Interviews for non-academic opportunities

2 November 2020

UNIL

Graduate Campus

Luca Allaria has worked for almost 15 years in the biomedical industry, in both large (Medtronic) and medium sized (Endologix) companies. In his career, Luca has focused on both the business aspects of his activities and on training and communication. In his international experience, he has been involved in multiple recruitment processes, both with and without the support of head-hunters.

Luca holds an MS in Biomedical Engineering and an Executive Master in Business Administration (EMBA) from the IMD Business School in Lausanne. He is certified as an Education Manager/Director and has taken multiple training courses in communication and recruitment. He is also a certified professional coach with the IDC (Institut de Coaching in Geneva).

This workshop is intended for postdocs who want to continue their career in the international and/or private sector (for instance multinationals, NGO's…). It will provide participants with information on:

• The different types of interviews (such as: Telephone, Video, One-to-one, Panel, Group…) and the stakeholders involved (such as HR, managers, headhunters…)
• The pre-interview work, such as research needed, review CV vs the job description…
• How to behave during the interview process:
• Promoting their transversal/soft skills, not just their technical skill or scientific expertise
• Answering the most common questions during an interview process, such as: 'why do you want to leave academia', 'why did you apply for this position', 'what are your weak points', 'walk me quickly through your CV'

The training will help the candidates to practice job interviews, benefiting from peers' and trainer's feedback.

Workshop content

The first part of workshop will be conducted with a mixture of presentations and simulation (i.e. one student plays the role of an interviewer and the trainer of a candidate, in order to enhance the learning).

In the second part the participants will engage in small-group exercises (3 people) to explore the roles of candidate, interviewer and observer.

At the end of the workshop, a full-class discussion will recap and clarify the essential points and possible questions.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will have learnt how to prepare for a job interview for roles on paths other than the academic/tenure.

In addition, they will be prepared on how to:

• Understand variety of possible interview formats and get prepared for those.
• Understand the different perspectives of those involved in the interview process.
• Know how to respond to questions concerning their transferable (soft) skills, highlighting both their approach to a problem as well as the outcome.
• Know how to conduct themselves professionally during the interview process.
• Answer the most common questions during the first steps of a job interview.

UNIL

Prerequisite

This workshop is designed to follow on from the Career Café. If you have not yet attended a Career Café with the Graduate Campus, you will be asked on registration to explain when and how you have already received career-related counseling or training, whether in a group or individually.

Participation

This workshop is intended primarily for UNIL/CHUV postdocs.

Doctoral candidates will find a similar offer through the CUSO Transversal Programme. If you request registration for this workshop you will be placed on a waiting list. If a place is available in the weeks prior to the first meeting, we will contact you to confirm your participation .

Schedule

9.00-17.30

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