…Not today! Nowadays, more specific questions for life science candidates are in style – not to mention, far more useful. Instead of ultra-vague cliches, consider carefully thought-out inquiries to really get to know your candidates.
Of course, you can never know for certain how an interviewee will perform based on a short series of questions. That said, some questions are meatier than others, and can get you a pretty good idea of how a candidate might fare if offered the position.
The Four Questions for Life Science Job Candidates
Question 1: What first made you interested in a career in the life sciences?
From reading their resume, you probably already know where a candidate has worked, and what they can do with their knowledge. What you may not have read is the human story behind their choice of career.
Maybe they’ve traveled extensively, and were inspired by the many opportunities for biotech innovation around the world. Or maybe they’ve been reading life science magazines since they were six years old, and have always been fascinated by the potential of technology to save lives. Learning a candidate’s backstory will give you a sense of the passion they would bring to your company, and where it might lead them within their new role.
Question 2: What is the most complex life science project you have worked on? How did you overcome the associated challenges?
There’s nothing like past behavior to help you predict future behavior. That’s why you should ask any candidate about their past experience – ideally, working in a setting that closely mirrors the work environment of the position in question.
If your candidate has experience with large projects like running clinical trials or developing new products, you’ll want to hear about the specifics. Education is great, but it’s their experience, and of course their success stories, that really tell you what they bring to the table.
Question 3: What Do You Know About Our Company, Our Products, and Our Product Pipeline?
Looking to test whether an interviewee has done their homework? This question will speed-track the process. Let’s face it: if they didn’t think to do a quick background check for the interview, they probably won’t be the most thorough workers, either.
Assuming they can answer the question, their response will shed some light on their interests and values as a life scientist. If they have a penchant for a particular product, or a specific reason they’d like to work for you, this question offers them the chance to share.
Question 4: How Would You Improve or Expand Our Current Product/Trial?
Above all, this one is a test of critical thinking. To answer this question well, a candidate will have to think about your business through a big-picture lens. This takes in-depth knowledge of the workings of the biotech/life science industry, both internally and externally, and the ability to apply it to the context of a single company. If your candidate hasn’t prepared for this one, cut them some slack – but if they do land on their feet with an intelligent answer, they definitely deserve bonus points.
Other Important Questions to Ask
At the end of the day, the particular cocktail of interview questions you settle on will depend on what you really need to know. If the position in question will be data-heavy, for example, ask candidates how they go about evaluating new information as it becomes available. If they’d be in charge of enforcing regulations, ask them which ones they feel would affect your current product pipeline.
Depending on the candidate and the role in question, you can also ask about their lab experience, biotechnology experience, and/or their knowledge of a specific technology or lab technique.
Choosing a new candidate to onboard is an exciting process! It’s also a scary one – especially when you consider the immense costs of training someone new. Naturally, you’ll want to find the candidate that checks as many important boxes as possible. Specific questions will let you zoom in on those essential areas, leaving less room for vague, useless answers.
Corporate culture hasn’t always been at the forefront of hiring processes. Nowadays, though, it can play a huge role. That’s right: corporate culture is all the rage in today’s recruiting world – and for good reason.
Employees are more than their skillset, and companies are more than a list of random requirements. Individuals and groups all have their own unique personalities, and a good match on that level can work wonders for employee satisfaction and productivity.
Exploring and defining your company culture will let you screen for a good cultural fit among job-seekers. Here we’ll outline what corporate culture really is – and how to hire candidates who fit into yours.
The Dimensions of Corporate Culture
What do we mean by “corporate culture”? It’s one part belief, and one part behavior. It’s both what a company stands for, and the decisions made about how it operates. Regardless of the specifics, one thing is consistent across all companies: corporate culture promotes employee happiness, which is great for business.
The culture you foster will depend on both the needs and the limitations of your business. For example, start-ups are known for corporate cultures that stack up as more informal, but less laid-back, than what you’d find at your average corporation. This is a natural by-product of being both small in size and extra-determined in mindset.
