Suppose you're a nervous job candidate about to embark on a round of initial interviews with recruiters. Would you breathe easier if you could peek at the recruiters' cards, find out what they want to learn from you and what they want to accomplish in the 15- to 30-minute "screening" interview that could shape your future?

Imagine for a moment that you could prepare for these make-or-break meetings by learning ahead of time how recruiters go about sizing up job prospects--the inexorable process of sifting the wheat from the chaff. Wouldn't it help if, figuratively speaking, you could be at the control panel of the recruiter's brain?

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What if you knew "secrets" like: What impresses recruiters? What turns them off? What do they really want to know as they lob open-ended questions at you from the other side of the table? What are their worst interview "war stories," so you won't repeat them?

The answers to all of these questions are often similar. In general, most company recruiters and headhunters who interview chemists and chemical engineers at all degree levels are looking for roughly the same things. In one way or another, they are all trying to find candidates who can demonstrate technical mastery, show enthusiasm, communicate clearly and--not insignificantly--work well in teams.

And to make it even more transparent for job candidates, recruiters try to zero in on these prized characteristics by asking many of the same questions. For example, candidates can expect to hear questions like: Can you tell me about your research? How would you describe your strengths and weaknesses? Describe a time you have demonstrated leadership. Tell me what you like or don't like about your boss's management style.

After a half dozen interviews, candidates will have fielded up to 95% of the questions they are going to hear, says Joel I. Shulman, who retired last year from Procter & Gamble after a career that included campus interviewing and hiring of Ph.D. candidates for 30 years. Another source of the most popular interviewing questions is "The Interviewing Handbook," available from the American Chemical Society (http://www.chemistry.org/careers).

Shulman and 13 other seasoned recruiters representing executive-search firms or companies of varying sizes spoke candidly for this C&EN article about their years of experience interviewing job candidates.

"I suspect we all have different approaches," notes Charles D. Everly, who interviews Ph.D. chemists for Albemarle Corp., a global supplier of specialty chemicals and chemical intermediaries. "But we are all trying to find the best technological people who will fit into our organization."

Recruiters acknowledge that interviews are job seekers' best chance to showcase their credentials in the best possible light. Most recruiters strongly encourage candidates to cite at the end any of their accomplishments that weren't mentioned earlier.

But excessive self-promotion can be a definite turn-off. Karen Lybrook, president of a Newport, R.I.-based firm specializing in the recruitment of chemists and chemical engineers, recalls one overzealous chemical engineer who carted his chemistry awards, plaques, and certificates to the interview in his briefcase. Then, he conducted a show-and-tell for the recruiter. The company was not impressed. "I felt bad for him," she recalls.

SOME RECRUITERS liken the initial interview to a "first date." If there is a mutual interest, the first meeting leads to a daylong, on-site visit. Here the "courtship" continues with multiple interviews with company managers and often a technical seminar. "It's almost like acting--like trying out for a play,'' says Ray Kaminski, vice president of Jobin Yvon Inc., a manufacturer of classical spectroscopic systems located in Edison, N.J.

But make no mistake. Recruiters are not there to make friends or to engage in breezy conversation with the job candidate. Their principal task is to weed people out, to narrow the field to a manageable few. All have definite expectations of what they need to know to pare down the field of applicants.

"I think probably the two most important things I wanted to learn from interviews were can the person do the job that I'm trying to fill? Then, on the other side, will they do the job?" Shulman says.

His approach was to first scrutinize a candidate's technical and communication skills set to assess whether the candidate has the capacity to do the work. He then looked at leadership skills, motivation, ability to set goals, and other intangibles to determine if the job seeker will succeed on the job.

Shulman advises job candidates to think beyond a mere leadership title such as "Head Teaching Fellow" and ask themselves when they exhibited leadership. Candidates should be prepared to give an example such as describing a time when they saw the need for certain lab equipment and mobilized other students and faculty to acquire it, he says.

"Too many people don't understand leadership," he says. "What you want to get across is what happened in that position. How did you as an individual make a difference?" Shulman adds.

Communication or "soft" skills are just as important as the technical ones, observes Kerry Boehner, who heads up KOB Solutions, a Pittsburgh head-hunting firm. "If people can't work in a team environment, they will not succeed in industry."

Most recruiters interviewed for this article say the primary purpose of initial interviews is to confirm that the candidate possesses both the technical mastery to do the job and has the communication or "soft skills" to function well on a team--in that order. But some other recruiters note that they screen out candidates with a third purpose in mind. The catchphrase they use for assessing this more nebulous criterion is "Does the candidate fit into our corporate culture?"

"What I try to get out of an interview is to make sure a candidate's personality would fit in with the site," says Bernice Bryant, program coordinator at the Westinghouse Savannah River Co. "We are very much team oriented. They can have a 4.0 grade-point average but not necessarily fit into our environment. You have to work with people."

But determining if there is a "fit" may be one of the most elusive aspects of the interview for recruiters. One way they try to find out is by asking open-ended questions about communication skills and teamwork during the initial interview. But employers such as Procter & Gamble say they can't decide if there is a "fit" until the daylong visit.

