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The Interview(s)
Jun. 14th, 2010 07:57 pmA rough guide to the interview process for a step-from-entry-level opening in biotechnology in the greater Bay area, my experience so far:
1.) Phone screening, 5 - 20 minutes. Followup with promising candidates a week later.
2.) First interview, 30 minutes - 3 hours. Followup with promising candidates a week later. Followup with blatantly unsuited candidates sooner, or when they email HR.
3.) (Optional) Second interview, 1 hour. Followup with "thanks but no" letters about a week later, after a candidate has accepted an offer, or when the "thanks but no" people email you.
Total time from initial application: two weeks to a month.
I've been trying to get a sense of scale for the job market in the Bay area. The recruiter I talked to last week said his office had sent something like 60 - 70 resumes for one position, which sounds ridiculous, but then one considers the field of applicants. Like college, you only need to get accepted once, but like college, as you get less confident in your top choices (or more desperate for anything), you expand your application horizons. Since California has a 12% unemployment rate, both the quantity of job applicants and the high quality of candidates may merit snowing HR with electronic noise, but if I'm trying to see the bright side in just getting the callbacks, I'm sure there's lab managers tearing their hair out at the number of great people they just don't have the budget to hire.
1.) Phone screening, 5 - 20 minutes. Followup with promising candidates a week later.
2.) First interview, 30 minutes - 3 hours. Followup with promising candidates a week later. Followup with blatantly unsuited candidates sooner, or when they email HR.
3.) (Optional) Second interview, 1 hour. Followup with "thanks but no" letters about a week later, after a candidate has accepted an offer, or when the "thanks but no" people email you.
Total time from initial application: two weeks to a month.
I've been trying to get a sense of scale for the job market in the Bay area. The recruiter I talked to last week said his office had sent something like 60 - 70 resumes for one position, which sounds ridiculous, but then one considers the field of applicants. Like college, you only need to get accepted once, but like college, as you get less confident in your top choices (or more desperate for anything), you expand your application horizons. Since California has a 12% unemployment rate, both the quantity of job applicants and the high quality of candidates may merit snowing HR with electronic noise, but if I'm trying to see the bright side in just getting the callbacks, I'm sure there's lab managers tearing their hair out at the number of great people they just don't have the budget to hire.
