David G. Jensen, Contributing Editor11.07.17
What do you think makes a scientist or engineer credible? The first thing you’re likely to think of is their technical skill base. You might say that a cell biologist projecting credibility must have a fair number of publications in his area of expertise, or a very special niche that he is known for, right? To some extent, you’d be correct—but that’s only when it comes to technical credibility. In reality, your overall credibility is composed of much more than that technical skill base.
This is particularly true early in the interview process, when you must get past non-scientific interviewers like recruiters or Human Resources staff. If you have an interesting resume, you’re likely to first have a 20-30 minute phone call with a recruiter or HR professional to establish the initial mutual interest. The crucial thing to remember about these screening interviews is that, to make it to the more detailed on-site interview with the hiring manager and other experts who will respond to your technical expertise, you first have to establish a general sense of credibility. This is true whether you are a salesperson or a leader of an R&D team.
The Latin root of the word credibility is “credere,” which means “to believe.” Sure, it’s very easy to believe a cell biologist speaking about CHO cells, because she’s published 6 papers dealing with the subject. But how many Human Resources people do you think will quiz candidates on their knowledge of CHO versus HeLa cells? Not many! Your hiring manager contact will want to hear all about that exposure you’ve had to various cell lines, but first you must be seen as a credible candidate and get past the Human Resources screener or recruiter.
This kind of credibility seems to stem from something more esoteric—based in traits that are more about human interpersonal relations and less about publication lists and scientific standing. Thinking about it this way, even the cell biologist with first rate publications could still come across lacking in the credibility department.
I was recently discussing this topic with a HR staffer friend. “To me, even a knowledgeable source on a given topic can still lose points on credibility by the way they manage our initial interactions,” she told me. “I’m looking for sincere people with an interest in what we do. Someone who comes across in any way as phony loses all credibility, even on topics in which they may have studied for a decade. Candidates need to couple their technical authority with words and actions that reinforce a general sense of confidence, a self-knowledge and presence that gives the interviewer comfort that they are talking to a real person.”
How to project credibility
Now that I’ve convinced you of the importance of credibility, you may be wondering, how do I manage this? These tips will point you in the right direction.
Don’t answer interview questions with canned responses. The worst thing you can do for your credibility is to memorize responses to interview questions, or to use the approach recommended in books that talk about what interviewers want to hear. I’ve found that there are certain people—in business, operations and science—who want to use scripted interview responses, but there are no answers in these books that will do you any good. In fact, the moment I hear something that sounds staged, I lose interest. Professional HR staff will try to ask questions that can’t be answered easily for just that reason. Despite this, we still sometimes find people who sound like they have a script in front of them. Don’t be one of them.
Use prompts to shape your answers. Don’t rely on entire prepared speeches, which come across as artificial—but do make sure you’re prepared. First, keep a copy of your resume or CV in front of you to remind you of dates and other details. Beyond that, write an outline you can refer to that reminds you of important details for each section of your educational and career history. Keep it simple—just a few notes incorporating words or phrases that will trigger your memory in the pressure of the moment to communicate something that will resonate with the employer. Then, aim to incorporate these points into the conversation in a way that is not forced and rehearsed-sounding. That doesn’t mean you can’t do a practice interview with a friend—it just means you don’t want to write it all down and read it!
The sound of your voice is important. The pitch, volume, and tempo of your voice tells the person on the other line, at a subconscious level, how comfortable you are and how much credence they should put into your interview responses. It may sound like a very odd piece of advice, but I think the best approach is to care a bit less about the outcome. The more desperation that creeps into your voice, the less interested a company will be. When you care a bit less about the results, and treat it more like any other professional conversation, the interview will go smoother. Your voice will project confidence instead of anxiety. That alone can move you forward to the next step. Lastly, make sure you are well hydrated. Having a bottle of water next to you is as important as that CV and your notepad.
Use your passion for what you do to effectively introduce yourself. I have always recommended that you get comfortable telling brief stories that highlight your experience, and this is the only part of your interview that can be rehearsed. In a 20-minute light-weight interview, you may not have time for a host of these, but have at least one ready to go. There’s not a screening call that goes by where I do not ask my candidate, “Tell me what you like about your job and give me an example of something you’re proud of.” That’s the perfect opportunity to interject a bit of sincere enthusiasm into the equation, and there is nothing better than this passion to add credibility to the discussion that follows.
Sincerity stems from the “real you”
My final suggestion above about using sincere enthusiasm should be highlighted in closure. This is where many interviewers get into trouble, because it’s so easy to add a bit of “rah-rah” to an interview when you are stressed out to begin with. While it sounds like a natural for a sales professional, you don’t need to sell anyone a phony interest.
It isn’t rah-rah phoniness that your interviewer is hoping to hear. It’s a genuine interest in the employer, combined with a couple of good questions and an eagerness to learn more. Remember, your interviewer will be subconsciously rating your credibility on a sliding scale, with “Credibility” on one side and “Pure BS” on the other. Stick to the right side of that measure!
