Company managers also see such people as having greater potential for advancement. Judging a person's leadership ability is one of those gray areas that can fall onto the emotional side of an evaluation. In an interview, it is up to you to point out relevant experiences that indicate your abilities and to indicate that you are receptive to a changing environment and increasing responsibility. Motivation and enthusiasm. No one likes phony enthusiasm.
Biotech companies are, in many cases, run by individuals who are entrepreneurs of the first order.
They have given up security and an easier pace for the excitement of seeing their ideas come to fruition. Approaching an interview in these circumstances without honest enthusiasm for their work will certainly not earn you a job offer. Competence, a factor that might seem amenable to objective measurement, is one far more emotional than your set of publications or your professional accomplishments. We need broad competence, as opposed to just a high level of knowledge in a particular scientific niche. I want people on my team who will be able to contribute for the long haul.