How to Pass Your First Job Interview (Even If You've Never Interviewed Before)

You spent hours perfecting your resume. Then the interview invitation arrives... now what?

Many candidates prepare by memorizing answers to common interview questions. But industry interviews aren’t random conversations. They’re structured evaluations. Once you understand what each stage is trying to assess, preparing becomes much more focused and far less stressful.

Last week we talked about the toxicology ecosystem and how understanding different organizations helps you target the right roles. This week we’re shifting from getting the interview to succeeding in it. If you’ve ever wondered why you aced the technical interview questions but didn’t move forward or asked what’s the point of the “Tell me about yourself” question, this article is for you.

While a polished resume opens the door, a polished interview convinces the hiring team to invite you in. Interviews have multiple goals: to evaluate your technical knowledge, to assess your soft skills, and to gauge how well you interact with the team. To accomplish these goals, many organizations operate by a multistage interview process with each stage serving a particular function.

The general multi-interview process is as follows:

1. Human Resources or Recruiter Screening Interview (Virtual)

2. Hiring Manager Interview (Virtual)

3. Job Talk & Panel Interview (Virtual or Onsite)

Preparation for each stage is key to making it to the next round. However, in order to prepare properly, you first need to understand what the stages are, the objective of each stage, and the best strategies for presenting yourself as the strongest match for the role.

Overview of the interview process.

Stage 1: The Recruiter Screen

The first interview round is typically a screening call conducted by either the organization Human Resources recruiter or an independent recruiter who is helping the organization find suitable candidates. If you’re invited to an initial screening interview, it means that your application was selected based on the content of your resume by the recruiter or—in some cases—the hiring manager. This interview is generally about 30 minutes long and evaluates candidate alignment with the role in terms of the role requirements like genuine interest in the role, salary expectations, and location preferences.

The objective at this stage is to save the hiring team’s time if an applicant may not be a fit on a nonnegotiable aspect of the role. For example, if a role requires an individual to be onsite either hybrid or fulltime, candidates seeking fully remote work will not be passed on to the next round. While it’s best to be honest about what you’re seeking, researching sector and organization standards ahead of time helps to set realistic expectations.

Job descriptions will often list role requirements. As I previously mentioned in my post on positioning yourself as a compelling candidate, hiring teams have specific visions of their ideal applicant with regard to: education, technical expertise, and interpersonal skills. Anything listed as a “requirement” or “minimum requirement” in the job description should be listed on your resume if applicable. You should be able to support your resume history with concrete evidence during interviews. If you list an experience on your resume, you will likely be asked about during the interview stage.

Review your CV and brainstorm concrete examples of real events to back up each bullet point. Ideally, this should be done in the STAR format. For example, this resume line “Developed and optimized new assays when existing methods were insufficient,” can be transformed into an interview-ready STAR response like so:

In addition to preparing STAR examples, you should also research the organization before the interview. Organizations want to hire people who resonate with their culture and mission. You can find this information about any organization on their website. Before going into the screening interview, you should be able to answer these questions: What activities or solutions does this organization specialize in? How does their culture and mission align with your work style and professional aspirations?

Every bullet on your resume should have a story behind it.

Your goal should be to show the interviewer that you are a suitable candidate for the role who meets the technical requirements, is genuinely interested in the role, and personable. Because the recruiter is not a toxicologist, you won’t be asked extensive technical questions at this stage of the interview process. Still, you should be able to give a well-rounded picture of yourself as a professional scientist.

Typical questions that are asked during this stage include:

• Tell me about yourself.

• Why are you interested in this role?

• Why are you interested in this organization?

• Are you okay with being onsite/hybrid/remote?

• What are your salary expections?

These questions aren’t meant to trip you up. Recruiters simply want to confirm that you’re qualified, interested, and aligned with the role. The goal isn’t to show off how smart or accomplished you are but to give clear, concise answers that demonstrate fit for the role.

Don’t assume the recruiter has connected every dot on your resume. Your job is to tell the story behind your experience and explain why you’re a strong fit. This is your opportunity to advocate for yourself. For example, when responding to “Tell me about yourself,” you should succinctly highlight the specific aspects of your research background that are well suited to the role, one accomplishment tied to them, and how your background and professional passions tie into suitability to this role and organization.

As an example, let’s revisit the fictional Translational Safety Scientist job posting. This “Tell me about yourself” response demonstrates how to connect your experience, the job requirements, and the company’s mission (“patient-first science”) into a compelling introduction:

“I’m currently completing my postdoctoral training in immunotoxicology, where I’ve focused on developing and applying human-relevant in vitro models to better understand biological mechanisms and improve translational safety predictions.

Throughout my research, I’ve designed complex cell-based studies, collaborated with multidisciplinary teams, and translated mechanistic findings into scientific publications and presentations.

What excites me about this opportunity is the chance to contribute to patient-first science by helping build safer, more effective cancer therapies. I thrive in collaborative environments where teamwork, accountability, and agility are valued, and I’m excited to bring both my scientific curiosity and hands-on laboratory experience to a translational safety team.”

In less than a minute, this answer communicates technical expertise, motivation, and cultural fit—the three things recruiters want to confirm before moving you forward.

Interviews are a conversation, not an interrogation. While the recruiter may open by asking you several questions, you will have an opportunity to ask questions about the role. Interviews should be mutual evaluations of whether a job will be a suitable fit.

Recruiter questions can help you understand the characteristics of an ideal candidate and identify experiences that highlight why you’re a strong fit for the role. Use the recruiter screen to gather information that will help you evaluate the opportunity and prepare for the next interview stage. Consider asking questions like:

• Why is this position open? (Is the team growing, or is this a backfill?)

• Can you tell me a little about the team and who this role will work with most closely?

• What qualities or experiences are the hiring manager looking for in their ideal candidate?

• What does the rest of the interview process look like, and how can I best prepare for the next stage?

• What opportunities are available for professional development and career growth?

It’s always good practice to have questions prepared at every stage of the interview process. Asking questions shows engagement and interest in the role and also gives you more insight into whether or not you want to join an organization.

Recruiters are looking for people who clearly communicate their value. The more intentionally you prepare, the more confidently you’ll interview. Preparation turns experience into opportunity.

Try This 👉 Resume-to-STAR Exercise.

Choose one bullet from your resume or CV.

Then answer these four questions:

• Situation: What problem or opportunity were you working on?

• Task: What was your responsibility?

• Action: What specific steps did you take?

• Result: What changed because of your work?

If you can’t answer all four questions, the bullet probably needs refinement or you need to think more deeply about the story behind it.

Interviews reward preparation, not improvisation. Understanding what each stage is designed to evaluate helps you focus on the right things instead of trying to memorize perfect answers. Next week, we’ll dive into the hiring manager interview.

Thanks for reading From Bench to Beyond!

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© 2026 Lauren Walker. All rights reserved. No reproduction without permission.

Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and reflects personal opinions, not professional or legal advice