Skype interview for masters admission (European university). Any advice?

[petrophys]

Hi GradCafe!

I'm applying to an engineering masters program at an Austrian university. The school told me that they will schedule a Skype interview with me soon. I've emailed them to ask about what the interview is about, but haven't heard back from them yet.

From what I've gathered, the interview is required because my bachelor's degree was on a related engineering field, and they want to gauge how compatible my degree is to their program. They'd probably want to check my general knowledge and enthusiasm for their field as well (these are just my guesses).

Therefore, my question is:

1) What should I do to prepare for this interview? If you or anyone you know have ever (Skype-)interviewed for a postgraduate program in Austria/Europe, could you please share your experience?

2) What is the etiquette when interviewing with an Austrian/European professor? I've been told small talk ("How are you today?") is not recommended for Europeans. What else should I keep in mind? I really want to make a good impression to him so I could get admitted to the program.

Thank you all for reading and I sincerely appreciate all I help you can give.

Edited February 8, 2016 by petrophys

[reddog]

9 minutes ago, petrophys said:

2) What is the etiquette when interviewing with an Austrian/European professor? I've been told small talk ("How are you today?") is not recommended for Europeans. What else should I keep in mind? I really want to make a good impression to him so I could get admitted to the program.

I would say this statement is conjecture; it is not wise to generalize an entire continent. You could google 'business culture Austria' or 'business etiquette Austria' for useful links. For example, this link (http://businessculture.org/western-europe/business-culture-in-austria/business-communication-in-austria/) seems to contain pretty accurate information at first glance.

[petrophys]

Thank you reddog for the excellent tips! I've been told "How are you today?" might be too personal a question to ask over there. I guess I'd go with the safe "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me", but I don't know if that's too "fake" for Europeans. It's interesting to learn about all the cultural differences between the US and Europe!

[reddog]

"How are you?" is fine to ask, you will likely receive an answer such as "I'm good, thank you", and then get to business. "Thank you for taking the time to talk to me" is also fine, they know that you are American and will accept your "fakeness" as you say it. Really, as long as you are making an effort to be polite, there is not much you can do wrong. Just don't use too many hyperboles

One thing I really want to stress again, don't generalize European-ness. The people you will talk to are Austrian first, European second. So try to avoid that during the interview. This goes for the rest of Europe as well btw

Good luck!

Edited February 11, 2016 by reddog