I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at Pfizer
Interview
Day 1 - Recruiter- 8 minutes phone talk, on why interested in the role, salary expectations ($11,000), whether need visa support (no). I asked when I could expect to hear back, was told within a week
Day 1 - heard from hiring manager/principle scientist, set up a meeting for day 2
Day 2 - 30 minutes phone talk with hiring manager. Some technical questions, some behavioral questions. We really hit it off.
Day 6 - got email asking for title of panel presentation.
Day 7 - got email about panel interview schedule
Day 24 or so - panel interview, presentation. My computer screen went dark in the last 30 minutes. I got distracted trying to switch to another computer. Hiring manager was visibly disappointed. Later heard from the person who sent me the referral that the directors preferred the other candidate who had more experience than I did. Even though the hiring manager advocated for me my computer multination didn’t help. Not likely getting the job.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
- Why did you apply for this position?
- salary expectations, at least how much
- how do you explain complicated problems?
- have you managed other people?
- as a senior scientist, you’ll need to discipline your subordinates. If someone’s work is not satisfactory how would you talk to them?
- how do you prevent or tell anybody cross-reactions in immuno assays?
- industry is different than academia. Sometimes you need to switch your work fast. Have you had to stop working on a project suddenly and start a new one?
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at Pfizer (La Jolla, CA)
Interview
Pretty intense interview process, 45 minute seminar followed by questions, defence style. 6 panel interviews with 2-4 subject matter experts throughout the day, and 3 1:1 interviews with leadership. Lunch and dinner provided. Decision was communicated almost 4 weeks later.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Why did the result you were trying to get in your previous job did not pan out and what would you do differently?
Initial interview was conducted by HR, which was about a 30 minute interview going over your skills and experience in high level. Hiring manager reached out directly after ~2-3 weeks of time and had a ~1 hr interview via Teams.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
- 5 questions on a scale 1-5 regarding specific skills they are looking for
- Technical scientific questions to evaluate your familiarity on the subject
I interviewed at Pfizer (Bothell, WA) in Sept 2024
Interview
I had 4 rounds of interviews. First screening call with the HR. Then teams interview with the hiring manager followed by an onsite visit with 10 interviewers and final teams interview with one of the senior team mates.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
1. How to prioritize between projects?
2. They asked a few technical questions.