Reading the job description and tailoring your resume are only the start. The best way to prepare for any job interview is to know what the person across from you is looking for. The interview is where your CV comes to life, where the hiring manager is finally able to see the person behind the application. It's your chance to blow them away with your personality and show off your readiness to be employed. But the only way to know what will impress your interviewer is to hear it directly from them.
Cell Mentor—a new online resource from Cell Press and Cell Signaling Technology—empowers early-career researchers with career insights, publishing advice, and techniques on experimental processes and procedures. Now it’s even easier to tap into the knowledge and experience of experts who’ve walked in your shoes.
For more advice on how to Get Inspired, Get Technical, Get Published, and Get Hired, visit
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TRANSCRIPTION:
Brian Plosky, Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Cell
When I'm looking at candidates, I want people who are intrinsically motivated. I want someone who thinks broadly and has energy from lots of different places.
Elena Porro, Vice President of Editorial, Cell Press
What I'm looking for is somebody who clearly has an interest in this job in particular. So, what I always ask is, 'what is most exciting to you about this role, specifically?'
Jessica Miles, Trends Publisher, Cell Press
I would say it really helps if you can standardize the process as much as possible. For me, thinking about fit, obviously, is really important, but also thinking about what the person has done in the past and then how those skills might translate into the current role.
Matt Pavlovich, Editor, Trends in Biotechnology
We really want candidates who are good with people. People who are going to be diplomatic. People who understand the science, yes, but who can quickly get up to speed on new topics. We have a pretty common misconception that we're looking for people with editorial experience or with writing experience. That's not necessarily true. We can teach you those things, but we want to make sure you're a good communicator and a good diplomat for the journal.
Stephen Matheson, Editor-in-Chief, Cell Reports
What are we looking for in a candidate. Well, I'll tell you a secret about our process that not everyone knows. If you get to the third stage of interviewing for a job at Cell Press—this is true of I think all my colleagues at Cell Press, but it's definitely true at Cell Reports—that means your initial CV was assessed and received positively. That's step one. Step two, either some written questions or a conversation to see if you're good on your feet and whether you know your stuff. The third step is to do something that we call the manuscript test.
It's an infamous stress test. It's basically, I'm going to give you—I won't tell you how many papers, but it's more than one—I'm going to give you actual scientific papers to read, and you're gonna sit in a room, and you'll have at most one hour to read those papers and do a report about what those papers are about and whether or not they're worth sending out for review. And I hope that shows you what are the big things we're looking for in an editor.
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