In this video series I'll be discussing typical interview scenarios and highlighting good and bad examples of responses to various questions.
One question which is often asked at the beginning of the interview is: How do you stay up-to-date with industry developments?
A good example would involve the candidate saying something like:
"I'm a long-standing member of ARCS and I go to the annual scientific meeting every year as well as a number of the evening educational seminars. Last month I attended one on clinical trial management and next month I'll be attending a pricing and reimbursement seminar. I'm also a member of Ausbiotech and belong to several Linkedin groups".
Here the candidate is using phrases such as "I'm a member of..." and "I attend..." thus demonstrating connectivity within their particular field. It's also impressive when candidates state their memberships to particular groups or associations, such as AHRI, ISPE, APMRG, MTAA, ASMI, etc.
At this stage the interviewer is likely to ask an 'open question' like: "Tell me more..." and a strong candidate would continue with:
"I always read the ARCS Newsletter and I subscribe to the Harvard Business Review. I find that the ARCS publication gives me a broad overview of the issues relevant to our sector, and I find that the articles and case studies in the Harvard Business Review are really useful in understanding the broader business concepts."
By using phrases such as "I read...." and "I subscribe to...." the candidate is demonstrating their commitment to personal growth.
The interviewer would then ask an 'open, probing question' to further understand the depth of the candidate's approach and would ask: "What else do you do to stay on top of business issues?"
By responding with: "I'm always at Borders or on Amazon.com buying business books. I read a wide selection from sales and marketing through to operations and financial management. As a departmental head I need to stay on top of all our business issues. I also watch business channels on TV and I love listening to how industry leaders tackle various issues" the candidate is demonstrating their approach to continually improving their business acumen.
By continuing with: "I also associate with a lot of people from the industry and we discuss relevant subjects. For example I heard that at the recent sales and marketing excellence conference the key topic was the changing role of the payers and how this will influence the future delivery of healthcare" the candidate is demonstrating what they have learnt from various conversations and how this information may be relevant to the position they are being interviewed for.
Strong candidates are good networkers and by finishing the response to the question with :"I network with a lot of people across my company from Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Sales and Operations. I'm always expanding my circle of contacts so that I can further understanding what's happening" reaffirms to the interviewer that they are conversing with top talent.
To the same question: "How do you stay up-to-date with industry developments?" we have heard less impressive candidates responding with: "My goal for this year is to go to more conferences. With what I have needed to do over the last couple of years I just haven't had the time. I also need to join ARCS because I hear they're good". When answering questions, it's important to discuss what you have done, not what you want to do. The latter approach is likely to irritate the interviewer because the response doesn't have any substance.
Similarly when an interviewer hears a vague response like: "The Internet can be useful and generally speaking there's some useful information up there if you know where to look and you've got the time" they will be wanting the candidate to be discussing more specific examples of websites, and what they have learnt from these websites.
Candidates who do not embrace continual learning are not impressive and are unlikely to proceed to further stages of the interview process.
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