Professional Palynologist Interview Preparation Guide

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Pollen analysis, or Palynology, is a type of environmental archaeology in which microscopes are used to analyse the range of plant pollens present in archaeological layers: these can tell us what crops, vegetation or ground cover were likely to have been present when a layer was deposited.

Acritarchs are organic microfossils, present from approximately 1,400 to 3,200 million years ago to the present. Their diversity reflects major ecological events such as the appearance of predation and the Cambrian explosion.

Acetolysis is the best technique for recovering pollen because any tissue is dissolved and lipids and debris are removed from the sample and the pollen grains.

Archaeological palynology studies polymorphs at archaeological sites to determine aspects of a life and ecology such as diet, ritual practice, climate, agriculture, and the impact that humans may have had on the environment. Palynomorphs studied may be fossil remains of non-extant life (paleopalynology) or remains of extant life forms (actuopalynology)

Forensic palynology is the study of pollen and powdered minerals, their identification, and where and when they occur, to ascertain that a body or other object was in a certain place at a certain time.

A scolecodont is the jaw of a polychaete annelid, a common type of fossil-producing segmented worm useful in invertebrate paleontology. Scolecodonts are common and diverse microfossils, which range from the Cambrian period to the present. They diversified profusely in the Ordovician, and are most common in the Ordovician, Silurian and Devonian marine deposits of the Paleozoic era.

Orbicules are small acellular structures of sporopollenin that might occur on the inner tangential and radial walls of tapetal cells. Their function is unclear at this moment. Current consensus is that they are just a by-product of pollen wall sporopollenin synthesis.

Sediment is a naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particles. For example, sand and silt can be carried in suspension in river water and on reaching the sea be deposited by sedimentation and if buried this may eventually become sandstone and siltstone, ( sedimentary rocks).

Dinocysts or dinoflagellate cysts are typically 15 to 100 µm in diameter and produced by around 15-20% of living dinoflagellates as a dormant, zygotic stage of their lifecycle, which can accumulate in the sediments as microfossils. Organic-walled dinocysts are often resistant and made out of dinosporin. There are also calcareous dinoflagellate cysts and siliceous dinoflagellate cysts. Many books provide overviews on dinocysts.

Sporopollenin is one of the most chemically inert biological polymers. It is a major component of the tough outer (exine) walls of plant spores and pollen grains. It is chemically very stable and is usually well preserved in soils and sediments. The exine layer is often intricately sculptured in species-specific patterns, allowing material recovered from lake sediments to provide useful information to palynologists about plant and fungal populations in the past. Sporopollenin has found uses in the field of paleoclimatology as well. Sporopollenin is also found in the cell walls of several taxa of green alga, including Phycopeltis and Chlorella.

Stratigraphic palynology is the study of palynomorphs (identification, distribution, and abundance) so as to establish sedimentary sequences or to provide chronological references for sedimentary sequences.

A pollen tube is part of the male gametophyte of seed plants. It acts as a conduit to transport the male gamete cells from the pollen grain, either from the stigma to the ovules at the base of the pistil, or directly through ovule tissue in some gymnosperms. In maize, this single cell can grow longer than 12 inches to traverse the length of the pistil.

Fossil fuels are fuels formed by natural processes such as anaerobic decomposition of buried dead organisms, containing energy originating in ancient photosynthesis. The age of the organisms and their resulting fossil fuels is typically millions of years, and sometimes exceeds 650 million years. Fossil fuels contain high percentages of carbon and include petroleum, coal, and natural gas. Other commonly used derivatives include kerosene and propane. Fossil fuels range from volatile materials with low carbon:hydrogen ratios like methane, to liquids like petroleum, to nonvolatile materials composed of almost pure carbon, like anthracite coal. Methane can be found in hydrocarbon fields either alone, associated with oil, or in the form of methane clathrates.

Microfossils are fossils generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter, the study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. Fossils which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, such as a hand lens, are referred to as macrofossils. Obviously, it can be hard to decide whether or not some organisms should be considered microfossils, as there is no fixed size boundary.