David G. Jensen
Contributing Editor
Dave Jensen, President of CTI Executive search, is an executive recruiter with 30 years of experience in biopharma recruitment, and he can be reached at davejensen@careertrax.com. See his website at www.careertrax.com for hundreds of open positions across the industry.
This is particularly true early in the interview process, when you must get past non-scientific interviewers like recruiters or Human Resources staff. If you have an interesting resume, you’re likely to first have a 20-30 minute phone call with a recruiter or HR professional to establish the initial mutual interest. The crucial thing to remember about these screening interviews is that, to make it to the more detailed on-site interview with the hiring manager and other experts who will respond to your technical expertise, you first have to establish a general sense of credibility. This is true whether you are a salesperson or a leader of an R&D team.
The Latin root of the word credibility is “credere,” which means “to believe.” Sure, it’s very easy to believe a cell biologist speaking about CHO cells, because she’s published 6 papers dealing with the subject. But how many Human Resources people do you think will quiz candidates on their knowledge of CHO versus HeLa cells? Not many! Your hiring manager contact will want to hear all about that exposure you’ve had to various cell lines, but first you must be seen as a credible candidate and get past the Human Resources screener or recruiter.
This kind of credibility seems to stem from something more esoteric—based in traits that are more about human interpersonal relations and less about publication lists and scientific standing. Thinking about it this way, even the cell biologist with first rate publications could still come across lacking in the credibility department.
I was recently discussing this topic with a HR staffer friend. “To me, even a knowledgeable source on a given topic can still lose points on credibility by the way they manage our initial interactions,” she told me. “I’m looking for sincere people with an interest in what we do. Someone who comes across in any way as phony loses all credibility, even on topics in which they may have studied for a decade. Candidates need to couple their technical authority with words and actions that reinforce a general sense of confidence, a self-knowledge and presence that gives the interviewer comfort that they are talking to a real person.”
How to project credibility
Now that I’ve convinced you of the importance of credibility, you may be wondering, how do I manage this? These tips will point you in the right direction.
Don’t answer interview questions with canned responses. The worst thing you can do for your credibility is to memorize responses to interview questions, or to use the approach recommended in books that talk about what interviewers want to hear. I’ve found that there are certain people—in business, operations and science—who want to use scripted interview responses, but there are no answers in these books that will do you any good. In fact, the moment I hear something that sounds staged, I lose interest. Professional HR staff will try to ask questions that can’t be answered easily for just that reason. Despite this, we still sometimes find people who sound like they have a script in front of them. Don’t be one of them.
Use prompts to shape your answers. Don’t rely on entire prepared speeches, which come across as artificial—but do make sure you’re prepared. First, keep a copy of your resume or CV in front of you to remind you of dates and other details. Beyond that, write an outline you can refer to that reminds you of important details for each section of your educational and career history. Keep it simple—just a few notes incorporating words or phrases that will trigger your memory in the pressure of the moment to communicate something that will resonate with the employer. Then, aim to incorporate these points into the conversation in a way that is not forced and rehearsed-sounding. That doesn’t mean you can’t do a practice interview with a friend—it just means you don’t want to write it all down and read it!
The sound of your voice is important. The pitch, volume, and tempo of your voice tells the person on the other line, at a subconscious level, how comfortable you are and how much credence they should put into your interview responses. It may sound like a very odd piece of advice, but I think the best approach is to care a bit less about the outcome. The more desperation that creeps into your voice, the less interested a company will be. When you care a bit less about the results, and treat it more like any other professional conversation, the interview will go smoother. Your voice will project confidence instead of anxiety. That alone can move you forward to the next step. Lastly, make sure you are well hydrated. Having a bottle of water next to you is as important as that CV and your notepad.
Use your passion for what you do to effectively introduce yourself. I have always recommended that you get comfortable telling brief stories that highlight your experience, and this is the only part of your interview that can be rehearsed. In a 20-minute light-weight interview, you may not have time for a host of these, but have at least one ready to go. There’s not a screening call that goes by where I do not ask my candidate, “Tell me what you like about your job and give me an example of something you’re proud of.” That’s the perfect opportunity to interject a bit of sincere enthusiasm into the equation, and there is nothing better than this passion to add credibility to the discussion that follows.
Sincerity stems from the “real you”
My final suggestion above about using sincere enthusiasm should be highlighted in closure. This is where many interviewers get into trouble, because it’s so easy to add a bit of “rah-rah” to an interview when you are stressed out to begin with. While it sounds like a natural for a sales professional, you don’t need to sell anyone a phony interest.
It isn’t rah-rah phoniness that your interviewer is hoping to hear. It’s a genuine interest in the employer, combined with a couple of good questions and an eagerness to learn more. Remember, your interviewer will be subconsciously rating your credibility on a sliding scale, with “Credibility” on one side and “Pure BS” on the other. Stick to the right side of that measure!
David G. Jensen
Contributing Editor
Dave Jensen, President of CTI Executive search, is an executive recruiter with 30 years of experience in biopharma recruitment, and he can be reached at davejensen@careertrax.com. See his website at www.careertrax.com for hundreds of open positions across the industry.