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ASKED THEIR PRIORITIES during an interview, most recruiters cite all three factors: technical, communication, and fit. However, they often rank the three differently and assign them different weights.

Donald E. Gatewood, who retired from Union Carbide after a career that included 15 years in recruiting and university relations, had an approach typical of most recruiters today. That is, he was keen on knowing more about all three principal areas. "I wanted to find out if the person was a reasonable technological fit. I wanted to make some kind of judgment as to whether that person would fit into our culture, and I wanted to find out if the person had reasonable interpersonal skills," he says.

Gatewood also wanted to get a sense of the candidate's temperament. "If they are too aggressive or arrogant, they might wind up in the outbox. There is kind of a line between assertive and aggressive. If the person is too aggressive, he will probably try to control the interview and try to just wordsmith you to death."

One candidate who crossed that line told Gatewood before the interview had begun: "I want to ask if you have technical training. If you are just a human resources person, I'm not sure I want to waste this time." He was the "epitome of arrogance," and his application was doomed at that point, Gatewood says.

Kim Hwa-Ok, head of medicinal chemistry at Aurigene Discovery Technologies, a Boston-area biotech firm, falls in the camp of recruiters who stress the paramount importance of technical mastery. His chief interest is learning the candidate's skills sets. He is careful to note that his firm also is looking for team players and whether candidates have the background that will make a good fit. But in the end, "it all comes down to science," he concludes.

So, how do recruiters appraise technical ability in a 15-minute interview? Among the ways are asking the candidates to explain a technical challenge they have faced and how they solved it. They want to know that candidates are not merely "highly trained lab technicians" but can think on their own. Candidates are routinely asked to present a clear and concise description of their current research project.

The summaries candidates provide about their research can be very telling, says Boehner, who holds a B.S. in chemical engineering. She says it's a major plus when Ph.D. chemists can explain their research understandably during a telephone interview with her. This tells her the candidate can communicate and might be a good match with one of the pharmaceutical companies she represents.

"I like it when people can feel passion for what they do, when they get excited about what they are doing, and can explain it really well. I like it when they can see how it fits into the big picture of drug discovery," she says.

Robert Mays, director of cell biology at Athersys Inc., a biopharmaceutical firm in Cleveland, first focuses on the technical and communication aspects in an interview. He does homework for each interview by boning up on the candidate's research field. That way he can ask critical questions about the science and go beyond the canned questions. He typically asks candidates why they approached their research in a certain way and challenges them to look at the same problem using alternate hypotheses or solutions. An honest "I'm not sure" answer is not taken negatively, Mays says.

"I'm looking for humility," he says. "Science is often the art of being able to say, 'I don't know.' If you don't know, you ought to be able to say so."

Other recruiters say they are looking for a range of other intangible qualities during an interview that might not show up on the résumé. "What we look for is a sense of a person's character. It's easier to assess technical mastery," says Duncan Hitchens, vice president of Lynntech, a 120-employee technology development company located in College Station, Texas. He says his company highly values chemists who can work in groups. Among the questions he likes to ask are "How would you describe the management style of your superior?" and "What experience have you had working in groups?"

Even if the work experience is unrelated to science, the candidate's responses can be illuminating, Hitchens says. A recent job seeker reported that he worked in a hardware store. "Then we said that we hoped that he learned a lot about people. But when we asked about his experience, he said he learned a lot about nails. While we think it's important to know a lot about nails if you work in a hardware store, he gave no information about his personality."

Lesley C. King, human resources manager for TransTech Pharma, based in High Point, N.C., says her initial approach is to ascertain whether a candidate is self-confident. How can she tell? Much of it comes across in verbal communication and body language, she replies. King watches to see if the candidates squirm in their seats, mumble, and otherwise look uncomfortable. "Do they come in with wrinkled clothes, looking like they just stepped off a bus or something?" she asks.

But, she cautions, appearance and communication skills are important only to a point. "The determining factor is what they have done and how they can relate it to us," King notes.

Gatewood says he likes to see if a candidate has "presence"--a quality he can't easily pin down but quickly recognizes when he sees it. "What impressed me was a good, clean articulation of what the candidate will bring to the party," he says. Gatewood and other recruiters will frequently pose open-ended questions to see how well the candidates think on their feet. Another popular technique is to ask candidates to describe themselves in three or four adjectives. Some have great difficulty doing this, according to Everly.

David R. (Ron) Webb, Procter & Gamble's manager of doctoral recruiting and university relations, acknowledges that he is on a fishing expedition during an interview. His employer typically hires only one out of every 100 Ph.D. applicants each year. Webb asks a lot of behavior-based questions--some which may leave the candidates wondering why they were asked. Some have shock value: "When I meet with your adviser tomorrow, describe three characteristics he or she will use to describe your behavior in the lab."

So, what are some of the surefire ways of turning off recruiters during an interview? There are many, but an arrogant attitude and stretching the truth to sell yourself do not work well, recruiters say. Each of the recruiters has war stories about job candidates overstepping their bounds in the interview room.

