According to Bioslice Blog, interest in real-world evidence (RWE) and real-world data (RWD) is on the increase within the Pharma and Life Science industries, with a career in this sector becoming progressively more popular.
The interview format for a role within real-world evidence has changed over the past year, with the process now taking place virtually as opposed to face-to-face, allowing for a Covid-safe assessment. But the structure has generally stayed the same so, whether you’re preparing for an interview as a Real-World Evidence Analyst, an Epidemiologist or a Biostatistician, our guide on how to prepare and what to expect is here to help!
Preparation is key
We can’t stress this enough, but the more time and effort you put into preparing for an interview within real-world evidence, the better you’re likely to do. If you’re using a recruitment agency, like ourselves, to assist with your job search, your consultant will provide you with a wealth of tools and documents to help you maximise your prep work. This could include information on who will be interviewing you (and links to their LinkedIn profiles), feedback from previous candidates who have engaged with the company, and advice on how to conduct yourself via a virtual interview.
The company’s website and social media channels are also other great places to look at ahead of an interview. Spend some time finding out about their company culture, read up on published case studies and look at any examples of their work you can find online.
Know your stuff
Depending on the RWE role being applied for, the background knowledge required will vary. But chances are you’ll have experience within one or more of the following areas:
- Epidemiology
- Data Analysis / Data Science / Big Data
- Non-Interventional Studies
- Clinical Trial Data
- Real World Evidence
To ensure you’re up to date on the latest trends within your role and any relevant industry updates or news, there are several sources to keep an eye on. PMLive is one of our go-to websites for recent industry information or check out the blogs pages of any Market Access consultancies to uncover what they’ve been discussing.
The interview process
There are generally two, sometimes three, stages to the interview process for a job within real-world evidence. The first stage will usually last about an hour, and the final stage typically between 1-2 hours, so make sure you’ve got a drink to hand (regardless as to whether the interview is virtual or in person) as expect to be doing a fair bit of talking.
Interview tasks
Not all interviews within RWE will involve a task, but if there is, it will most likely be either written based, or if interviewing for a technical/data opportunity, you might be asked to work with data sets to manipulate the information given in order to show competency.
If you’re asked to prepare your task in advance of the interview, be sure to leave plenty of time for completion, plus some extra time to triple check it before submitting. Again, if working with a recruitment agency, they’ll be in a position to guide you through this task and will happily review it for you.
What questions to expect
As with any interview, you’ll be asked general questions about your past experiences, why you’re looking for a new opportunity and your knowledge of the company and what they offer.
For a role within real-world evidence, you should also expect to be asked about the types of projects you’ve worked on previously and the deliverables of these, so be sure to have answers prepared. You might also be asked to give examples of different working scenarios, such as leadership skills, successes within RWE or times where you’ve had to overcome difficulties. These types of questions typically occur in the latter stages of the interview process.
A job interview is as much about you finding out about the company as it is about them discovering whether you’ll be a good fit, so it’s worthwhile preparing a handful of questions to ask the interviewees. Some examples of these could be:
- Questions about the company
- What are the benefits of working there?
- What positive or unique selling points can this business offer?
- What would career progression look like in the role and what development opportunities might there be?
Final thoughts
We asked our Market Access Consultants for their top tips for anyone attending a RWE job interview: “Make sure you prepare some solid examples for the final round of the interview and be sure to have everything you’d need to make a decision should you be offered the role.
“Don’t be shy to ask your recruiter for extra information or details if it’ll help with your decision making and be sure to be transparent with them about your salary expectations and other interviews you’re attending. Remember, the interview is you assessing the company as much as it’s the company assessing you.”
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