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: Give two dice - one is a standard dice, the other is blank (nothing painted on any of the faces). The problem is to paint the blank dice in such a manner so that when you roll both of them together, the sum of both the faces should lie between 1 and 12. Numbers from 1-12 (both inclusive) equally likely.
Q: Raj has a jewel chest containing Rings, Pins and Ear-rings. The chest contains 26 pieces. Raj has 2 and 1/2 times as many rings as pins, and the number of pairs of earrings is 4 less than the number of rings. How many earrings does Raj have?...
