The hiring manager sat across from me at her desk and placed a clock between us.
“We have 20 minutes,” she said.
After a few intro questions, she asked:
“Tell me about a challenge that you faced and how you overcame it.”
Prepared for this question, I launched into a story about how my group’s research identified a need for a particular cell-based assay to confirm a drug target, and I convinced the head of the assay group to loan us one of their research scientists to develop and run the assay. The results of those experiments, I concluded, led to the fulfillment of a contractual obligation with our pharmaceutical partners.
We talked on. At one point I looked up and noticed with a start that the sun was low on the horizon. I glanced at the hiring manager, who was smiling. Sorry to take more of your time, I said. No problem, she replied, it is a pleasure talking with you.
Two months later, I had a job in the project management group at that company, reporting to the person who had interviewed me that day.
At some point, I asked her about the clock in the interview. She said, “Well, if you’d answered the question about the challenge you faced by telling me how you’d selected a particular restriction enzyme for your cloning, the interview would have ended much earlier.”
She wanted to hear about my project manager-like qualities, not my scientific skills.
I have been thinking a lot about this event from my past, about communication, and about the recent Career Transitions event with PBSS International, where we heard the thoughtful stories of colleagues who’ve made big transitions themselves.
💡 And I realized that finding a job, like so much else in our work life, is about knowing your audience and communicating your story.
-What does the hiring manager value?
-What do you know or have done that speaks to what they value?
-What skills and knowledge may feel super important to you now but are *not* relevant to your future job, so you can de-emphasize them in your communication?
Because it’s people who will get you your next job – not the algorithm, electronic resume submission or AI. And people listen for what they value.
🌟 Please share for everyone’s benefit: What’s helped you know your audience and tell your story when you’re looking for a job?
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