Need some help with an interview I am going to
 

I have an interview with a recruiter for a biotech company on Monday. This is my first interview, so I don’t really know what to expect.

I want to know about 3 things-

1. What did you respond with when they said “tell me about yourself?”

2. Which interview questions have you been asked before and what were your responses? I’m especially wondering what to say when they say “why should we hire you?”

3. Which questions did you ask when they said “do you have any questions?”

Also, during the interview, where should I place my portfolio? In my lap?

Thanks.

1.) While I myself have never attempted to go into the biotech industry, I imagine that there are a few things you would want to say while avoiding others completely. Tell them that you are a fan of biotechnology and would be willing to cross any moral/ethical bounds in order to further the field. Tell them you often inject yourself with custom biotechs that you created in your basement in the name of science, and to date none of them have left any side effects that would stop you from working, and in fact some of them might aid you, such as the prehensile tail, or the extra three fingers on your left hand. Also, due to the very nature of biotech, avoid mentioning any amount of admiration for nanomachines or their kin. You see, due to the war between genes(biotech) and memes(nanotechnology) and their inherent differences, showing any admiration for the enemy would label you as a spy, and in most places spies are shot.

2.)The questions that could potentially be asked are numerous, so I shall skip to the "Why should we hire you" question. Aside from the aforementioned willingness to cross any moral or ethical boundries, also let your potential employers know of any special skills you might have that would help accomplish goals for the company. Being able to effectively multitask would be a good point to state. Another good point would be mentioning your ability to make a person's head explode as if it were a rotten melon dropped from the top of a (very) tall building, as such a skill would surely help eliminate competition. You have to be creative here about the use of any special skills you have, and perhaps you should come up with a few points ahead of time and write them down on a note card or the like.

3.)When they ask if you have any questions, simply reply that during the interview you used your telepathic biotechnical powers to browse the man's brain, from whence you copied any information you had not previously been in your biological hard drive prior to your meeting. Also let him know that you will never let his wife know that he is a furry at heart.

4.) For the resume, your lap would be a suitable spot. However, if you are truly a believer in the biotech way, you should have already used the DNA of a marsupial to grow a pouch somewhere on your body for easy storage. This would be the most effective place to store a resume since not only would your lap be free, but when you retrieve it you could show that your left hand retained all of its dexterity despite having on additional three fingers on said hand.

I wish you the best of luck, as getting a job in the economy today is a challenge.

Try to be as concise as possible. A lot of people make the mistake of talking on and on. Think carefully of your answers to specific questions prior to the interview. Don't exceed a 3 minutes on a question and aim to answer a question within 60 seconds.

1. Talk about your education, your relevant work experience and your 5 year goal/plan.

2. Talk about prior accomplishments, your strongest skill sets and your best personality assets.

3. Ask about salary, how soon you expect to hear back about the job decision, and other questions you may have pertaining to the job.

4. On your lap is fine. Offer the interviewer a hard copy of your resume, references, and cover letter upon entering. In most cases, they should already have their own copy (either digital or already printed for the interview), but it shows your preparation.

noooooo dont ask about the salary on the first interview, that's not good at all. You do that after you got the position locked in or if they are chasing you.

1. Tell them why you got interested in this and then your school and how that went (that it made you more interested etc). Sidestories are ok if it somehow can be connected to the career (like if you are a coach for a junior team say that it made you comfortable telling people what to do). try to not go on forever but dont worry about it.

2. Tell the standard yabbayabba that you love the field and it's not really a job for you but an interest. If you have done anything worthwhile before mention that, if you got good grades link that to that you got them while just having fun and you learned a great amount. You might also get asked where you see yourself in a couple of years or what your future plans are. I dont know anything about your field but saying something like you want to evolve and learn more is fine.

3. Well.. if you have anything you really want to know about the company go ahead and ask.. but often thats just something they say to be polite. Thank them for the time and say you hope to hear from them again (smile).

