Interviews en Garde Nature Feb20 2014

8/12/2019 Interviews en Garde Nature Feb20 2014

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NATUREJOBSFor the latest careerlistings and advice www.naturejobs.com

DEGREESEnrolment slows in professionalmasters programme p.399

MENTORINGProtgs receive scantguidance on worklife conflicts p.399

B Y K A R E N K A P L A N

It was the interview moment that every-

one dreads the killer question, thenthe pregnant pause. With a PhD in

environmental biotechnology and years ofexperience as an environmental researcherand consultant, Henry Roman knew hissubject well. Before his interview with theSouth African governments Department ofScience and Technology he had spent hoursreviewing t hat countrys environmentallegislation and international agreements onclimate change.

But none of that stopped his mind fromgoing blank when he was asked how hemight develop a South African water-use

policy. I was coming in from a pure science

background, and Id had no experience in apolicy environment, he says.

Yet Roman kept his cool. He asked his

interviewer for half a minute to gather histhoughts, breathed and pulled it all together.I drew on all the legislation I was aware ofand on relevant international treaties to putthe policy question into an internationalcontext, he recalls. He is now that depart-ments director.

Invariably, early-career scientists who areon the interview circuit for any position willfind themselves confronting a knotty inter-view question that they have no clue how toanswer (see The 1-2-3 of interviews). Hiringmanagers and other veteran interview-ers say that, at such times, success depends

on a hotchpotch of factors: ample advance

preparation, excellent communication,deft interpersonal skills and a f inely honedability to keep calm. But above all, the atti-tude of the candidate is key. I dont thinkpeople are censured for specific things theysay, but because of the way they say t hem

nonchalant or arrogant or dispas-sionate, says Amy Cheng Vollmer, amicrobiologist and department chair

at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania.

BACKGROUND CHECKQuestions that seek speculative informa-

tion about what a candidate can accomplish,that ask about extracurricular activities orthat broach seemingly extraneous topics arepotentially flummoxing. But they are likelyto cause less of a stumble when recipientsknow to expect them. Before an interview,candidates should gather as much intelli-gence as possible about the position they areseeking and about the institution, agency ororganization that is hiring. This discoveryprocess might uncover particulars about aprincipal investigators priorities or a corpo-rate drugmakers focus.

Preparation can also help a candidateto stay in the running. Interviewees whoseanswers show that they are uninformed abouttheir potential employer can expect to dis-qualify themselves. Richard Foust, a chemistat James Madison University in Harrison-burg, Virginia, points to his own place ofwork as an example. What kills most can-didates is, they dont understand that were apredominantly undergraduate institution, hesays. Our first obligation is to fill the teach-ing position. Some candidates do the hard sellon their research what theyre working onas a postdoc. We weed those people out.

But to really get the dirt on what ques-tions might be asked during an interview,

candidates should try to obtain more infor-mation about the interviewer and theirapproach, ideally from current and formercolleagues, mentors, advisers, supervisorsor other trusted contacts. Juan FranciscoAbenza Martnez says that he might haveperformed more effectively during a post-doctoral-research interview with a principalinvestigator a few years ago or might havedecided to scrap the interview altogether had he known in advance about the personsrapid-fire interviewing style. Martnez, nowa junior researcher in biophysics and genet-ics at the University of Cambridge, UK, was

asked for an elevator presentation a

K U C O / S H U T T E R S T O C K

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I N T E R V I E W S

En gardeNavigating discussions with potential employers requires

preparation and maintaining grace under pressure.

2014 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved


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five-minute explanation of his work. Heblundered through his answer and didnt getthe post. I wasnt prepared for that, he says.

Debojyoti Dhar faced a similar curve ballin 2009 during an interview for a researchpost with a life-sciences company in India.It was his first experience with industry fresh out of a postdoc at the University of

Massachusetts Medical School in Worces-ter, Dhar was gobsmacked when asked if hecould discover a drug target or vaccine anddevelop it in just six months.

Scientists generally do not know the intri-cacies of business, he says. I had no cluewhat to expect. I lost out. He later discoveredthat not all companies have such a short-term-gain mentality, including the one forwhich he now works as vice-president, LeafCleantech in Bangalore.

STAYING COOLNo matter what the interview question,

a calm, contemplative reply will win outalmost every time, say hiring professionals. Itreflects poise and an ability to maintain graceunder pressure, instead of a panic to providethe best answer.

