1. Acing the Interview www.propelcareers.com Lauren Celano
4/8/2017
Acing the Interview
Lauren Celano
Founder and CEO

2. OUTLINE Preparing for the interview Advice during the interview
Interview Formats
Types of Interview Questions
Typical Responses
Questions candidates should ask the company
Interview follow-up

3. Preparing for the Interview
4/8/2017
Preparing for the Interview

4. RESEARCH THE COMPANY Company Website Press releases Other company news
Publications
Presentations
Industry Reports
Newsfeeds – i.e. Google reader
Through people you know

5. RESEARCH THE INTERVIEWRS
Social Networks. i.e. LinkedIn Public databases Search engine results Press releases Papers Presentations Through people you know

6. Self Reflect What are you looking for in a role?
Why does this company / role interest you?
What is your career goal?
What other skills do you bring to the company?
Why is your background relevant?
Why is this role a good fit for you?

7. Practice Run through scenarios so that you become more comfortable
Receive unbiased feedback about your interview style
What emotions trigger your confidence?
What emotions make you more nervous?
How you are branding yourself (who are you, and how are you different from 1000 other people?)

8. During the Interview
4/8/2017

9. One-on-one in-person interviews Panel interviews Tests
Interview Formats
Phone interviews
Skype interviews
One-on-one in-person interviews
Panel interviews
Tests

10. Phone Interview Advice
Stand up
Walk around as you talk
Maintains energy level
Speak slowly
Write notes down

11. Skype interview advice
Dress professionally
Put a blank wall behind you
No distractions
Speak slowly
Maintain eye contact

12. In-person interview advice
Maintain eye contact
Speak slow and articulate
Dress professionally
Have a note pad for notes and a list of what you want to cover
your skills / relevancy to the job description
your interest in the role
questions tailored for each interviewer

13. Tests Quantitative tests assess specific skills and competencies
i.e. disease knowledge, familiarity with a specific data analysis program, software program, or other system/application
Tests can be done
Before the interview, as a pre-screen
During the interview
Post-interview
These tests are hard to prepare for – they assess specific skills based upon experience
Most companies will let candidates know before a test is given

14. Interview Tips
Wait for the interviewer to finish asking a question, then speak
Listening is Key!
Do not talk over an interviewer
If you don’t know the answer to something, say so, and that you will follow up later. Then DO follow-up.

15. Interview Questions Why are you looking to make a career move?
What type of environment do you thrive in?
Why are you interested in our company?
Tell me more about your background…
What applicable skills do you have that are relevant to this role?
What are your career goals? (i.e. where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years)
What biggest benefit would you bring to this firm if you were to join us?
What type of management style are you looking to work in?

16. Why are you looking to make a career move?
Appealing
growth potential
the chance to take on additional responsibility
the desire to apply skills to a new area,
the ability to focus further on a specific area
Avoid
I want to get away from my boss
I want only more money
I cannot get along with my team and therefore, need to find a new role
Further Tailored
I want to work in a research setting where I can apply my molecular background to characterize lung cancer targets
I am looking for a role as a medical science liaison where I can apply my disease knowledge to educate clinicians and other professionals on the cutting edge research

17. why are you interested in our company
Companies want to hear that you are passionate about the work they are doing and that you know about their company’s history, goals, and expectations. Appealing responses include:
“I want to work at your Company because you are the leader in leukemia research, a disease that I have a personal interest in.”
“With my experience, I can help you characterize your lead drug to advance this into the clinic”
“I will be able to apply both my programming and wet lab experience to your research challenges”

18. Tell me more about your background
Have your 30 second elevator pitch developed so that you can quickly tell interviewers about yourself. i.e. “I have over 10 years of research experience spanning oncology and neurobiology. I am skilled in many molecular and cellular biology techniques and recently learned programming so that I could round out my skills. I excel when I wear many hats and use my communication and scientific skills to further research. Because of this, I am looking to work in an entrepreneurial biotech company where I can be exposed to all aspects of drug discovery.”

19. What are you most Proud of?
Companies want to see passion and gain some insight into what makes you tick. They also want to see a genuine response. i.e.:
“I am most proud of completing the Pan-Mass Challenge to raise money in my father’s memory.” This individual was interviewing with an oncology company and wanted to ensure their passion for cancer research came through.
Another candidate who interviewed with a late stage clinical company said that they were most proud of the late stage clinical trial work they were involved in did which lead to the approval of a first-in-class therapeutic for a life threatening disease. This individual showed a passion and desire for moving a drug from clinical into commercial.

20. Behavioral interviewing tips
Interviewers want concrete examples of how your background is relevant to their needs.
They pay attention to how you articulate your experiences, the lessons you learned, and your communication, decision-making, and team work skills.
To prepare, write down specific examples for each question.
Practice to refine the responses, so that they are concise, but detailed enough to provide the interviewer context.
Most examples taken from your work/research experience,
in some cases, other experiences, charity work or activities (i.e. President of a local organization), are reasonable

21. Behavioral interview Questions
Describe a time when you were faced with a stressful situation that demonstrated your coping skills.
Give me a specific example of a time when you used good judgment and logic in solving a problem.
Tell me about a time when you had to use your speaking and presentation skills to influence a group’s opinion.
Explain a situation when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Have you ever had too many things to do, and were you required to prioritize your tasks?
Give me an example of a time when you had to make a split second decision.
What is your typical way of dealing with conflict? rovide an example.
Have you ever had to motivate others? Tell me about such an experience.

