In his recent blog post, Glen Gardner, founder of tech recruiting firm Vortechs Group, offers advice on how to interview a candidate for a position in tech transfer.
“Recruiting firms can take a lot of that pressure off of the hiring manager because the job candidates are pre-screened,” Gardner writes. “But when it comes down to a few really qualified candidates, how do you select the right one for the job and the dynamics within your department and organization?” Here are a few of Gardner’s favorite interview questions to cut to the chase with a potential new employee:
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- “Tell me a little bit about yourself.” As cliche as this prompt sounds, it gives the candidate a time to shine with little lead. “This is a quality they will need in tech transfer,” says Gardner. “You want someone who can think on their feet.”
- “Describe a complex exclusive patent license you negotiated, and what you did to ensure that it was successful for key stakeholders.” A good tech transfer professional works with a variety of people, from university leaders to corporate executives, with the goal of striking deals where everyone feels they benefited. “A candidate who can speak specifically to this point in detail will be more likely to achieve the same kind of success for you,” Gardner writes.
- “What do you wish you’d gotten a chance to do more of in your last position?” This simply gives you an insight into what the candidate enjoys doing within tech transfer.
- “Tell me about your ideal job, and what do you like about this one?” This is a chance for you to see how close their ideal job is to what you are offering. Are they similar, or are they complete opposites?
- “Tell me about your previous portfolios. How do you prioritize competing demands?” Apart from getting a sense of the size of the candidate’s portfolio and how he or she managed it, this open-ended question will give you a better idea of how the candidate might tackle the demands of your department and the rigors of the job.
- “What deal are you most proud of?” Questions like this give the candidates an opportunity to showcase their experience and confidence, which are both necessary when attempting to appease all the stakeholders in a given deal. As Gardner puts it, “You know their pedigree. You can see their previous jobs. A successful interview moves past what’s on paper and into how the candidate would perform on their own because, ultimately, that’s what you want to know.”
Source: Vortechs Group