But although being ca lm is paramount,memorizing replies for fear of losing onescool or of giving the wrong answer usuallybackfires, say interviewers. They can tell whenan applicant is reciting whether throughnotes (when interviewing by phone or video-conference) or frommemory. Its OK tobe polished and prac-tised, but Im a persontrying to have a con-versation with you,says Jennifer Hobbs,director of traininggrant support andpostdoctoral affairsat Northwestern Uni-versity in Evanston,Illinois. I need asense of who you are.

Playing it safedoesnt win pointseither. Candidateswho are relaxed and

self-assured enoughto step outside con-ventional inter viewprotocol whetherby asking for moretime or by turningthe tables and asking the interviewer a ques-tion are likely to stand a better chance ofgetting an offer.

Senior programme manager MarinaRamon recalls being pleasantly surprisedby one applicants quiet, composed responsewhen asked how her short- and long-termgoals aligned with the mission of the soci-

ety she was seeking to work for. She said, I

cant answer this question immediately Ineed time to think about it and to synthe-size all the different elements that I want toincorporate, says Ramon, who works at theSociety for Advancement of Chicanos andNative Americans in Science in Santa Cruz,California. Ramon agreed that the candidatecould e-mail a reply

within several hours.The candidate didjust that, and got thejob.

It isnt that youhave to think on thefly, says Ramon.There are questionsthat require somethoughtful consid-eration, and whetheryou panic, or standback and contem-plate, can make a dif-

ference in whetheryoure offered theposition. It is fair toask for time to thinkabout a question.

Ideally, candidateswill remain self-pos-sessed enough to staya step ahead of theinterviewer, a quality that sold Keith Micolion a candidate for an assistant-director postat New York University (NYU). A job candi-date turned the tables on Micoli by serenelyposing a question that he had never thoughtto ask himself.

She asked me what I would consider asuccessful first year for the person who washired, says Micoli, director of the postdoc-toral programme at NYU Langone MedicalCenter. Taken aback, he realized he had notdecided exactly what the new hire would do.It instantly made her the successful candi-date in my mind. The question, to Micoli,reflected a sincere interest in the job and adesire to succeed. He hired her.

Since his own job interview back in 2011,Roman has himself interviewed many appli-cants for posts in the South African minis-try. He recommends that candidates who

are struggling with a tricky question ask theinterviewer to repeat it, which helps to ensurethat they had heard it correctly. The strat-egy also buys the candidate time to considera thoughtful response. But he agrees thatbehaviour and demeanour are ultimatelymore significant than the answer itself.

I look for someone who doesnt get flus-tered and who can remain calm, he says. Nomatter what they say, if they can convey thattheyre at ease, confident and sure of them-selves, its all good.

Karen Kaplanis associate Careers editor at

Nature.

Its OK to bepolished andpractised, butIm a persontrying to havea conversation

with you. I needa sense of whoyou are.Jennifer Hobbs

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There arequestions thatrequire somethoughtfulconsideration.It is fair to askfor time tothink about aquestion.Marina Ramon



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DEGREES

Enrolment slowdownFirst-time enrolment in US professionalmasters degree (PSM) programmescontinues to rise, but the rate of increaseis slowing, finds a report from theCouncil of Graduate Schools (CGS) inWashington DC. Enrolment rose by 2.2%in 201213, compared with increases of11.7% in 201112 and 14.7% in 201011.The drop corresponds to a slowdown inenrolment in all US graduate programmes,says Jeffrey Allum, director of research andpolicy analysis for the CGS. He notes thata 2013 CGS survey found that 91% of PSMgraduates were working in their field ofstudy and 68% of full-time employees hadannual earnings above US$50,000.

TRAINING

Support means successJunior researchers need stronger career-development support and training, says

The Global State of Young Scientists, ananalysis by the Global Young Academyin Berlin. It surveyed 650 early-careerresearchers aged 3040 worldwide in 2013.Respondents said that solid mentoringrelationships are vital for career success, inpart by providing access to research groupsand opportunities for giving talks andpublishing papers. But many respondentsdescribed existing adviser supportas inadequate. Co-author CatherineBeaudry, associate professor of innovationeconomics at the Polytechnic School ofMontreal, Canada, counsels researchers to

seek support from many senior colleagues.

