What is a competency-based interview?

Competency-based interviews, sometimes called structured interviews, are the standard formal technique for assessing senior management and executive-level candidates in the life sciences. Each question tests one or more defined skills, on the premise that past performance is a reliable indicator of future ability, so expect openers such as “Tell me about a time when…” and “Give me an example of…”.

Typical competency-based interview questions include:

• Tell me about a time when you led a major product launch, regulatory submission or site inspection under real time pressure. What was your specific role, and what was the result?
• Give me an example of a time you turned around an underperforming team or function. How did you diagnose the problem, and what changed as a result?
• Describe a situation where you had to win the board or executive team round to a decision they were reluctant to back. How did you build your case?

What many candidates never realise is that their answers are being scored. The hiring team agrees positive and negative indicators before the interview and marks each answer against them, typically from 0 to 4. A specific, quantified example with a clear personal contribution sits at the top of that scale; a vague or hypothetical answer sits at the bottom.

At executive level, expect the questions to weigh leadership competencies, such as strategic thinking, board-level communication and change management, as heavily as your functional expertise.

For the deep dive, including a worked example answer, the scoring rubric in full, 13 real senior-level questions and the mistakes that sink well-prepared candidates, read our guide: How to Ace a Senior-Level Competency Interview in Life Sciences.

Competency-based interview tips: Prepare six to eight STAR stories that each prove a different competency from the job specification, drawn from launches, audits, site turnarounds or team builds, and quantify the result in every one. Some firms now teach STARR, adding a final R for Reflection: what you learnt and what you would do differently.

What is a strength-based interview?

Strength-based interviews are gaining in popularity, especially in the multi-stage processes commonly used to assess senior management and executive-level candidates.

Rather than focusing on your knowledge, skills and attitude, strength-based interviews are designed to explore what you enjoy doing. The logic, backed by positive psychology, is that by identifying your strengths and matching them to the job specification, the hiring team can gain a better understanding of DNA fit; the more you enjoy your work, the better you perform.

Typical strength-based interview questions include:

•       What are you good at?
•       What things give you energy?
•       Do you prefer to start tasks or to finish them?

Strength-based interviews will uncover your passion for your preferred discipline, whether that is early-stage science, operations or the commercial front line, and demonstrate your enthusiasm for the role. When preparing, think about how your answers fit with the job specification and the culture of the organisation. The closer the alignment, the better your chance of success.

Strength-based interview tips: Rather than scripting answers, list the tasks that energise you and the ones that drain you, then match the energisers to the job specification. Honesty works in your favour here; interviewers are trained to spot rehearsed enthusiasm.

What is a panel interview?

The panel interview is the same as a competency-based or strength-based interview, but with two or more interviewers present. Typically, these interviewers represent different functions within the organisation: expect a mix that might span R&D, quality, operations and commercial, each bringing a separate area of expertise and perspective to the table. You might even be interviewed by team members who will report into you.

Some candidates view the panel interview with trepidation, but for the hiring manager, it is the golden opportunity to see how candidates perform under pressure. With multiple interviewers present, panel interviews increase the accuracy of assessing a candidate’s technical fit, cultural add and DNA fit while helping eliminate personal bias from the selection phase.

One technique worth practising: direct your answer to the person who asked the question, then draw in the rest of the panel with eye contact as you develop the point. Candidates who lock onto the most senior person in the room are noticed for the wrong reasons, especially by the people they ignored.

Panel interview tips: Learn every panellist’s name, function and likely agenda before the day. The quality director and the commercial lead are listening for different things; a strong answer speaks to both.

What is a stress test interview?

While the panel interview offers a glimpse of how a candidate performs under pressure, the stress test interview takes this to a whole new level. Here, candidates are interrogated by a hostile, intimidating and indifferent interviewer whose sole purpose is to place the candidate on the defensive and see how they react in awkward and uncomfortable situations.

These interviews can be conducted one-on-one or as part of a panel, with one interviewer taking the lead as the interrogator. Sometimes, a series of interviews are conducted back-to-back.

