At Myelin-H, we're on a continuous journey of growth, currently featuring three available job positions (find more information on our website and LinkedIn page). With a significant multi-site clinical trial kicking off in 2024, we're gearing up to advertise five to six more positions in 2024. As we sift through the 150 applications received for our current roles (with 15 candidates shortlisted), we've noticed a common inquiry from applicants: insights into Myelin-H's interview and selection process. This inspired us to shed light on what we seek in applicants, hoping to assist prospective Myelinners in their journey. Let’s not put the “cart before the horse” and let's start with the basics - the application submission:
The crucial point most applicants don’t understand about the process is the importance of having a clear CV with less jargon; a CV which mirrors their skillset and background. Since our inception, we've encountered a plethora of applications - some are off-the-charts good, some are reasonably good, some mediocre, and some puzzling. Whilst an applicant may sometimes sound like an excellent fit, their CV might not vividly portray that.
If your CV is clear and your background is aligned with what we are looking for, you will receive a selection email with the nitty-gritty details (explaining the interview process). Let's delve into our 3-stage evaluation process whose name is "NeuroRaiser" and whose description is below:
- NeuroRaiser Stage 1: An hour-long interview. This interview will be conducted with Myelin-H's founders, whose purpose is to get to know you and your motivation and assess your suitability for a position at Myelin-H. Please expect both technical and general questions. This part is split into four blocks: A set of questions from block one (15 minutes) will try to understand you as a human being, your career aspirations, motivations, what we call “your cup of tea” and why you and why us. Understandably, unlike game theory, this is not a zero-sum game where there is a loser and there is a winner but we must both win. A typical banana skin we have observed here is an applicant who is unable to express themselves clearly, articulate their aspirations, and their motivation behind joining Myelin-H. Vague answers or “a one-size-fits-all” and pre-cooked answers will usually reveal that the applicant did not even bother doing the homework to understand the job position or the company that they want to work for. A set of questions from block 2 (15 minutes) is designed to scrutinise the applicant's CV and get into the nuts and bolts of their technical background, and previous projects, whose purpose is to assess whether the candidate has a good grip on the concepts and techniques stated in their CV. To illustrate, if an applicant has done a deep learning project before, they should in essence be able to explain what a backpropagation algorithm is. The third block (the most important one) has a set of questions to assess the applicant's soft skills, reasoning, thought process, and tenets. You can expect puzzles, metaphoric questions or a request to walk us through how you would deal with an unrealistic scenario using your logic and rationale. We don’t necessarily expect correct answers here, it is just a way to decode your way of thinking. A good tip here is to unashamedly admit when you don’t know the answer rather than pretend that or communicate nonsense. At Myelin-H, we value candidates who exhibit candour by openly admitting when they don't know the answer. This quality reveals a lot about the applicant's mindset and mentality. The fourth block is where the "ball is in your court" to ask the interviewers any questions. A good applicant comes to the meeting prepared with good questions about the company and the role.?
- NeuroRaiser Stage 2: Surviving the first scrutiny leads to a second interview with a Myelinner from the technical team. This assesses your technical and hard skills, including a practical project (a technical project at home) resembling the role's tasks. Beware of shortcuts; AI tools (e.g. ChatGPT) won't go unnoticed.
- NeuroRaiser Stage 3: If you pass stage 2 of NeuroRaiser, the third interview covers administrative aspects, work environment, and benefits, and offers an opportunity for your questions. By this stage, an offer letter should be on its way.
While we invite groups to interviews, we acknowledge there may be equally good candidates we pass over due to their inability to convey their strengths. To stand out, your application must be exceptional. All involved Myelin-H Folk will read your application and assess your interview separately to avoid groupthink bias.?
- Marketing & Noise: We're immune to marketing-speak; it's just noise to us.
- Generic Answers: Generic answers when talking about motivation, aspirations, technical details, and achievements carry no weight.
- Transparency and directness: Be open about your limits or insecurities. Transparency matters; concealing flaws may lead to assumptions. If we think of a flaw you don’t mention, we’ll either assume it’s because you don’t want to share it or even worse you are unaware of it.
- Avoid Jargon:? We want to believe you are the best person for this role and as soon as you are empowered with all the tech tools available at Myelin-H, you will fire on all cylinders. So help us believe through your answers. Convince us with clear, concise, and nimble answers. Every word in the interview matters.
If you've made it this far in reading our blog, congratulations! You should now have gained valuable insights into Myelin-H and our recruitment process. Now, consider taking the next exciting step - applying to become a Myelinner. At Myelin-H, we're not just offering jobs; we're inviting you to be part of a mission - A mission to empower over a billion individuals facing brain disorders, including 2.8 million with multiple sclerosis, by leveraging revolutionary brain-machine interface technology.
If the mission speaks to you and if you are excited to work at the intersection of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, bio-sensing, and neuroengineering, please join us for the ride. As we pave the way for groundbreaking projects and a multi-site clinical trial in 2024, the stage is set for individuals who seek more than a job; they seek an immersive experience in the world of cutting-edge neurotechnology and they want to create the future of personalised brain health through the development of home-ready brain-machine interfaces.
