- Can you tell us more about your experience as a forensic analyst? …
- What has been the most challenging case you have ever worked on? …
- How do you handle stress? …
- How do you effectively maintain laboratory equipment to ensure they work properly?
10 trick questions to expect in Data Analyst interviews in 2022
What do you think is the single most important skill for a forensic scientist and why?
Forensic scientists use many soft and technical skills to perform their duties effectively, and the ones they use most often may vary by case. Some skills are more important than others because theyre applicable in many situations and have a significant role in helping forensic scientists discover essential information about a case. Hiring managers may ask this question to get an understanding of your priorities and processes in the workplace.
Example: “Of all the important skills required for this job, I believe communication is the most essential. I work independently most of the time, but when I collaborate with my peers its because theres critical information to share. I work with police officers to determine what happened at crime scenes, I instruct lab technicians on handling evidence and I communicate with victims, families and friends about our progress on the case. Listening actively to each persons feedback, concerns and updates allows me to choose effective approaches to solving crimes and helping those involved.”
Can you tell me about the most memorable case you helped solve and how it affected your career?
Forensic science often involves managing high-pressure situations and sensitive materials to find information that can help crime victims and their loved ones. If a case is memorable to you, its likely because it was an experience you found challenging or one that allowed you to demonstrate the extent of your skills. An interviewer may ask you to describe this experience to learn about your commitment to quality work and professional advancement. Try to emphasize the positive effects of this experience.
Example: “A few years ago, I was working on a case that involved a burglary. Thankfully, no one was home at the time. The perpetrator didnt leave behind much evidence, so I couldnt find anything that linked it to the perpetrator. Then, I found a hair attached to a piece of fabric collected from the scene. I tested the hair, and it turns out it was from the neighbors dog. Police questioned and then arrested the neighbor. This experience taught me the importance of diligence and attention to detail, which are two critical skills in this field.”
Interview questions with sample answers
Here are three forensic scientist interview questions a hiring manager may ask you, with sample answers to help you create your own responses:
It was definitely a proud moment for me. Forensic scientists play an extremely important role in the law-enforcement community, but we are typically in a behind-the-scenes capacity. And like a lot of public service positions, it is a thankless job so to be recognized for something that I am so passionate about meant a lot to me.
This was my favorite case for so many reasons. First, I have a passion for cold cases and have worked many over the years. I’ve also served on several cold case teams throughout my career. There is something about the quest for a decades-old unanswered question that really gets me going, and to bring closure to a family after so many years is pretty amazing. This case also simultaneously exonerated one man while convicting the true killer, thus changing the lives of not only the family of the victim, but the wrongly accused and his family as well. Imagine living your life for decades having everyone wondering if you really did kill someone, knowing you didn’t do it but not able to prove it. I was able to do that for him and bring closure to Janet Staschak’s family. And finally, it highlighted the power of DNA testing and the CODIS system. This case would never have been solved without DNA.
This is definitely solving the homicide of Janet Staschak. In 1986, Janet Staschak was brutally murdered. A man who lived in her building, named Tom Sawyer, ended up confessing to the homicide and spent years in jail until his confession was thrown out by a judge after determining it was a coerced confession. In 2013, the Clearwater police department submitted crime scene evidence to determine if we could use DNA to solve the case. I was able to obtain a foreign DNA profile that did not match Tom Sawyer. It hit in CODIS, our national DNA database, to a man named Stephen Lamont who later confessed to the crime.
I have taught several courses over the years, including Biological Evidence and Serology, Blood Spatter and Forensic DNA Analysis (which is, of course, my favorite!). I love being able to bring real-world experience to the students and to help them understand the information at a very detailed level. I am not there teaching just from a textbook but from 20 years of actual field experience.
My advice would be to prioritize your time effectively and do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today. It is so cliché but so true. You never know what life is going to throw at you and waiting until the last minute doesn’t typically work in your favor. Also, effectively utilizing the teachers to answer their questions is a must. Often times in distance-education classes I think the students forget what an asset they have at their fingertips. I am answering questions every day of the week at all hours of the day via email. If a student reaches out for help, I guarantee they will do well on the assignment because I will work with them until they understand the topic. But we can’t help a student if we don’t know they need it!
Dr. Hildebrand is currently the Associate Dean for the Computing, Chemistry and Forensics departments. Prior to that he has held faculty and director positions within the Forensics department at BCIT and is a recognized expert in the field of forensic DNA analysis. His work focuses on the recovery and analysis of DNA from degraded remains using STRâs, mini-STRâs, Y-STRâs and mitochondrial DNA for the purposes of human identification.
The work I am currently doing with the Coroners Service has been very rewarding. I am a forensic DNA consultant for their Identification and Disaster Response Unit. Within that capacity I and an IT colleague developed the provincial unidentified remains / missing persons DNA database. This DNA database, with a humanitarian mandate is the first of its kind in Canada for a Coroner or Medical Examiners office. It has allowed the BCCS to make some identifications that may not have otherwise occurred, at least not as quickly. How it works – DNA profiles from unidentified remains are entered and compared against other sets of remains in order to consolidate partial remains cases. They are then compared against all the known profiles to make an identification. The Coroners collect samples from family members of missing persons as well as personal effects for use as reference DNA samples.
The laboratory Dr. Hildebrand helped establish at British Columbia Institute of Technology BCIT is called upon by local and international Coroner and Police agencies to assist in challenging casework where human identification is required. He also works as a consultant for the B.C. Coroners Service (Special Investigations Unit) as a subject matter expert in forensic DNA analysis. In this capacity he helped develop and now maintains the unidentified remains and missing person DNA database for the province of British Columbia.
The “CSI Effect” was a term coined several years ago based on the extremely popular fictional TV show -“CSI”. This has been a double edged sword. Forensic programs around the world saw the benefit of this free marketing with an influx of students interested in a career in forensics. Some walked away immediately, disillusioned by the realities of true life forensics, which can be mundane at times. But many stayed and have gone on to become experts in their own right.
One of the most challenging aspects of a forensic DNA comparison is mixture interpretation. Mixtures are very common in case work and can run the gamut from straightforward to extremely complex and time consuming. Different laboratories have different approaches to mixture analysis and there is no standardized approach. We are starting to see the development of better software packages to assist the expert in these deconvolutions.
My question is this: what kind of questions do you think they would ask at the interview regarding the scientific side of things? Ive been out of school for a couple years so I want to know if I need to brush up on my knowledge regarding PCR, electrophoresis, etc. Any advice or personal experiences would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
FAQ
What skills are needed to be a DNA analyst?
- Attention to detail.
- Ability to solve problems.
- Analytical thinking.
- Good speaking and writing skills.
How do I prepare for an analyst interview?
- How do you think a business analyst can help a company?
- What is your experience with data analysis?
- Describe a time when you had to present complex information in a simple way.
- What would you say is the most important skill for a business analyst?
What are the daily duties of a DNA analyst?
- Working in a laboratory.
- Examining biological materials.
- Report writing.
- Providing courtroom testimony.
- Working with law enforcement entities.
- Working closely with other forensic scientists.
- Using sensitive lab and computer equipment.
How do I prepare for a forensic interview?
- Could you give me a detailed explanation of how you collect evidence proficiently? …
- Are you proficient with training others? …
- How did your knowledge of bloodstain pattern analysis help you to secure convictions in past experience?
