If you're a graduate looking to get into information management and need to get a feel for the kind of questions employers might ask at interview, then make sure you research these graduate information management interview questions below. These questions and answers are taken from real graduate interviews, and compiled to give you an idea of what to expect and how to prepare your answers.

Example Information Management Interview Questions:

What is the exact difference between copyrights and patent rights?

Copyrights are exclusive rights granted to the author or creator of an original work, including the right to copy, distribute and adapt the work. Copyright does not protect ideas, only their expression or fixation. In most jurisdictions copyright arises upon fixation and does not need to be registered. Patent is a set of exclusive rights granted by a state (national government) to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for a public disclosure of an invention.  Only thorough research will allow you to answer this - trying to think on the spot will not work for this!

What benefit will your academic career bring to this role?

This is a typical question which you will be asked when applying for a role that does not fit in directly with your academic career. The best way to approach a question like this is to highlight skills that you have gained that the employer will be interested in. Good ones for this role would be good communication skills, analytical skills, writing skills and presentation skills - all of which are transferable from your academic career.

 What law would you reform, relevant to the patent industry?

This question will test your knowledge of the industry. If you have prepared before the interview then you should be well placed to answer this question. An example of a law change you might use is extending or shortening the life of a patent for a particular reason e.g. patents on any new green technology should be short because it is important that this sector continues to create more efficient technologies.