Tag Archive for: Careers

Whether you seek employment with a new firm or a new position with your current employer, this conversation, and the entire interview process, is your opportunity to advance your career.

Much like your CV should create a positive first impression of you as an engineering professional, the interview process should reinforce your overall value to a potential employer, and enable them to envision you as a productive member of their team. Check our 5 tips to ensure you ace that interview

1.First impressions really do count!

Even though today’s work environments are generally more casual than in the past, most companies still expect that candidates will dress up for an interview. Remember, you can’t create a first impression twice.

2.Use the S.T.A.R Method

In order to avoid going off topic at the interview and not answering the question, have various examples prepared of your achievements/successes and then apply the STAR method to explain them.

Explained simply, when asked to describe something, use the following format to answer it…

Situation – Set the scene

Task – Describe the purpose

Action – Explain what you did (See 3 below)

Result – Share the outcome

3.  Talk through your thought process

The point of technical questions, is to uncover how you think about solving problems, be able to explain what you’ve done in the past and have an opinion on what you would do in the future.  The interviewer will want to know your process? How do you break down the different components? How do you arrive at a solution? How do you react when trying something that doesn’t work? Are you better at experimenting or at sketching something out on a whiteboard?

Explain what’s happening in your head as you solve a problem (better than staying silent) even if your interviewers are giving you the space to think quietly, you may benefit from explaining your thought process. Not only does this help them understand your skills and critical thinking more thoroughly, but it also makes you more memorable.

4.Ask Questions

At every interview you will ever go to you will be asked “do you have any questions”.  This is a great opportunity for you!  This is where you can demonstrate that you have given this role and company some real thought by asking good questions and leaving a great impression of yourself as a potential candidate for the job.

5. Show them who you are

Last but certainly not least and this may seem obvious, but don’t forgot to show the interviewers that you are human!  Showing a bit of your personality in an interview really can go a long way.  Talk a little bit about your interests, if you play a sport or have a particular hobby, feel free to mention it.  If you can spark up a conversation that is non work related and create a nice rapport in the room then this will  put you in first place if your skills and experience are similar to other candidates that they have met.

Biopharma Engineering is currently recruiting for a number of office and site based positions. To view our open positions see here.