The 4 Biggest Job Interview Mistakes Biopharma Professionals Make

Interviewing can be stressful for anyone and especially for biotech and pharma professionals in today’s competitive job market. Making the right impression is critical. So is avoiding the four biggest interview mistakes highlighted in this article, based on input from two talent acquisition experts.

Eric Charsky, president of Charsky Group, an executive search firm, told BioSpace the job market itself contributes to what he deemed as the most significant candidate mistake: showing employers that they’re desperate.

“We’re seeing that quite a bit, just different levels of desperation, I would say, because the market is so uncertain, because there’s so many scientists that are out there that are looking for jobs, and a lot of companies are still laying off and not hiring,” said Charsky, whose firm specializes in biomedical engineering, pharmaceutical and medical device.

Many biopharma professionals are looking for work, according to the BioSpace 2025 U.S. Life Sciences Employment Outlook report. Based on surveys fielded late last year, 59% of employed respondents—and 95% of unemployed respondents—plan to actively job hunt in 2025. Also noteworthy: The number of out-of-work respondents was the highest since BioSpace started surveying life sciences professionals, at 31%. Nearly half (45%) of those life sciences professionals had been between roles for at least six months.

As to employment opportunities and competition, there were 19% fewer job postings live on BioSpace in January 2025 than in January 2024, while applications jumped by 64.6% from December 2024 to January 2025. That said, BioSpace Recruitment Manager Greg Clouse recently noted there’s much more optimism about the job market now than there was this time last year.

With that as a backdrop, here are the four biggest interview mistakes biopharma professionals make, according to Charsky and Enrique Martinez, senior manager of human resources at iBio, a San Diego–based biotech.

Some job candidates don’t prepare for behavioral interview questions, according to Martinez, whose responsibilities include recruiting. However, those questions are important to employers such as iBio, an AI-driven company that develops biopharmaceuticals for cardiometabolic diseases, obesity, cancer and other hard-to-treat diseases.

Martinez told BioSpace that behavioral interview questions allow him to assess how candidates have navigated difficult or different situations by applying their skills, knowledge and abilities. Prospective employees should be prepared to share situations they faced while performing their core responsibilities, actions they took and outcomes they achieved. Sometimes, Martinez noted, they provide only theories or concepts they’ve read in a book.

“Basically, we just want to make sure the candidate provides real situations and actions that prove that the candidate can do the work,” he said.

Behavioral interview questions can include “Tell me about a time you made a mistake,” “Give me an example of how you handled conflict with a co-worker” and “Tell me about a challenging but successful presentation you gave.”

To identify which situations relate to the prospective employer, Martinez recommended reviewing the job description to identify the role’s essential duties and responsibilities.

While candidates should let companies know they’re interested in a position and are the right person for the job, they should avoid seeming “completely desperate,” according to Charsky.

As an example of such behavior, he shared that one person who received a verbal job offer contacted him six times in one week asking where the formal offer was. The candidate assumed he hadn’t received it because the company didn’t like him.

Seeming desperate can affect a prospective employee’s bottom line, according to Charsky, who noted that he’s seen companies make lower salary offers because they knew how much a person needed the job.

“Where the market is so saturated—they’ve got so many candidates to choose from—what somebody was making, they may not be able to make now,” he said.

Another mistake Charsky said he’s seen a lot is candidates being overconfident in their capabilities, which he attributed to their desperation to get a job. For example, he shared, when asked about equipment they’ve worked with, some biopharma professionals have said they’re experts on something they only used while getting a Ph.D. many years ago. That’s an issue given how quickly science has changed in the past five years alone, Charsky noted.

“So, we’ve seen that a lot also, the overconfidence of or overselling their capabilities because they’re panicking, and they’re trying to get their foot in the door and make themselves look as good as possible,” he said.

Charsky advised that job candidates be honest during interviews.

“If you’ve got an honest foundation, then everything else will follow,” he said.

While some job candidates are overconfident during interviews, others undersell themselves, showing a lack of confidence because they’re unemployed, according to Charsky. He noted that he’s seen many job seekers who’ve lost their self-esteem.

“They’ve applied to 200 positions, they’re not getting follow-up and they’re just beat down,” Charsky said. “That’s really starting to show, where they’re just very meek, timid and beat up. And it’s like, ‘No, hold your head up. You have this experience. Make sure you’re speaking of that capability.’”

Charsky shared an example of a candidate who undersold his scientific experience with some equipment because he was trying to be everything to everyone, including an engineer who’d be on the interview panel.

“I don’t want you to fix the equipment,” Charksy told him. “We’ve got engineers on staff. We want your scientific mind in there. So, I want you to let me know what processes, projects in science you’re working on. Don’t worry about the engineering.”

In addition to sharing the biggest mistakes biopharma professionals make while interviewing, Charsky and Martinez also offered advice on how to get interviews right.

When asked how their weekend was or where their interviewer would find them outside of work, candidates should share those details, advised Martinez. What are they enjoying doing with family and friends?

“People enjoy working with interesting people, fun individuals,” Martinez said.

Charsky recommended candidates show their personality in a way that makes the company say, “Oh, this is a good person for the team. They’re going to be able to figure things out and move forward.”

Candidates don’t need to immediately respond to an interview question, noted Martinez. This can be especially helpful when responding to behavioral interview questions.

“Take a moment to gather your thoughts, and request time to provide a well-structured answer,” Martinez advised.

This approach, he explained, will allow candidates to present a clear picture of the situation, the actions they took and the outcome they achieved, showcasing how they’d handle similar scenarios for their prospective employer.

Interview the interviewers, Martinez recommended, noting that biopharma professionals can ask questions about their prospective employer’s technology, culture or finances—anything that’s on their mind.

“This is your opportunity as a candidate to choose the right employer for where you are in your career path,” he said.

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