What challenges do you anticipate if hired as our next Medical Science Liaison, and how will you meet those challenges?
When starting a new job, you will always face new challenges. Given the MSL positions can differ from company to company and medical industry to different medical industry, your interviewer wants to hear that you have put some thought into this question, that you recognize where you might personally be challenged and that you have a plan for tackling any challenges that you foresee.
"As you can see from my resume, I have spent the last 10 years of my career in medical devices. While I am very confident in my abilities to build great relationships with the KOLs I will be supporting in this role, my learning curve will come in resetting my focus in the cardiovascular care arena of healthcare. If I were fortunate enough to be offered this role, I would immediately begin learning and mastering your products to become as knowledgeable as possible on day one of the job."
Discuss with your interviewer a couple of responsibilities in this MDL role that will present a learning curve for you. What your interviewer will ideally be looking to hear is that you have a plan in mind for meeting and overcoming the challenges that you foresee. Perhaps this opportunity requires you to learn the details of an unfamiliar medical specialty and you know that it will take some time to adjust. Be honest with the interviewer about the challenges you expect to face; however, focus most of your response on the action steps you plan to take to meet these challenges.