MENTORING

Balancing actJust one-fifth of US clinicianresearchersreport receiving guidance from mentors onachieving worklife balance, finds a survey(R. DeCastro et al. Acad. Med.89,301311;2014). The authors polled 1,227 researchers

who received National Institutes ofHealth career-development grants in200609. They found that although 52%of female respondents and 40% of malerespondents were dissatisfied with theirworklife balance, only 22% of all peoplesurveyed received advice from a mentoron balancing the two. Researchers shouldnot fear initiating discussions about suchissues with their advisers, says co-authorReshma Jagsi, a radiation oncologist at theUniversity of Michigan in Ann Arbor, whoadds that mentors may not be aware oftheir mentees worklife conflicts. This is

not an illegitimate concern, she says.

THE ODD QUESTIONS

Here are possible ways to address

tricky questions reported by early-

career scientists:What was your favourite story in todays

New York Times?If you dont actually read

that newspaper, just say non-defensively

that, as a scientist, you get ideas from

many sources, and discuss a story or post

you read that day. You could also ask the

interviewer whether there was a particular

story that they found interesting.

How would you describe yourself?Such

a vague, cryptic request can be puzzling.

You can talk first about your work and

research experience, but you should also

bear in mind that this is a way of getting at

who you are as a person. It can therefore

be useful to explain how you work well

as a team player give examples of

collaborations or other teamwork and

provide some personal information, such

as hobbies, and how they relate to the job.

What is your three-year plan?You

should know from the job advert (and

some background research) what the

organizations mission is, so discuss how

your plan aligns with that mission.

What do your parents do for a living?

You might ask the interviewer why he

or she is asking the question as it is

quite personal. The question might be

a reflection of a poor or misinformed

interviewer. Or it might be intended to see

whether you can remain diplomatic and

keep your head.

See more interview questions and ways

to handle them at go.nature.com/elnmcp.

INTERVIEW INTELLIGENCE

Here are ways to find information

about your potential employer

and about the person or team

who will interview you.

Visit the employers website (the

university department, the principal

investigators laboratory page or the

agency or companys website) for an

overview.

Look at business directories, scientific

publications and newsletters. Read news

sources to learn about research funding,

corporate mergers and product launches,

recommends Deb Koen, a career

strategist andNatureCareers columnist in

Rochester, New York.

For anonymous employee reviews of

companies and institutions, see sites such

as www.glassdoor.com and www.jobitorial.

com. But remember that postings are

the opinions of individual employees and

might not accurately reflect views overall.

Compare this feedback with insights from

other sources, says Koen.To get a sense of the organizations

culture, examine its social-media

presence, including on Twitter, Google+,

Facebook and blogs, advises executive

coach Louellen Essex in Minneapolis,

Minnesota.

Ask the recruiter or person who

scheduled your interview (by phone or

e-mail) to disclose who will be interviewing

you and their positions. Look at their web

pages, academic publications and social-

media presence.

Reach out to contacts from LinkedIn and

other social media, as well as to graduate-

school fellow alumni, former labmates and

colleagues from scientific societies, for

information about the organization and

your interviewers.

STAYING COOL

Winning at the interview game

often depends on staying

composed and calm. Below are

some suggestions for mitigating stress

during the exchange.

Look at careers websites for examples

of difficult or puzzling questions that

interviewers across all sectors have posed

in the past, says Lee Miller, a career coach

and columnist in New York City. Rehearse

for the interview with a friend or colleague,

and practise different ways to respond to

those questions.

Bring your CV and prepare a list of

questions to ask the interviewer at the end

of the discussion. Make notes to yourself

on the list to breathe, slow down and

pause, and refer to these notes during the

interview.

If you are completely in the dark about

how to respond to a question, say: Before

I answer that, let me ask you this, and pull

out a related question from your list. Or

ask for more time or for the next question.

Counter self-sabotaging thoughts, says

Koen. Change Ill never be prepared

enough for this interview. It will be a

disaster with questions I dont know how

to answer into I am prepared for this

interview. If Im unsure of an answer, I

will remain calm and make a positive

impression overall.

If youre not satisfied with one of your

responses in the interview, you can

re-address it in your follow-up thank-you

letter or e-mail, notes Koen. K.K.

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Steps to success for researcher applicants.

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Interviews en Garde Nature Feb20 2014