How to Run Better Interviews in Deep Tech: A Guide for Technical Hiring Managers

Hiring in this space is tough. You’re dealing with a small, highly specialised talent pool, and many of the strongest candidates aren’t actively looking. When they do enter a hiring process, it often takes just one misstep for them to disengage.
 
Conducting interviews isn’t just about assessing capability. It’s about creating a process that gives both sides a clear, accurate impression, without slowing things down or missing key signals.
 
Here’s how experienced hiring managers are refining their approach to run faster, more effective interviews in quantum and adjacent fields.
 
1. Know what you’re really trying to measure
Interviews often go off-track because the questions don’t map to the actual work. Someone’s ability to solve an abstract physics problem on a whiteboard may not correlate with how they debug an experimental system or optimise a circuit.
 
Before each stage, define what you’re trying to uncover:
 

• Can they communicate complex concepts to a cross-functional team?
• Do they know how to balance theory with practical constraints?
• How do they respond to ambiguity or failure in real-world conditions?

 
Keep the scope relevant. Candidates in this space tend to see through irrelevant or padded-out questions and you risk losing their interest quickly.
 
2. Make the process representative, not performative
Candidates with advanced academic or research backgrounds are used to being evaluated, but they also know when they’re being put through hoops for the sake of it.
 
What works better:
 

• Using real (non-sensitive) scenarios from your current projects
• Having a technical peer walk through an actual problem the team is working on
• Giving space for the candidate to ask thoughtful, informed questions about the system architecture or roadmap

 
This builds rapport and gives them a realistic sense of what it’s like to work with your team.
 
3. Don’t assume industry experience means fit, or lack of it
It’s common to see brilliant minds overlooked because their experience doesn’t match a traditional job title. Especially in quantum, candidates might come from academic labs, spinouts, national research institutes, or hybrid roles that blend simulation, experimentation, and software.
 
Instead of filtering by background, dig into:
 

• How close their prior work is to your domain (even if terminology differs)
• Their understanding of system-level trade-offs
• How quickly they can get up to speed with your tools, hardware, or stack

 
You’re hiring for potential and adaptability, not just past job titles.
 
4. Showcase your technical culture, not just the science
Strong candidates want to know what they’re walking into. Are they joining a siloed research team or a collaborative, product-focused group? Will they have input into design decisions? Will they be supported, mentored, challenged?
 
Don’t just pitch the company vision, show them:
 

• How you approach cross-functional work
• How research decisions feed into product development
• What the team is proud of (and what you’re still figuring out)

Hiring goes both ways. The best candidates assess the interview as carefully as you assess them.
 
5. Be decisive and close with intent
Talented people in this space don’t stay on the market long. If your process drags on or goes quiet between stages, it’s not just inefficient, it sends a signal that you’re not fully aligned or invested.
 
Avoid common pitfalls:
 

• Too many decision-makers, with no clear owner of the process
• Multiple technical rounds covering the same ground
• Delayed feedback or lack of clarity on next steps

 
Instead, structure your process around clear objectives, tight timelines, and prompt feedback, even for candidates you don’t move forward with. It reflects well on your brand, and it leaves the door open for future conversations.
 
Need support scaling your team?
We work with high-growth companies across the quantum ecosystem, covering everything from algorithm development and embedded software to photonics, cryogenics, and control systems.
 
Whether you’re hiring your first engineer or building a multi-disciplinary team, we can help streamline your hiring strategy and connect you with the right technical talent.
 
Let’s talk.