Examples of stress test interview questions include:

• Was the stress of a previous position too much for you? Why do you think this job will be any different?
• Is that all you can come up with? Let’s move on.
• How do you like me so far?

When you meet a hostile interviewer, remember the hostility is usually staged. Stay calm, stay measured and answer the question that was  asked, not the provocation wrapped around it.

A note of caution for hiring teams reading this: stress interviews carry an employer-brand cost. Executive candidates increasingly treat a hostile process as a preview of the culture and withdraw. If you face one as a candidate, treat it as useful information. How a company behaves under manufactured pressure says something about how it behaves under real pressure.

Stress test interview tips: If it helps, deliver your answers to one panel member. Be open, honest and direct, but never come across as intimidated or offended. Don’t take it personally; the interviewer is only playing bad cop.

What is an executive interview presentation?

Most executive processes in the life sciences now include a presentation or case study, usually at the second or final stage. You are given a brief, perhaps a market-entry problem for a new therapy, a site remediation plan or a strategic review of the portfolio, and asked to present your thinking to the hiring panel. The format tests what earlier interviews cannot: how you structure an unfamiliar problem, how you respond to challenge and whether you can carry a room of senior stakeholders.

Three principles decide most of the outcome. Clarify the brief before you build a single slide: how long, who is on the panel, what format and what technology. Lead with your recommendation on slide one; senior panels process information top-down, and if you save the reveal for slide twelve, they will have interrupted you by slide three. And remember the panel is scoring the competencies in the job description, not marking a deck, so build your argument as evidence of strategic thinking and judgement. Know your sector’s lens too: pharma panels weight regulatory judgement and commercial scale, biotech panels prize scientific rigour and speed, and MedTech, CRO and CDMO panels look for operational precision and quality.

For the full walkthrough, from structure and slide design to handling the Q&A, staying composed when the technology fails and following up within 24 hours, read our guide to mastering the executive interview presentation.

Presentation interview tips: Rehearse until you can deliver the full presentation from memory; knowing your slides frees you to watch the room. Keep each slide to one message told in three to five points. Bring printed handouts for the panel, or a PDF ready to share on video, plus a backup you can reach without Wi-Fi. And if a question beats you, don’t bluff: commit to following up in writing, then do it.

What is a lunch interview?

The lunch-based executive interview is rising up the agenda due to its ability to unearth candidate characteristics suppressed by more mainstream formats. It traditionally occurs later in the process, when the hiring manager is trying to decide between one or two candidates, though this is not always the case.

Lunch interviews are designed to see how you would fit in with the team dynamic, as well as offering insight into your manners, patience, interactions and overall emotional intelligence (EQ). They are also a good indication of how you might handle dinners with key opinion leaders, investors, regulators or strategic partners, should the role require it.

The informal nature of the interview lends itself to conversation, so engage in it. But don’t let flowing wine lull you into a false sense of security.

Hiring managers routinely report back on how candidates treated the waiting staff. It is the cheapest character reference they will ever collect.

Lunch interview tips: Prepare your questions in advance; you can’t take notes at the table. Choose something light and easy to eat, and avoid alcohol. Remember your manners with everyone, the hiring manager and the restaurant staff alike. Don’t let your guard down; you are still being assessed.

Preparing for the executive interview process

The nine types of interview explored above help hiring managers and HR assess a candidate’s technical fit, cultural add and DNA fit. Every interview, regardless of its type, is an opportunity to demonstrate that you have the skillset, experience and competencies to succeed in the role while differentiating yourself from the competition.

Behind every successful interview performance lies thorough preparation and rehearsal. Never, ever wing it. Use this guide to master each stage of the executive interview process in life sciences, and rehearse until the format holds no surprises. Prepare properly, and you will not need luck.

The interview itself is only part of the process. When the conversation turns to money, our guide to handling compensation questions in interview will keep you on firm ground, and once the final handshake is done, our post-interview etiquette guide covers what to do in the hours and days that follow.

Fraser Dove International places senior leaders across pharma, biotech, MedTech and CDMO organisations in Europe, the US and Asia. If you are weighing your next executive move in the life sciences, speak to one of our consultants in confidence.