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Using People Skills to Get that Job

by Nick on July 21, 2008

So, you see an ad for your dream job and, of course, decide to apply. But how do you make sure you get it?

Your chances of getting any given job are mainly influenced by two things; your technical abilities and how you come across in the job interview.

At short notice, you can’t do too much about your technical skills, apart from making sure you present them optimally in your CV/resume but you can do something about how you come across, and that can set you above the competition in the eyes of the interviewer.

One approach, according “job interview master” Vj Vijai is to use his tried and tested formula, which he describes briefly in the following short, entertaining video.

Let us know what you think of his ideas in the comments.

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Photo: language translation

About the Author

Nick Oswald

Nick is a molecular biologist-turned-publisher. After a PhD in Developmental Biology and an eclectic seven years in biotech he is now Editorial Manager of Neuroendocrinology and the founder and Editor-In-Chief of Bitesize Bio. You are welcome to connect with Nick on LinkedIn

Discussions on this article

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3 Responses to “Using People Skills to Get that Job”

  1. Jonathan says:

    Heh, made me chuckle – but aside from all the chuckles, the main thing about going into an interview with some “method” in mind is that it has to come off _naturally_. If the interviewer gets a clue that your try to sell them too hard, then it’s a bust and your done. Natural Confidence, along with VJ’s suggestions, are probably a good combination.

    Of course, in science the interview process is often you vs. the search committee; so its much harder to sell your technical expertise in this way to more than one person.

  2. Rob says:

    Brilliant Nick, great find. He’s spot on this guy and what he’s saying isn’t that hard to do. I’ve summarised what he said in a document and keeping it for a later date. Ditto to Jonathan, i’d also say that the most important thing is to be yourself. They’re employing your technical expertise but they’re also employing a person, so it’s important to be yourself.

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