According to Investopedia, there are four different styles of corporate culture. Naturally, most work environments will incorporate elements of all four, and outside influences as well – but if you’d like a starting point, figure out which of these styles appeals to you the most:
Adhocracy culture: this cultural style values innovation and risk-taking above all else, and puts less emphasis on perfect organization or adherence to a rulebook.
Clan culture: within this framework, collaboration is paramount. Employees are encouraged to see themselves as part of a team, and actively value the work of every member.
Hierarchy culture: though it’s less up-and-coming, there is a time and place for this more traditional style of company organization. A large company with a complex structure will likely have to adopt at least some aspects of a hierarchical culture to function smoothly.
Market culture: to some extent all corporate cultures revolve around the marketplace. That said, the “market culture” we’re referring to is one that openly and aggressively pursues market targets, rather than focusing on more indirectly profitable projects.
Lay Out your Culture Cards Early
When screening for cultural fit, honesty really is the best policy. You can still frame your company in a positive light, but be open about the aspects of your corporate style that might rub some people the wrong way. Are you an ultra-collaborative, open-concept-style workplace? Maybe you encourage casual dress and even more casual deadlines. Whatever it is, let your interviewees know! This will encourage them, in turn, to open up about some of their own quirks. It’s not about finding the objective “best”, but rather the “best fit” for your company.
Screen for Flexibility
When assessing cultural fit, factor in the possibility that a candidate might naturally thrive in a certain kind of workplace – but not know it yet. How to investigate? Make sure your corporate culture is on display at every stage of the interview process. If they seem game for it, if a little shy at first, chances are they’d quickly feel at home at your company. But if they seem resistant or indifferent, it may be time to consider someone else.
A Critical Success Factor
It’s one of the “softer” qualities employers screen for, and can be overlooked for that reason. But cultural fit is essential – an employee whose personality, values and/or habits don’t align with those of their workplace will feel less satisfied in their job, and may struggle to perform as a result. On the other hand, a good cultural fit will feel inspired to contribute their best work.
Sci.bio recruiters understand how important cultural fit is to the success of a new employee. Check out our recruitment services if you’d like to learn more about what we offer.
Ah, ChatGPT. These days, you can hardly walk ten feet without hearing about it. How will it help our species? Whose jobs will it eradicate? Who owns the rights to what it produces? As of right now, no one has a concrete answer to any of those questions. But there’s one thing we do know: ChatGPT won’t soon replace any job involving in-depth analysis or critical thinking.
As a life science employer, you’re probably wondering how the software will affect your current employees, as well as how you recruit new ones. Below, we’ve provided some basic info on the software, and what it means for science-based industries.
The Burning Question… What is ChatGPT?
As you probably know, the world of AI is abuzz with talk of this new chatbot, which can have high-level conversations about most any topic under the sun. Perhaps most excitingly, it can help its human users generate ideas, flesh out research, and identify gaps in their logic.
Indeed, there are many exciting potential applications of ChatGPT in the life sciences. The chatbot can be used to analyze patient data, suggest and compare effective treatment plans, identify potential new treatment recipients, and anticipate the properties of new compounds – to name just a few potential applications.
Limitations of the Software
You’ve probably also heard that the chatbot isn’t foolproof – at least, not yet. Indeed, ChatGPT can be overly technical, beside the point, or just plain wrong in its answers to user inputs. In a scientific/pharmaceutical context, these errors can have serious consequences. As such, at the time of writing, we do still need human beings to oversee and edit the work of our trusty AI helpers.
The Life Science Job Market
It’s undeniable: this new AI chatbot is capable of performing many STEM-based tasks. For example, it has a high ability to execute classic data analysis tasks such as creating code that can analyze large amounts of information, create “dummy data” to test algorithms, and develop data analysis training modules. However, it is still not a “big picture thinker” or a problem solver. Good news: we still need humans for larger and more complex tasks!
What Does it Mean for Hiring Processes?
