My main advice to new candidates is “Be yourself and show your true interests, both in the online application and in the interview week.” If there is a suitable place for you at EMBL, it will find you. Unexpected things can happen during selections! My other piece of advice is “Abandon noxious competition. Otherwise you could miss the chance to know and learn from so many friendly aspiring young scientists.”

First, start early! Filling in the application form takes time. For the interview week, it is useful to have clear preferences. Be honest about what you would like to work on, but keep an open mind! During that week you will meet many group leaders with very interesting projects. Take advantage of it and enjoy it!

The interview process is three full-days, which is intense but fun. So my advice is to just be yourself and relax as much as possible! You also meet a lot of cool people during that process, so I highly recommend making the most of it.

First of all, don’t hesitate to apply. Even if you are not invited for the interview week, becoming a member of the shared applicant pool can already be of great help in finding the right PhD position. For those who get invited, despite the stress of all the interviews it’s definitely a great experience. You can socialise and network with many interesting people. The recruitment is a great opportunity to exchange knowledge, make professional contacts and get tips for your future career. And probably most important of all: be yourself, have fun and enjoy the time!

In general my advice would be to know what you want to do. Have a really clear idea about the research you want to do. The programme is fantastic and really appealing, but know that you want to be here for the science that you want to do, not just for the environment and the atmosphere. The interview will go way smoother if you have an idea of what you know already, what you want to learn and what you want to do with your time and your PhD. The four years can probably feel pretty long if you end up on a project that you’re not actually invested in! Think carefully about what you want to do and why.

Based on my experience, the main things would be to relax during the interview process itself and in terms of preparation, really understand and be able to explain any projects you have done previously. I was asked a lot about my Bachelors and Masters thesis work and a lot of the interview hinged on me being able to explain that.

Group leaders want to see that you’ve understood what you’ve done and why you’ve done it, not just for you to say ‘I did it because I was told to’. They want to see that you have some initiative, that you’re a bit creative with your ideas and that you understanding what you’re doing and why. You’re not expected to know everything or wow them with your knowledge on an entire field!