mock_interview

Mock interview preparation (question bank + answer stress test)

For ERC Starting and Consolidator Grant applicants who have been invited to Step 2 of their evaluation and need to prepare for the panel interview.

Scope

The Step 2 panel interview is roughly thirty minutes: a short presentation by the PI, then questions from the panel members (panel format varies; the panel may use points raised in the written remote-referee reviews to formulate questions, but the remote referees themselves do not attend the interview). The interview tests judgement under pressure, panel chemistry, clarity of communication, and command of the proposal's details. all of which a human mock panel (a workshop simulation, or a few senior colleagues running questions) judges far better than any AI.

This directory therefore does not attempt to be a mock interview reviewer. It is a question bank generator and an answer stress tester. Two roles a model can do well:

1. Generate the likely panel questions the applicant should be ready for, grounded in the applicant's own draft.
2. Take the applicant's draft answer to a question and stress-test it: find weak responses, unsupported claims, places the applicant assumes the panel will accept a defence they would not actually accept.

A human mock panel still judges live performance.

Files in this directory

• 01_question_bank.md: prompt that generates a question bank from the applicant's draft. About 20-30 questions split into categories (scientific question, methodology, risk and contingency, PI fit, panel-specific follow-ups, hostile questions).
• 02_answer_stress_test.md: prompt that takes a question and the applicant's draft answer and stress-tests the answer. Used iteratively: applicant drafts answers to the question bank, runs each one through the stress test, revises.

When to use this

After Step 2 invitation has arrived. Before the human mock panel (the Czech ERC Expert Group's mock interview sessions, which happen for Step-2 selectees about a month before the real interview). Bring better-rehearsed answers to the human mock panel.

How to use

The realistic workflow is:

1. Run 01_question_bank.md once with your draft. Get the question bank.
2. For each question, write a one-paragraph draft answer. Aim for 60 seconds spoken.
3. Run 02_answer_stress_test.md on each draft answer.
4. Revise the draft answers based on what the stress test surfaces.
5. Memorise the answers loosely enough that you can adjust to the actual phrasing of the panel question.
6. Bring the revised answers to your human mock panel; let the human panel judge delivery, panel chemistry, and the live experience.

The whole sequence is about ninety minutes of applicant time, not counting the answer drafting.

What this does not do

• Judge live performance. A model cannot do that.
• Predict the panel score from the interview. A model cannot do that either.
• Replace a human mock panel. This is preparation for the mock panel, not a substitute.

Privacy

Same as the Basic pre-review. The applicant's draft and draft answers leave the local machine when pasted into a chat. Use a paid tier with training opt-out, or sanitise. The question bank itself does not contain proposal content beyond the question text, so question banks can be shared more freely than draft content if a workshop reader wants to see them.

Status

Shipped in v0.2; maturity is early. Has not yet been used in a real Step-2 interview cycle. Applicants who use it: please report whether the questions actually surfaced at the real interview, what the stress test caught that was useful, and what the stress test missed. Open an Issue (desensitised) with the report.