It’s true – ChatGPT can likely be helpful as a part of the recruiting process. However, as with all other fields, its applications are presently limited to more straightforward tasks, such as writing job descriptions and screening for particular qualifications or experience. ChatGPT can now handle the more menial tasks associated with recruitment – which leaves actual recruiting teams with more time to focus on screening, interviewing, and sussing out standout applicants from the mix.
ChatGPT certainly can’t mimic one of the most crucial recruitment skills, either: a big-picture perspective on which employees will excel in which jobs. A good recruiter can also identify the most attractive elements of a job or company and pitch them to potential employees – an ability that ChatGPT does not currently have, and isn’t likely to develop anytime soon.
If you’re an employer wondering if you should use AI in your own recruiting process, consider why you’d be using it. If you’re looking to make your basic search process more efficient – absolutely ChatGPT is one of many ways you can make that happen. But if you’re looking for all the benefits of an actual recruiter, don’t expect a robot to provide that for you! A little bit of investment in a human team to help you find your perfect match can pay off in spades.
A Handy Little Helper
ChatGPT is an exciting new development in the world of AI with the potential to revolutionize the recruitment landscape. At this point in time, though, it’s more of a “convenient assistant” than a full-blown problem-solver. When you’re looking to tackle a complex task, you’re still going to require a human (or team of humans) to help you with it. If you’re looking for some particularly on-the-ball humans to join your team, Sci.bio’s recruitment team can help you find them.
You might think of a “science job” as a lab-coat-wearing, number-crunching, sitting-and-calculating kind of affair. But science jobs can call for a full gamut of abilities – including “softer”, more “human-based” communications skills! If you’re used to seeing yourself as a “pure scientist”, this might seem intimidating – but basic communications skills are very useful in the modern life sci/biotech industry. Never fear: if you are able to understand a concept, chances are, you can learn how to communicate it.
Here we’ve outlined some useful communications skills for the life scientist of 2023, and how to go about cultivating them.
Life Sciences 2023: Communication Skills are Key
Nowadays, the general public is more interested than ever before in being scientifically literate. As such, there is no shortage of non-traditional, communications-based life science jobs to consider. From Social Media Specialist to Marketing Manager to Scientific Editor, jobs in the science communications space abound. Even if you don’t have one of these jobs, you’ll be a huge asset to your employer if you’re able to take on communications tasks in a pinch.
Also consider that the employers of today want their employees to be as well-rounded as possible. As a life scientist, developing your communications abilities is an excellent way to round out your skillset.
Specific Skills Required
On its own, information isn’t actually all that useful. For it to bring actual value to actual people, someone or something needs to come along to communicate it. If you’re employed in the life sciences, at some point, you’ll probably have to be that person! That’s why basic communications skills are actually indispensable for the life scientist of today. Even something as simple as writing a clear and well-laid-out email is an extremely important business communication skill, and can help you stand out in the corporate world.
Another important skill, oft-overlooked: knowing your audience. If you’re writing for a presentation, think of it like a performance – for a bit of dramatic flair, you can add some extra variety in sentence structure and punctuation. If you’re writing an article for a scientific journal, on the other hand, feel free to indulge in some jargon – but maybe hold back on the poetic license. If you’re writing for a popular magazine for non-scientists, you’ll want to take a more conversational tone, and go easy on the obscure terminology. Whatever the case, knowing how to reach your unique readership can make or break the engagement factor of your work.
And let’s not underestimate the importance of visuals as communication techniques. At some point in your career, you may be asked to prepare a slide deck for a presentation at a pharma conference, or create an Instagram carousel about your company’s latest product line. If and when this happens, you’ll find that an eye for design, layout and color is crucial.
Practicing Your Communication Skills
As we’ve discussed already, “good scientific writing” means different things in different contexts. That said, there are some general rules to keep in mind. For scientific writing that is at once concise and compelling, remember these tips:
Ask yourself, “Would I want to read this?” If you wouldn’t – why not?
Also keep in mind some common writing mistakes. Is your writing:
Using more words than it needs to convey a simple idea?
Full of dull, uninformative “filler” phrases?
So repetitive in sentence structure and word choice that it’s… boring?
