Biocc

	Title:	How to Improve Your Interview Responses
	Author:	Opus Scientific
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	The interview is an important time to choose your words wisely. It is not just what you say but how you say it that can make a difference. Every interviewee, experienced or not, can keep these seven points in mind.   1. The most common interview question is the introductory “Tell Me About Yourself.” The interviewer would like to know more about you but only in light of how it is relevant to the position. You should have two responses prepared—a one minute response and a little more detailed response. The key points to bring up to answer this question are: number of years of experience, current project and its value, and strengths or accomplishments.   2. Knowledge of the jargon used in a specific industry, particularly for scientists and technical personnel, is extremely important for candidates who have less experience. Be aware of the key words used in your industry. Industry jargon can go a long way towards making a positive impression during the interview and hiring process.   There are many resources available for uncovering industry jargon—company websites, PR material from press releases or collected from career fairs, trade magazines, or journals. Look up descriptive job ads and study several jobs ads to determine proper usage. Don’t break your interview by using terms incorrectly. Be sure to study well or speak to someone in your network already in the field to help you understand the terms. Make sure the terms are still up-to-date. Using antiquated phrases can make you appear out of the loop, so avoid using outdated industry jargon.   3. Informal language can be tricky. In some ways it can make you seem easy going and confident. However, too much informality will make you appear indifferent and perhaps even disinterested. It is best to avoid informal language and to let the interviewer set the precedent for level of formality. Of course, if the interviewer tells you to use his or her first name, by all means, do so.   4. Another problem I have encountered, especially when interviewing scientists, is the misuse of pronouns—more specifically the overuse of the pronoun “we.” If I wanted to hire your entire lab, I would interview the entire lab. Though it is fine to introduce a study with “we examined a…,” you must quickly focus on what your specific contributions were and switch to “I.” If you think your contribution was insignificant, then you need to rethink your impressions because no contributions are insignificant—it takes a team.   5. By far the most common, and one of the most grievous errors, is using vague phraseology—“a lot of experience” and “we published the results” is vague. Some consider 6 months a lot of experience while the company may be seeking 5 years experience. Be sure to describe the timeframe of experience and mention the specific area or specific techniques. When discussing publications, be specific about your contribution if you are not first author.   Most scientists realize that not all individuals named as authors on publications made significant contributions to the publication. Be specific if you were not first author by describing how many figures you contributed or how much content you wrote or edited. Describing that you contributed 2 out of 5 figures, wrote almost 50% of content and helped edit the entire manuscript for a top-tier journal publication has much more impact.   6. This one is perhaps the most annoying for a recruiter--using too few words to answer an interview question with impatience as if the interviewer should have read your resume. As a recruiter, I must say I don’t have time to make more of a one word response such as “Yes I have experience in that area.” You are asked to explain your experience listed on your resume for many reasons; be prepared and willing to do so.   Using too few words is just as bad as talking too much. Of course the best way to answer interview questions is to begin with the why, then discuss the how, then discuss the outcome. All this must be done concisely. The only way to be sure that you do so concisely is to practice!   7. Always have examples for every adjective that describes you or you look like you are blowing smoke. Saying you are a hard-worker means nothing, but describing how you came in every weekend during the holiday season to meet a deadline means everything.   Thorough preparation and practice is the most important part of succeeding in interviewing. Integrate these seven points into your preparation and you are sure to be more sharply focused and professional in your presentation.
	Opus Scientific, based in Long Island and New York City, is a specialized professional staffing firm supporting biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, cosmetic, chemical, food and other scientific intensive industries that require skilled talent. The core focus areas include research & development, drug discovery, pre-clinical development, clinical research, manufacturing, regulatory affairs, quality assurance, quality control and sales & marketing.
	Copyright, 2008, Opus Scientific Published with permission