Acing the Interview
Lauren Celano
Founder and CEO
Lauren@propelcareers.com
www.propelcareers.com
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
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PREPARING FOR THE INTERVIEW
RESEARCH THE COMPANY
 Company Website
 Press releases
 Other company news
 Publications
 Presentations
 Industry Reports
 Newsfeeds – i.e. Google reader
 Through people you know
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RESEARCH THE INTERVIEWRS
Social Networks. i.e. LinkedIn
Public databases
Search engine results
Press releases
Papers
Presentations
Through people you know
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SELF REFLECT
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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?
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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?)
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DURING THE INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW FORMATS
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Phone interviews
Skype interviews
One-on-one in-person interviews
Panel interviews
Tests
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PHONE INTERVIEW ADVICE
Stand up
Walk around as you talk
Maintains energy level
Speak slowly
Write notes down
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SKYPE INTERVIEW ADVICE
Dress professionally
Put a blank wall behind you
No distractions
Speak slowly
Maintain eye contact
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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
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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
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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.
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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?
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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
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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”
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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.”
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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.:
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“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.
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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
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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.
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QUESTIONS TO ASK THE COMPANY
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How would you describe the company’s culture?
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What type of people thrive here the most? What are the growth plans/strategy for the
company over the next 1, 3, 5 years?
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What excites you most about the company?
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What is an area that the company needs to work on?
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What are the career progression options for someone in this role?
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Can you describe a typical day or week?
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What are the top three things that I could do upon joining the company to assist you and
help achieve company goals?
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“Describe your management style.” (If you are talking with your future boss.)
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DO’S AND DONT’S
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INTERVIEW FOLLOW-UP
THANK YOU LETTER
 Send within 48 hrs.
 Write an email 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 email, since the interviewing team
oftentimes compares follow-up emails.
 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.
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USING LINKEDIN - ADVICE
DO NOT LinkedIn to people right away post interview
Wait to see how the interview process turns out
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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
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