4. lol just place it either on the floor in your bag or on the table. No need to think about details like this, you'll just stress yourself out.

Regarding that salary thing, there are positions where showing a little bit of greed might be beneficial. For example, in sales positions.

No. Never ask salary on the first interview. That's like asking a girl if you can shake hands with her on the first date. If she says yes, she is a whore. How this correlates, I am not sure. But bear with me.

There could be positions where a bit of greed could be beneficial (lord knows), but that would depend upon the interviewer's viewpoint on it. Best not to risk that sort of move.

Suppose the tables are turned, then he is asked what salary he expects =O

Right beside "Why should we hire you" and "what are your strengths and weaknesses", I find this one of the most tricky questions to answer. You have to walk a fine line between appearing like a doormat or appearing too greedy.

Conventionally you should quote the median salary of that position, but deeper research into the company you're interviewing for is better.

Why they should hire you should be you buffing up your perks as a worker. Say that you feel you can bring new insight to the company or yadda yadda. When I apply around for a data processor, I tout my boat experience, since probably less than 1% of all processors have experience in the field :V

Strength/weaknesses, you pick something that can be good for your weakness. Like say you will pay very, very close attention to detail, although sometimes a little excessively. Worst case scenario, they'd think you are a bit slower of a worker than average folk, but you are far more careful.

1. Like everyone said, you may want to mention your previous education (and job experience, if you have some), why are you interested in this field, and expectations. Additional supporting infos may be beneficial, like organisation experiences, seminars, etc. Just don't blabber too much about it.

2. Just mention your advantages and capabilities and it will be fine. Like Zergrinch mentioned above, they may also ask your motivation and weaknesses. Answer them with something less risky. But don't say icky things which may make them turned off.

3. Anything you still curious about the job and when you will receive further information, AS LONG AS they don't rise any suggestions that you may not be interested fully or even backstab everything you mention earlier.

4. I don't think any position is problematic. It depends on you, actually. For me, since I have a bad habit of rolling any papers on my hands, I prefer to put it on the desk, under my elbows.

The important thing is don't lie. Even if you have to make up something, make it as natural as it is. Remember to smile always too; recruiters tend to judge the interviewees from their first impression and you sure want it to be good. And on no circumstances should you ask about salary on the first interview, except if they make the first move.

While asking about the salary on the first interview may not be *quite* appropriate, if it's like a call-back interview (if they do second/third interviews at all), I think it's appropriate to ask questions like "I'd like you to tell me / describe how can I grow / advance myself within the company once I'm hired."

If time permits, you can talk about previous experiences where you've had a hard time in your previous job/project and explain what you did to overcome that problem. Sometimes if your interviewer can see that you've gone through similar experiences (especially bad ones) and handled it well, it adds as a plus.

I always get stumped on the "tell me a little bit about yourself" question too. The most recent interview I did, I basically just gave them an oral run through of my résumé. While I'm sure that's one of the no-no's in professional interview, it's a good back-up plan to fall upon when your mind goes blank and it seems like your throat suddenly got knotted up by a Boy Scout Eagle (like I did; I froze for a moment and couldn't speak from nervousness, hence the résumé recitation). Usually kind interviewers are looking to get to know you better, so they'll ask about what hobbies you have, etc. I couldn't think of anything else, so I just talked about how I recently graduated from university and what I did for my senior project.

I wouldn't worry too much about your interview and just try to relax. Certain industries, and I imagine the biotech industry would be one of them, are used to dealing with shy/introverted people in interviews and they will usually try and coach you along.

I remember I was talking with someone who recruits computer programmers often and she mentioned she runs into quite a few candidates with less than average social skills. She mentioned one time she even had to help coach one individual to think of three words to describe himself (he could only think of one).

Just try to maintain eye contact, take your time in answering their questions, and appear as though you are extremely interested in the job (even if you have to fake it a bit).

Best of luck with your interview.