Interview tips for a job as a scientific technical editor?
October 22, 2018 6:38 PM   Subscribe

I'm interviewing (first by phone) for a scientific editor position with a state climate science institute that collaborates with government agencies. I really want to be as prepared as possible for this interview, and any that might follow.

I went to college later in life to become a science writer, but as this work is hard to find in my city, have worked mostly as a journalist since graduating in 2009.

This interview is important to me.

If you have worked/hired in this field, PLEASE share any tips! I'll share the basics I am covering below; I'm taking any tips, but would prefer advice specifically related to preparing myself for a position like this one.So far, I am
* preparing answers to questions I might encounter
* learning reference management systems (EndNote)
* Familiarizing myself with CSE citation style
* Familiarizing myself with the people on the search committee
* Prepping writing samples

What else should I be doing? I have a week to continue to prepare.
posted by Jennifer S. to Science & Nature (5 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I am a scientist who has worked adjacent to climate scientists and also a few govt. science agencies. I have not done hiring in your area but I have seen this process third hand.

I think the best things to focus on and express are your (domain-specific) scientific literacy and ability to write clearly and carefully.

The main thing scientists cannot tolerate from the press office is being misrepresented, the second is having to spend too much effort in communicating.
posted by SaltySalticid at 6:55 PM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


A scientific editor for a state climate science institute that collaborates with government agencies might or might not be expected to align herself according to prevailing political winds, but I think you should prepare for the interview with that possibility in mind.
posted by jamjam at 7:19 PM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


Best answer: I'm a technical editor, but in software and not research science.

Your interviewer may want to talk as much about your teamwork skills as they do about your editing skills. Editing as part of a team means spending a lot of time balancing the needs of multiple groups. (In a perfect world, any conflict could be resolved by checking the style guide. In reality, there are a lot of judgment calls, a lot of compromises, and a lot of pick-your-battles situations.) Where I work, at least, it would help a lot if you were able to present yourself as flexible, diplomatic, and able to prioritize.

I agree that it makes sense to focus on your ability to write clearly. It's relatively easy to teach someone a new style guide. It's harder to teach someone to value clarity, or to empathize with the reader in ways that let them understand whether something is clear. So having a good ear for clarity overall but not knowing their specific style is actually a decently strong position — you've got the part that's hard to teach, and you can catch up on the rest.
posted by nebulawindphone at 7:40 PM on October 22, 2018 [2 favorites]


My job title is "Scientist" but I'm basically a science writer/editor -- I almost never get to do experiments. When I interview people to join the team at my job, I just chit chat with them to learn two things: (1) Are they technophobes? (We use a whole bunch of different software and there is quite a learning curve. A technophobe would not be happy here.) and (2) Are they nice/a good fit socially? (We all work together pretty closely so that's important.) That's ALL I want to know from the interview... because after that, we get their writing samples, and that is where the decision will be made.

If I were you, I would spend 90% of my time polishing those writing samples (all sources cited in EndNote, or Zotero, or whatever), and the remaining 10% on finding out what the org does and reading its output, so you can chat comfortably about that.

Now, I'm assuming here that you will be talking to the hiring manager in your first interview. If not -- if you'll be talking to HR or somebody -- then for sure, have an answer for all the likely interview questions, etc., so you don't get screened out before you talk to a real person. Good luck!
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 9:26 PM on October 22, 2018 [1 favorite]


Apologies if you considered this too obvious to mention, but certainly reading a substantial amount of their publications, if they are public, and related publications from similar organizations.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 6:40 AM on October 23, 2018 [2 favorites]


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