Building on our prior discussion about the seven essential traits crucial for Operational Technology (OT) roles, particularly in regulated industries like life sciences, this article explores how hiring managers can pinpoint these qualities during interviews. While recognising these attributes is valuable, the art of uncovering them lies in asking the right questions and analysing candidates’ responses with precision. For hiring managers, crafting interviews that reveal these nuanced traits is a challenging yet rewarding process.
OT environments demand precision, adaptability, problem-solving aptitude, strong communication, curiosity, risk awareness, and resilience. Evaluating these traits effectively in an interview requires more than generic questions. By incorporating specific, thoughtful queries, hiring managers can gain meaningful insights into candidates’ potential and readiness for these specialised roles.
The Value of Targeted Questions
In OT environments, particularly within life sciences, technical expertise alone is not enough. Candidates must demonstrate how they approach complex challenges, communicate with cross-functional teams, and ensure compliance with strict regulatory standards like FDA requirements or Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
The right questions allow hiring managers to delve into a candidate’s experiences and assess their ability to navigate the intricacies of the OT space. For example, consider asking a candidate to describe a situation where their attention to detail prevented a compliance issue during a production run or testing phase. Beyond assessing their meticulousness, this query can reveal their situational awareness and ability to anticipate risks within a regulated environment.
Crafting Questions Around Core Traits
Each of the seven essential traits can be evaluated through tailored questions:
- Attention to Detail: "Can you describe a situation where your eye for detail prevented a compliance issue during a production run or testing phase in a regulated environment?"
In life sciences, where a single miscalibration in an automated system can jeopardise product quality, this question assesses a candidate’s ability to notice small but impactful details. - Adaptability: "Tell me about a time when an equipment validation process didn’t go as planned. How did you adapt to ensure timely and compliant outcomes?"
This allows candidates to showcase their ability to stay effective when faced with unexpected challenges in high-stakes environments. - Problem-Solving: "Describe how you addressed a breakdown in a critical system, such as an automated lab instrument or cleanroom monitoring equipment, while adhering to quality standards."
Candidates’ responses reveal their analytical skills and their ability to balance problem-solving with regulatory compliance. - Communication: "How do you ensure clarity when explaining technical concepts to colleagues unfamiliar with the subject matter, particularly in cross-functional teams?"
This question highlights a candidate’s ability to foster collaboration in environments where technical and non-technical teams must work cohesively. - Curiosity: "What new technology have you recently mastered, and how have you applied it in your work?"
In the rapidly evolving OT space, this query uncovers a candidate’s commitment to staying current and their openness to innovation. - Risk Awareness: "Can you describe how you identified and mitigated a potential risk in a past role, particularly one with significant compliance implications?"
This question helps assess foresight and decision-making in risk-prone OT scenarios. - Resilience: "Tell me about a high-pressure situation you managed in a regulated OT environment. What strategies did you employ to maintain focus and deliver results?"
Integrating Insightful Questions into Interviews
Crafting insightful questions is only the first step. The way these questions are integrated into the interview process matters greatly. In life sciences, follow-up queries such as, “How did your solution ensure compliance with GMP or ISO standards?” or, “What steps did you take to document the resolution?” provide deeper insights into a candidate’s ability to align technical decisions with regulatory requirements.
Interviews are most effective when approached as a conversation rather than a checklist. By allowing candidates to elaborate and ask questions of their own, hiring managers can gain a deeper understanding of their thought processes and priorities. Observing how candidates engage with the interview process itself can also provide valuable insights into their suitability for the role.
Collaboration plays a vital role in interviews for OT positions. Including team members from various departments ensures a well-rounded evaluation. Cross-functional roles require seamless interaction between technical and operational staff, so input from future colleagues can help gauge how well a candidate might integrate into the team.
Practical Applications for Recruitment
Insights gathered during interviews should translate into actionable evaluations. Using rubrics tailored to OT environments—such as assessing how candidates prioritise safety during system failures or how they troubleshoot proprietary technology—ensures consistent and relevant evaluations.
Structured rubrics can be designed to score candidates on situational awareness, adherence to safety protocols, and their ability to troubleshoot effectively in OT-specific scenarios.
Simulated scenarios can also enhance the interview process. For example, simulating a scenario where a cleanroom’s HVAC system fails tests a candidate’s ability to think on their feet while maintaining compliance and operational efficiency.
Additionally, assessing candidates’ engagement throughout the interview provides another layer of insight.
Observing their enthusiasm for discussing previous projects, their willingness to reflect on mistakes, and their ability to connect their experiences to the requirements of the role all contribute to forming a complete picture of their capabilities.
How nufuture Can Help
At nufuture, we specialise in helping Life Sciences organisations navigate the complexities of OT recruitment. From designing customised interview frameworks to sourcing professionals with deep experience in GMP-regulated environments, we support you every step of the way.
Our tailored services include:
- Creating interview frameworks that align with the unique demands of OT roles in regulated industries.
- Training hiring teams on how to assess behavioural and technical competencies.
- Providing access to a wide network of OT professionals, ensuring you source top-tier talent.
Beyond recruitment, nufuture offers onboarding guidance to ensure new hires seamlessly integrate into cross-functional teams.
Connect with nufuture today to explore how we can help you build a team prepared to tackle the unique demands of the OT space.