I am often asked my perspective on what topic a candidate should choose for their interview presentation, whether that is a student interviewing for a fellowship or an aspiring MSL looking for their first industry role. My advice is to pick a scientific topic on which they are familiar and confident.
Most of the time I suggest they stray away from a company publication (unless the company provides it) and instead focus on one from a competitor that is relevant to the audience.
Interestingly, a student pursuing a fellowship told me that they were told to pick any topic that reflects their interests, and it didn’t need to be about science. While this might be a clever way to get to know a candidate, I’m not sure a presentation on the optimal kayak stroke or brewing an IPA is the best reflection on the candidacy for a fellowship.
The ideal situation is for the company to provide a publication as that offers room for comparison across candidates, saves the interviewee time searching for a topic, and has the candidate learning a topic relevant to the job for which they are interviewing. A win-win-win in my perspective. Since the audience are experts on the study, they need to be cautious about expecting too much from the candidate but no doubt they are aware.
What advice do you provide to students/candidates on the topic to choose for an interview presentation?