I had two phone interviews: one from a recruiter and a second from the two leads I would be working under. I had one in person interview as well with both leads (half hour each) and a follow-up with the recruiter.
During the phone interview, the recruiter did an excellent job explaining the background of the company and the recent developments under the current CEO. Like most recruiters, there's two efforts at obtaining a salary estimate from you. I usually don't like to discuss that until I get technical details about the job and demonstrate the value I'm bringing to the position.
The phone interviews with the leads were very informal. I detailed, chronologically, my work experience and highlighted different projects I felt I made a difference on.
The in-person interview was also informal. My first lead expressed no hesitation regarding my fit for the position. We discussed on-going projects and some of the science behind prior projects I was affiliated with. The second lead took a more structured interview route and felt a little more formal.
The follow-up with the recruiter was straightforward. Salary came up again with her providing an estimated range. It seemed like a fair estimate based on my experience and the research I had completed prior regarding similar roles at other biotech companies. To be candid, I didn’t feel like I needed to negotiate it (which is a good sign).