These are very common mistakes, so don’t feel bad if you make them too. Just keep an eye out – they can creep in pretty easily if you’re not careful! As for design, keep these general ideas in mind:
Don’t use too many different shapes, fonts, etc. – unless you have a clear reason to
Use different shades of the same color on the same page for a simple, visually pleasing aesthetic
Position your most important elements slightly upwards and leftwards of center for maximum visual impact
Communication Skills – the Life Raft of Information
It’s always a good idea to have extra skills in your arsenal – you never know when they might come in handy! If you practice your writing skills, design skills, and overall ability to concisely convey concepts to different audiences, you’ll be well on your way to being a pro scientific communicator.
If you’re curious about science jobs with a strong basis in communications, Sci.bio’s recruitment services can help you explore your options.
Everyone likes to be rewarded for their efforts – especially when those rewards bring measurable value to their lives. And once rewarded, most people are extra motivated to keep putting out great work.
This is especially true when it comes to the modern workplace. Not only do job benefits attract high-quality talent, but they motivate employees to work that much harder at their jobs. If you’ve been looking for that extra little something special to inspire your team, you might consider adding a few more perks to their work experience.
As we’re all aware, the pandemic has radically shifted the kinds of benefits employers will consider offering. Some, like health coverage, have been standard since the inception of the modern workplace. Others, like the flexibility to work from the living room couch, are more of a hot new development. To give you an overview, here we’ve outlined some of the most important job perks to the workforce of 2023.
Traditional Benefits – The Indispensables
Health, dental and life insurance, sick days, vacation days… these benefits have been around for a while, and for good reason. Who wants to worry about where their next filling or pair of eyeglasses is coming from? And heaven forbid they should have a health emergency, candidates will want to know that you’ve got them covered. As for vacation days, it’s 2023 and we all value our leisure time. So the more of them you can offer, the better!
Another job perk never goes out of style: growth opportunities. Candidates won’t want to feel like they’ve hit a ceiling, especially not if they’re just starting out in their career. Make sure to have regular meetings with each team member in which you present them with options for how they can advance within the company if they’re interested.
Work From Home – How Important is it?
As of December 2022, nearly 30 percent of workdays were completed on a work-from-home basis. According to a recent survey, employees value part-time work-from-home opportunities (2-3 days per week) in a position at 8 percent of their wage. Flexibility is the currency of the modern workplace – so offer as much of it as you can.
Millennials, in particular, prioritize flexibility much more than previous generations. In fact, 67 percent of them feel that working on a remote and flexible basis promotes good work-life balance. If you can offer your younger candidates a schedule they jibe with, they’ll be likely to perform well in their roles, enjoy their work, and speak highly of your company to their peers.
The Fun Stuff – Job Perks
Office parties, work socials, group escape room excursions: these social perks might seem a little excessive to some, but others can really thrive on them. With workplace culture a more and more important driver of where quality candidates choose to work, it may be worth it to invest in a social scene for your employees.
If team-building retreats aren’t your style, though, you can focus your efforts on creating a positive workplace environment. Full-time employees spend a huge chunk of their waking hours at work – more than ever, they want the atmosphere to be pleasant. Luckily, there are tangible ways you can help to foster a friendly workplace.
One simple, easy to implement idea: creating a “social spot” as a designated area for employees to relax. This could be something as simple as a staff room, where team members can reheat their coffee, run into each other, and even sit down for important one-to-one chats when needed.
And speaking of fun: what about coffee? Turns out that when coffee isn’t offered for free at the office, 25 percent of employees will leave the workplace to get it for themselves. On average, these trips take 14 minutes, and probably longer when you consider their full impact on the flow of the workday. So keep in mind… coffee is always a plus!
Benefits That Work Both Ways
With the ideal benefits package, employees won’t have to feel burned out from too many days in the office – or lonely and isolated from their fellow team members. The right job perks will reassure your top candidates that if they choose to work for you, they will feel valued, heard, and fully equipped to deliver top-notch work in their roles.
