Sales candidates are trained communicators. They can build rapport fast, tell a great story, and look confident in an interview. So how do you tell the difference between real capability and interview polish?

In Episode 4 of The Talent Lab, Brad McMillan and Marina Hart (RPM ReSearch) sit down with Aaron Schieving, a commercial leader with 20+ years building teams across biotech and life sciences. Aaron explains why commercial hiring is high-stakes in life sciences: sales cycles can run 6–9 months, and a mis-hire can delay revenue and force you to restart onboarding and training all over again.

Aaron walks through a structured hiring process built to reduce gut-feel decisions, including his “ticket” (a clear definition of the ideal hire), a 30-minute conversation before any formal interview, and a sales assessment built around five common weaknesses that can limit performance: need for approval, emotional involvement, money weakness, self-limiting beliefs, and buy cycle.

He also shares why he gives candidates their results—whether he hires them or not—and how transparency can strengthen your employer brand over time.

Link to Aaron Schieving book:

https://www.amazon.com/Infinite-Positivity-practical-business-customers/dp/B0DGF83ZPM

Most hiring problems don’t start in the interview. They start before it.

In this episode of The Talent Lab, Brad and Marina unpack the first real question hiring managers need to answer before posting a role:

What is the first real problem this person will own?

Not the job description.

Not the long-term career path.

The first project or decision that will quickly reveal whether this hire is working — or not.

They also break down a common leadership mistake: trying to hire for build, stabilize, scale, and fix all at once. Every function is in a state. If you don’t define it, your interviews will wander — and your “ideal candidate” will contradict itself.

If you’re a hiring manager, director, or founder in biotech, clinical research, or drug development, this conversation will sharpen how you define outcomes, performance standards, and risk before you ever ask your first interview question.

Clarity upfront. Stronger interviews downstream.

The Hiring Kickoff checklist

In this presentation, Brad McMillan—Founder of RPM ReSearch, a boutique executive search firm in biopharmaceutical drug development—breaks down resumes and interviews from the perspective of how hiring decisions are actually made.

This session is not about templates, buzzwords, or gaming ATS systems. It focuses on how candidates and hiring managers can better prepare for interviews by understanding impact, metrics, decision-making, and storytelling. You’ll learn why resumes are designed to earn conversations (not jobs), how numbers and context create differentiation, and how structured preparation leads to more confident interviews.

Topics include resume impact vs. responsibilities, interview preparation strategies, metrics-driven storytelling, leadership communication, and how preparation helps control the conversation throughout the hiring process. Whether you’re navigating a job search, leading teams, or making hiring decisions, this session provides practical guidance you can apply immediately.

Free resources are shared to help you prepare more effectively.
To continue the conversation and access more insights, connect with RPM ReSearch on LinkedIn.

Check out presentation:

Presentation Link

If you’ve ever walked out of an interview thinking“I still don’t know if this is the right person” — this is for you.

We created a Hiring Manager Interview Kit based on 30+ years of recruiting experience filling difficult roles across preclinical and clinical organizations.

It helps hiring managers:

• Prepare better

• Ask fewer, better questions

• Avoid “vibes-based” decisions

• Get confident faster

  https://ChecklistRPM.short.gy/RPMchecklist