What is “Extreme Interviewing”? Is there such a thing? Does this term even exist in the dictionary?

The short, and maybe obvious, answer is “No.” So perhaps I am guilty of coining a new term for the purpose of this article, but it is a concept that is very relevant and worth highlighting in today’s hiring process.

A noteworthy question was asked at last year's World Congress Medical Affairs Strategic Summit in Philadelphia – a gathering primarily consisting of Medical Science Liaison Managers and Directors.

“What do Medical Affairs Managers look for when interviewing Medical Science Liaison candidates?”

 Joan Cannon, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at Lundbeck Pharmaceuticals, answered this frequently asked question by saying, “During our hiring process, we look for extreme behaviors displayed on interviews. We look to see if candidates are going to drop their guard and break out of professional mode during the course of our conversations. We expect that candidates are going to be on their best behavior during an interview (and throughout their tenure with us) – so if we see that they can't control their behavior during the course of a half-day or full-day interview in conversations with several leaders in industry, we can only imagine what might happen six or twelve months down the road when they are in front of our cl