Let me start by telling you a short story. After joining Counsyl, I asked for feedback from one of my colleagues who interviewed me. To my surprise she replied, “You were hilarious during the interview”. What!? As per expectations I am supposed to be serious and not hilarious during an interview. When I asked her why she thought so, she replied “You told stories that made us all laugh”. These “stories” included my high-spirited driving and some of my crazy cooking endeavors. During the debrief session the team that consisted of seven people (which included two MDs & three PhDs) agreed that all of them felt more comfortable interacting with me (and therefore working with me) compared to other applicants with the similar qualifications. So, what I am trying to get through here is, personal attitude makes a huge difference. Yes, qualification matters, but that is not something unique!
Now to sum up my experiences from several interviews: some, where I was an interviewer, and some when I was interviewed.
Let us assume your resume matched for a vacancy, and you got a call from a human resources (HR) personal. They called you because they believed your background somewhat matches the job description. The reason I say “somewhat” is because in most cases, it would never be a perfect match. If the HR recommends your resume to the relevant person, you would expect to get at least one more call from an expert who understands your field, and sees how perfectly you fit into the position. Before getting the call, they would most likely get in touch via an email to schedule a time to discuss. Please make sure you are flexible with the time. The important thing now is to do a homework about the company: their product, vision, market position, competitor, etc. It is advisable to be cognizant if the company created any recent buzz with regard to their product or other innovative developments. Now, regarding the telephonic interview, make sure you are in a quiet place with a good cellular signal and use your headphone with a mic for the conversation. Try to avoid any form of distraction like tapping the pen or checking emails or browsing websites. Generally, a telephonic interview goes the following way: at first the person from the company tells you about their product, goals, history, etc. Then the table is turned on your side, where you are asked about your background to gage if you are a match. When it comes to talking about you, make sure you can connect your experience with the position by means of a smooth story that is easy to comprehend. Talk only about topics that are relevant to the question and do not digress too far from it. Ask questions about the company; you could make a list of questions beforehand. Also, make sure you know the background of the person you are talking to (a quick search on LinkedIn would do the trick). This last part makes talking with a stranger, comfortable. If you see that the person on the other side is out of topic to discuss, try bringing in topics which makes them comfortable, so that the discussion can continue. Avoid saying anything negative until you feel it is absolutely necessary.
Let us say you have successfully cracked the initial rounds, and you are being selected for the onsite interview. Again, be flexible with the schedule. If you have any concerns with the schedule, let them know. They would always respect your time and frankness. Do your homework: this time on your subject as well as on the company and the people you’ll be talking to.
Before going to the interview make sure you are wearing a proper attire. It’s not always necessary to wear formal clothing; you could wear something semi-formal too. Whatever you wear, be comfortable in it and make sure it is proper. For example, the tie should be matched to your shirt, the belt to your shoes, etc. Get a clean cut (for guys). If possible, carry a bottle of water during the interview. You would probably find yourself talking face to face with 5-7 people, 30-45 minutes each. Make your pitch; it is enough time to prove yourself and for them to gage you. In general, the people on the interview board are assigned to get an overall picture of the candidate. This means one person would be responsible for understanding your subject knowledge, another interviewer would try to understand your vision, and so on. They may seem to ask you the same questions repeatedly, but remember, their goals are different.
During the interview try to connect with the person and make him/her comfortable. Let us assume you are from New York City and the interviewer also moved in from NYC. Try to connect with him/her using this point. If the interviewer has never been to New York, you could connect at that point too. Let them know why he/she should visit NYC at least once. Try to take control of the conversation by gently guiding and bringing their attention to the topics you are confident about. Try not to make it into a boring question-answer session. Rather, make it into a comfortable discussion. You would probably talk to a few people on the interview board who would report to you on the job, if you were hired. There is a particular reason for them to be present. It is to measure your capability and attitude towards the people who are not as qualified as you are. Never assume you are smarter than them, just remember they are already in, and know more about the company than you do. It takes 4-5 hours to complete the whole process and try to keep a smile on your face till the end. Make sure you write a thank you email after coming back with your positive experience.
Again, our skill sets are not unique, our personalities are. It makes lots of difference in an interview. Be confident, be yourself, be positive and be open to conversation and do your homework.
These are my experiences from the numerous interviews I have faced. It may or may not be the same for everyone and/or for every opportunity. But the general concept is same. Good luck!
About the author: Saurav is currently working as an assistant director (CLIA laboratory), Counsyl, after completing his ABMGG accredited clinical molecular genetics fellowship from Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York. As a clinical/laboratory director, he oversees various groups associated with the clinical lab, his responsibilities also includes signing out clinical cases and communicate with the clinicians, patients and regulatory authorities to interpret the results and to educate them about the genetic tests (NGS) Counsyl provides. He also actively participates in various research programs at Counsyl in collaboration with other companies and universities.
Edited by: Sitharam Ramaswami (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sitharam-ramaswami-ram-a0ab0660)
This work by ClubSciWri is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
