When you click something on your computer, you probably don’t think much about it. It’s just a click, right? But behind that simple action are thousands, sometimes millions of lines of code, written by teams of programmers to make that click work exactly as expected.
Research is a lot like that. You read an article in a prestigious journal and see the final product, but what you don’t see is everything it took to get there. And it’s not just the hours spent in the lab or out in the field collecting data. It’s the experiments that failed, the grant proposals that were rejected, the personal sacrifices - the time the authors gave up with loved ones, the struggle to get permits or funding.
When you’re on a search committee, reading through CVs, it’s even harder to see. You skim through publications, look for impact factors, maybe check the journals. But what about the story behind those publications? You can ask candidates in an interview about difficult moments in their careers, but even then, a lot remains hidden. The pressure to publish, to meet deadlines, to “succeed” in academia often keeps the personal struggles out of sight.
And yet, those personal stories matter. Research is about more than just results or contributing to knowledge. It’s also about the people behind those achievements. Their stories, challenges, and resilience can reveal the character and determination that don’t show up on a CV. That’s why interviews are a must - for both sides. As a candidate, interviews give you the chance to show who you are beyond your CV. As an interviewer, it’s your opportunity to learn who the person behind the papers really is.
Next time you’re being interviewed - or interviewing someone - think about that. Think beyond the research. Think about the human being behind the work. If you’re the candidate, don’t be afraid to share how you navigated a difficult situation. If you’re the evaluator, don't be afraid to ask. Politely, but ask.
Because research isn’t just about what we learn; it’s also about the people who make those discoveries possible.
-- João
Research is a lot like that. You read an article in a prestigious journal and see the final product, but what you don’t see is everything it took to get there. And it’s not just the hours spent in the lab or out in the field collecting data. It’s the experiments that failed, the grant proposals that were rejected, the personal sacrifices - the time the authors gave up with loved ones, the struggle to get permits or funding.
When you’re on a search committee, reading through CVs, it’s even harder to see. You skim through publications, look for impact factors, maybe check the journals. But what about the story behind those publications? You can ask candidates in an interview about difficult moments in their careers, but even then, a lot remains hidden. The pressure to publish, to meet deadlines, to “succeed” in academia often keeps the personal struggles out of sight.
And yet, those personal stories matter. Research is about more than just results or contributing to knowledge. It’s also about the people behind those achievements. Their stories, challenges, and resilience can reveal the character and determination that don’t show up on a CV. That’s why interviews are a must - for both sides. As a candidate, interviews give you the chance to show who you are beyond your CV. As an interviewer, it’s your opportunity to learn who the person behind the papers really is.
Next time you’re being interviewed - or interviewing someone - think about that. Think beyond the research. Think about the human being behind the work. If you’re the candidate, don’t be afraid to share how you navigated a difficult situation. If you’re the evaluator, don't be afraid to ask. Politely, but ask.
Because research isn’t just about what we learn; it’s also about the people who make those discoveries possible.
-- João