Whats the secret behind selection

Off-topic conversations and chit-chat.

9 posts Page 1 of 1
Few months back, I went for an interview for QC analyst in a pharmaceutical company. I have been working in analytical development lab since I completed my master in analytical chemistry by 2004. The interview was good, they ask me blaa blaa how to develop a method etc etc .It really went good. Then , the last question was weather I am interested in routine QC job or not. I told them that I am looking for a permanent position and after all I love working laboratory and I dont have any problem. Then I got a feed back from them after few days that I was too good in deveopment and suitable for RnD work and they feel that I may not stay longer. I was really upset , not because they did not select me , but wasting my valuable time for nothing. They knew already I am working for development lab. then why call for interview.I just can not believe there are lots of people who do not know what they want. I keep wondering, if the feed back from them was true, what is the secret behind the selection:)
In the end they did you a favour - if you really are a method developer then routine QC would drive you crazy.

And the accusation of time wasting can go both ways - why did you apply for a QC analyst job when you want to do R&D ?

Peter
Peter Apps
I almost wasn't hired by my current R&D employer because my university grades were too high, and they felt I wouldn't stay around in an entry-level job. Well, that was 35 years ago, and I'm still here, shows how much employers can project and predict such stuff.

QC analyst in pharmaceutical company must follow strict cGMP regulations, no option of improving a validated procedure without typically lengthy (expensive) re-validation. But if QC and R&D are at the same site, might be a way to get your foot in the door to R&D there.

I develop and validate cGMP test procedures forover the counter products.

And watch your spelling and grammar on resume and letters: you wrote "weather", should be "whether". cGMP analysts must be essentially error-free, all errors can result in OOS investigations. Like using a graduated pipet instead of a volumetric pipet means you didn't follow the test method, so OOS even if the result is OK because the cGMP test procedure wasn't followed as written. The other spelling error "deveopment" may just be a mis-type, I do that myself as I've got 8 fingers which haven't yet learned to type.
I told them that I am looking for a permanent position and after all I love working laboratory and I dont have any problem.


They were probably hoping for a better response. Something along the lines of I haven't worked in a QC environment under GMP regulation, so it is a good opportunity for me to learn. I believe my analytical development skills will allow me to learn quickly in the lab and also help me to identify the root cause of OOS/OOT investigations.

I believe the approximate cost of a new employee/QC analyst training is at least $5K, probably more. Most QC labs are well aware of individuals wanting to get their foot in the door, and hope to keep the analyst at least 3-5 years. The more qualified, the shorter time frame, which means they will have to-re-train someone in 1-2 years.
The people filling the position were looking to figure out several things:
- Can the person do the job? (has basic skills, motivation, etc.)
- Is the person a danger to the organization? (untruthful, deceitful, describes relationships indicating problems in the work place. A comment at lunch showing admiration admiration for breaking "stupid" rules could be it.)
- Will the person fit in? (This covers a wide range of topics, but the question is will the person be comfortable in the group and will the group be comfortable around the canidate. For example the group at work generally likes the roar and smell of NASCAR - the canidate is a vocal proponent of environmentally friendly cars, clean air, and quiet streets during the interview... Totally unrelated to perhaps testing tooth paste or cookie dough, but could be a source of discord in the lab or office. If there is another canidate who looks as good, but doesn't care one way or the other about cars, the second canidate has an advantage here.)

You may never know the real reason for not getting (or getting) a job. The team doing the interview may not really know either.

The question of match of skills has probably been addressed to a large extent with a review of the resume before you are even called in for the interview. The discussions at the interview serve to confirm that what you put on the resume is accurate. If there is a phone interview, investigation of the match between your resume and your real experience may happen during the phone call. And, that test may come in a seeminly off hand "irrelevant" question. For example to the person who has developed GC methods - "So who do you like purchasing liners from?" The answer "I use the kind my boss tells me to." is going to take further explanation for you to survive. You just descibed your knowledge of selecting a liner for GC method development.

When you interview and get an answer back from the company. You can ask your contact if they can give you feedback on your intervew skills. The answer may give you a clue -- or not. And sometimes you were fine, but there was someone who happened to fit better.

At the on-site interview you need to look like, sound like, and behave like what the interviewer perceieves to be the right kind of person to fill the position - both in technical details and as a member of the corporate family. And, you are not going to be that to everyone.
I was told the secret for selection is first modifying the settings (temperature, flow rate, etc.), then if this doesn't work try modifying the mobile phase, then finally if that doesn't work change the column.

Sorry, my little joke. All I can say is I have been in many job interviews and interviews I felt I did extremely well in, there was some reason why I never got that job, and yet others where I felt the interview did not go so well, and I did not answer the questions the way I had hoped (perhaps due to being nervous), I was offered the job. I have just learned to accept that I will resonate with certain people and not with others and just view the process as a learning opportunity.
Interviews are like roulette from both sides, there's no formula or secret, or for that matter precious little logic some days. Add to that there could be a ton of stuff you can't see going on, I've put in for jobs before where it's all just an exercise to satisfy HR before someone is promoted anyway or some other candidate is picked.
Where can I buy the kit they use in CSI?
Half the time 400 people have applied for the job, so HR first have to find some way to trim it down to a number that can be interviewed. Obviously they can't read 400 CVs and covering letters in huge detail, so some people will, sadly, get missed out because of an HR oversight. Then you interview 5 people, and since HR have selected 5 of the 50 who could have been good choices, 4 are quite reasonable and 1 turns out to be wrong for some reason nobody had thought of. So in the end, even if you're interviewed, you'll be lucky if you've got a better than 25% chance of getting the job. And that's ignoring the possibility that behind the scenes there is a favoured candidate.

In effect: if you don't get a job, it probably doesn't mean anything bad about you at all.
I manage a QA Lab with three different roles in the staff makeup.
A full shift role (24hr cover)
An extended days role (inc weekends and bank holidays)
The classic Mon-Fri office hours.

The profile of the person for each role is very different and will always be included in the recruiting process. After all, from my point of view I don't want to invest time in recruiting and training someone who will leave in a few weeks/months.

A 9-12mth training program needs a good 4-5yrs payback.

However, I'd to ensure I was talking to the right people at interview. However something only become really apparent during a face to face.

Best of luck with the job hunting.

Dave
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