A gamete is a haploid cell that fuses with another haploid cell during fertilization in organisms that sexually reproduce. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum (or egg)—and a male produces the smaller tadpole-like type—called a sperm. This is an example of anisogamy or heterogamy, the condition in which females and males produce gametes of different sizes (this is the case in humans; the human ovum has approximately 100,000 times the volume of a single human sperm cell. In contrast, isogamy is the state of gametes from both sexes being the same size and shape, and given arbitrary designators for mating type. The name gamete was introduced by the Austrian biologist Gregor Mendel. Gametes carry half the genetic information of an individual, one ploidy of each type, and are created through meiosis.

Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the invasion the succession pattern of arthropods with their developmental stages of different species found on the decomposed cadavers during legal investigations. It is the application and study of insect and other arthropod biology to criminal matters. It also involves the application of the study of arthropods, including insects, arachnids, centipedes, millipedes, and crustaceans to criminal or legal cases. It is primarily associated with death investigations; however, it may also be used to detect drugs and poisons, determine the location of an incident, and find the presence and time of the infliction of wounds. Forensic entomology can be divided into three subfields: urban, stored-product and medico-legal/medico-criminal entomology.

Gynoecium is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of pistils in a flower and is typically surrounded by the pollen-producing reproductive organs, the stamens, collectively called the androecium. The gynoecium is often referred to as the "female" portion of the flower, although rather than directly producing female gametes, the gynoecium produces megaspores, each of which develops into a female gametophyte which then produces egg cells.

A gametophyte is a stage in the life cycle of plants and algae that undergo alternation of generations. It is a haploid multicellular organism that develops from a haploid spore that has one set of chromosomes. The gametophyte is the sexual phase in the life cycle of plants and algae. It develops sex organs that produce gametes, haploid sex cells that participate in fertilization to form a diploid zygote in which each cell has two sets of chromosomes. Cell division of the zygote results in a new diploid multicellular organism, the second stage in the life cycle known as the sporophyte, the function of which is to produce haploid spores by meiosis.

☛ What assignment was too difficult for you?
☛ Tell me about your strengths.
☛ Who else have you applied to/got interviews with?
☛ Would you rather write a report or give it verbally?
☛ What would be your ideal working environment?

You may receive very helpful advice from an outsider who, like the interviewers, may tell if you answer properly or not. Prepare a list of things you want to say in the interview.
The interviewers want to know the real you, the potential candidate they may accept in.

☛ How do you think you can make a contribution to this company?
☛ What attracted you to this company?
☛ What have you been doing since your last job?
☛ What do you think you can bring to this position?
☛ What relevant experience do you have?

Be relaxed. Don't overstress yourself. A comfortable mind shall generate a good outcome. Avoid negative comments about past employers. Answer Palynologist interview questions with confidence and maintain proper eye contact with the interviewer.

☛ Do you prefer to work in a small, medium or large company?
☛ Who was your favorite manager and why?
☛ What are you expecting from this firm in the future?
☛ How well did your college experience prepare you for this job?
☛ What is your greatest achievement outside of work?

Don't talk about previous experience that is not related to the position in question. Your answer should be focused on what you can bring to the role that will be of benefit to the company.
If you can come up with an example that relates to the position you're applying for that would be even better.

☛ What problems have you encountered at work?
☛ Give me an example that best describes your organizational skills.
☛ How have you changed in the last five years?
☛ Where do you see yourself in five years time?
☛ What would you say are your strong points?

☛ Tell me about a difficult experience you had in working.
☛ What was the most complex assignment you have had?
☛ When given an important assignment, how do you approach it?
☛ What were your annual goals at your most current employer?
☛ Did you feel you progressed satisfactorily in your last job?

☛ Tell me about how you worked effectively under pressure.
☛ Has anything ever irritated you about people you've worked with?
☛ What kinds of situations do you find most stressful?
☛ What kind of personality do you work best with and why?☛ Give examples of ideas you've had or implemented.
If you can come up with an example that relates to the position you're applying for that would be even better. Have some good ones handy to mention.
Discuss any attributes that may set you apart from other job candidates.

☛ What three character traits would your friends use to describe you?
☛ What support training would you require to be able to do this job?
☛ What type of work environment do you prefer?
☛ What do you think this position involves.
☛ Who has impacted you most in your career and how?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for. Answer Palynologist interview questions with confidence and maintain proper eye contact with the interviewer.