From My Desk: Preparing Candidates for Last-Minute Life Science Interviews

As an agency specializing in life sciences recruiting, Surf Search frequently helps candidates prepare for last-minute interviews. Whether it’s a pharmaceutical company that needs to fill a critical role quickly or a small early-stage biotech start-up that finally confirms an interview, but it’s for later that day, candidates often have minimal time to prepare. Here’s our proven guidance for making the most of limited preparation time.

Strategic Company Research:

• Understanding the company’s therapeutic areas, pipeline, technology, and/or recent clinical trials is crucial. We advise candidates to focus on the company’s latest FDA submissions, key publications, and recent partnerships or licensing deals. The biggest mistake we see is candidates only reading the “About Us” page. While platforms like LinkedIn and the company website are valuable, we also direct candidates to specialized resources like BioSpace and FierceBiotech for industry-specific insights. This can be a quick scan of recent news and doesn’t need to take five days to jot down the company’s recent accomplishments.

Industry-Focused Elevator Pitch:

• When coaching candidates, we emphasize the importance of connecting their expertise to the role. For example, if interviewing for a Clinical Research Associate position, candidates should highlight their experience with clinical protocols and regulatory requirements. We always remind addressing why they’re specifically interested in that company’s therapeutic approach or technology platform compared to competitors in the space. Again, just carving out half an hour to come up with some examples of your expertise in the field can go a long way when preparing for a last minute interview.

Scientific Achievement Stories

• We’ve modified the traditional STAR framework to better suit life science roles:

✓ Situation: What scientific challenge were you facing?

✓ Task: What was your specific responsibility in addressing it?

✓ Action: What technical approach or methodology did you employ?

✓ Results: What were the quantifiable outcomes? (Publications? Patents? Process improvements?)

Candidates should prepare examples demonstrating technical expertise, collaboration in cross-functional teams, and experience with GMP/GLP compliance when relevant. For leadership roles, we emphasize preparing stories about managing complex projects and navigating regulatory challenges.

Industry-Specific Questions:

• We advise candidates to prepare questions that demonstrate their understanding of the life sciences landscape. Strong questions might address:

✓ The company’s approach to patient-centric drug development

✓ Plans for scaling up manufacturing

✓ Strategies for navigating the changing regulatory environment

✓ Integration of new technologies in their R&D process

A final note from our experience: Biotech interviews often include both technical and behavioral interviewing components. Success comes from showing not just scientific expertise but also how that expertise can advance the company’s mission of improving patient outcomes.

By following these guidelines, we’ve seen candidates successfully blow last-minute interviews out of the water, even for senior positions. Remember, in life sciences, demonstrating both technical knowledge and strategic thinking is key to standing out. YOU GOT THIS!