22. Questions to Ask the company
How would you describe the company’s culture?
What type of people thrive here the most? What are the growth plans/strategy for the company over the next 1, 3, 5 years?
What excites you most about the company?
What is an area that the company needs to work on?
What are the career progression options for someone in this role?
Can you describe a typical day or week?
What are the top three things that I could do upon joining the company to assist you and help achieve company goals?
“Describe your management style.” (If you are talking with your future boss.)

23. Do’s and dont’s

24. 4/8/2017
Interview Follow-up

25. Thank you letter Send within 48 hrs.
4/8/2017
Send within 48 hrs.
Write an thanking the individuals that you met with for their time.
Mention something that you talked about during your interview, so that it is customized.
Do not send everyone the same , since the interviewing team oftentimes compares follow-up s.
Optional: follow up with a hand written note – this will definitely help you to stand out.
Show your interest again in the role and state your desire to be a part of the team.
Be early. By arriving early to an event, you can become familiar with the layout of the room, glance at the name badges to see if you recognize people attending, and even talk with the event organizers and volunteers to see if they can share insight with you about the event.  This could help put you at ease, making you feel comfortable for the start of the evening.
Make the first move. At most networking events, people are uncomfortable and nervous to go up to someone and introduce themselves. If you are not sure what to say, starting with an ice breaker can be a successful way to enter into a conversation. For example, you could start with, “what aspect of the event intrigued you to attend?” You could also think about what you would like to be asked and start with this question as an icebreaker. Remember, people love to talk about their backgrounds and experiences.  By asking them questions that elicit a personal response, you will probably make these people feel more comfortable as well.  You will also learn something about the individuals – this becomes helpful as you develop relationships with them.  If you want to make sure you feel comfortable with your icebreakers, you can always practice on friends before the event.
Business/Personal Cards. Everyone at an event should have business/personal cards which should include your name and address.  These cards are an easy way to exchange information and keep track of people. For individuals in their postdoc/Ph.D., many times you may not have “business cards,” but you can always get your own cards made through a site like VistaPrint where you can list your role, such as Post Doctoral Fellow focused on microbiology, and your contact details. You never know who you will meet at an event, who will want to follow up with you. Having your card is a good reminder for them post event to follow up.
 Introduce others. One way to meet people is to get introduced by someone who is also at the event. If you know people who are attending the event, ask people you meet if they are looking for an introduction to someone. If you know who they are looking to meet, or the profile of the person they are looking to meet, don’t be afraid to make an introduction. Being resourceful makes you feel good, and is extremely valuable for building meaningful connections at events
Stand by the bar or beverage area. Almost everyone at a networking event wants something in their hands to make them feel more comfortable.  Therefore, one of the best ways to meet people is to stand near the food/beverage area. These are prime spots to meet people. If you are not sure what to say when you meet someone in this situation, you can always fall back on something generic such as 'this really is good coffee, isn't it? This usually gets a response which could translate into a conversation. Another way to meet people is to get in line a few times for food, getting SMALL plates each time.  This gives you something to do, as well as increases the probability that you may meet someone who is also in line next to you.
Volunteer to assist at events. Volunteering is a great way to approach events since it gives you a set task to perform during the event which provides many people comfort during an event. One of the best volunteer activities is working the registration area. Why?  Because you are the first person to welcome a potentially valuable contact and make an impression. Everyone has to check-in, therefore you get to put a face to a name when giving them their badge.
Listen and Follow up. When talking with someone, listen to what they are saying.  A useful tip is to take notes on the back of their cards so that you can remember what you talked about and who they were after you return home with numerous business cards.  However, keep in mind, that it is not a competition to see how many business cards you can get in a night.  Making a few connections, and having meaningful discussions, is much better than just collecting a lot of cards. Following up after the meeting by mentioning something that you talked about will make you more memorable to the person you are connecting with. Cultivating your network is so critical as your develop in your career.  The exciting aspect about cultivating your network is that you never know where connections will intersect and when you will also be able to assist your connections.  Remember – this is a two sided network.

26. USING LINKEDIN - ADVICE
4/8/2017
DO NOT LinkedIn to people right away post interview Wait to see how the interview process turns out
If you are serious about your career, you will be on LinkedIn
Add details about your experiences/background
Build out your profile
Join LinkedIn groups to keep informed
Strive for quality of people, not quantity of names

27. At Interview End, COMPANY SHOULD KNOW
You are serious in planning your career
You are always prepared
You are interested in the company/role, and you articulated why
You want to make sure the company/role is a good fit for you.
You will be an excellent hire from a culture/personality fit; not just a skill set fit
You will be able to make an impact right away
You are excited to join their team