Two examples: After one candidate was rejected for a position earlier this year, he requested that Boehner ask the company to pay him $1,000 in seminar expenses. She refused. Athersys' Mays recalls a candidate for a scientist-level position who had been a manager at the Environmental Protection Agency. The first thing the candidate did was attack the credibility of one of the company's scientists. Mays recalls him saying, "I want to know right now that I will rank above him should I join the company." Later that day, a group of five employees came to Mays's office and threatened to quit if the candidate were hired. "They said he was so unpleasant, so demeaning that they were all seriously thinking about leaving," he says.

When asked how they would coach a job prospect for an interview, many recruiters came up with the same advice: Be yourself and maintain a positive attitude.

James D. Burke conducted campus interviews for 25 years before retiring last year as Rohm and Haas's manager for technical recruiting and university relations. His advice to nervous job candidates is simple. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly, relax. Plan to enjoy the interview. Start off by looking at your interviewer. Greet him or her by name, with a cordial handshake and a pleasant smile, and say, "I'm glad to meet you. How are you today?" Think positively. View yourself as a winner, rather than someone hoping not to lose. These three steps will ensure a good beginning--this is important because "well begun is halfway done," Burke says.

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PRACTICAL ADVICE

Recruiters' Winning Tips On Interviewing

After years of sizing up job candidates, many recruiters have accumulated a wealth of advice for chemists and chemical engineers on how they can fine-tune their interviewing skills. Here are some of their suggestions:

DO

• Be animated and enthusiastic.
• Be yourself and don't be afraid to share something of your personality.
• Act like each interview is your first of the day.
• Be knowledgeable about the company and ready to "interview" the company with your own questions. Some employers even offer their own interviewing tips. Genentech (http://www.gene/careers) makes this suggestion: "Don't forget your deodorant (never let them see you sweat!)."
• Be attentive and listen carefully. Show that you are willing to learn.
• Be sure to sell yourself. But never oversell yourself by exaggerating your accomplishments and overlooking those of others.
• Be prepared to give concrete examples of any assertions you make about your skills or background.
• Carry your briefcase in your left hand, so you can shake hands easily.
• Make sure you can explain your research clearly and concisely.
• Show respect for the company by dressing appropriately for the business setting. Pharmaceutical companies tend to be more formal. Suits are typical. Wearing blue jeans or dressing too casually shows you are unaware of the unwritten rules of corporate America.
• Overcome nervousness by practicing your interview skills at mock interviews offered by ACS's Department of Career Services at national meetings.

DON'T

• Eat spaghetti for lunch during your on-site interview.
• Boast to your potential employers, "I will make a lot of money for your company." Company officials tend not to take this seriously.
• Put "Dr. John Smith" on your résumé. It can be seen as pretentious. The preferred form is John Smith, Ph.D.
• Ask company officials during the interview details about salary, the number of sick days, or paid vacation days you may receive. Some recruiters consider such questions premature.
• Brag about your professor's accomplishments. As one recruiter noted, "We're not hiring the professor."
• When asked to assess your weaknesses, say that you wish your IQ were 25 points higher. This won't help you.
• Try to take over the interview or monopolize the discussion.
• Boast to a company official that you are far better qualified than anyone you talked to all day. The person you are telling this to may be on the hiring committee that will decide whether you get an offer.
• Dwell on your personal problems. Many recruiters will abruptly change the subject, fearing potential lawsuits.
• Offer to split the company's $2,000 finder's fee for locating a new employee with the hiring manager. "That didn't come across very well when HR heard about it," one recruiter recalls.
• Say, "Because the professor told me to," when asked why you chose a certain lab procedure. This indicates a lack of independence that many recruiters frown on.
• Convey the impression that you are using the interview for practice.
• Assume that all your references will be positive. After a job candidate furnished a reference that was derogatory, a headhunter asked the job candidate, "What planet are you on that you would give me a reference who would talk badly about you?"

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GO TO

INTRODUCTION - EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK 2003

DEMAND

The year ahead is shaping up as even tougher than this one for those seeking employment in most fields of chemistry. Jobs are available, but the hunt is likely to be long and arduous.

WANTED
Scientists Needed To Help Secure The Homeland

BEYOND GRAD SCHOOL
When Jobs Are Scarce, Some Seek Postdocs

SALARIES & EMPLOYMENT

The unemployment rate for chemists climbed to 3.3% in 2002, the highest rate measured in more than 30 years' worth of ACS surveys. But for chemists already in the workforce, the salary situation remained quite strong.

WORKFORCE
Societies Look At Changing The Face Of Science & Engineering

THE INTERVIEW

Seasoned chemical industry recruiters describe what works and what does not, plus a list of tips for the interviewee.

HEALTH INSURANCE

What employees need to know about ensuring continued coverage when their employment status changes.

CAREER-PLANNING RESOURCES

A guide to sources of job and career information well suited to chemical scientists seeking industrial, academic, or government positions or looking to change careers. Some of the most comprehensive resources can be found at the American Chemical Society.

Chemical & Engineering News
Copyright © 2002 American Chemical Society