I applied online. The process took 6 months. I interviewed at Sanofi (Framingham, MA) in Mar 2012
Interview
After applying online in October 2011, i was contacted by Genzyme a week later, had a phone interview with the hiring manager, and the senior staff. 2 days later, i was contacted by the HR and was invited to give a talk. I gave them several options for dates, but they never got back to me. I sent the HR manager an email to request a date for the onsite interview, but he responded that he was still waiting for the hiring manager to get back to him. They finally contacted me in February and explained to me that because of a hiring freeze and the merger with Sanofi everything was delayed. I went for an onsite interview, gave a talk. It took them a while to check the references. I got another offer in the meantime, and finally the Genzyme offer came in 3 weeks after the interview.
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Other Associate Director interview reviews for Sanofi
I went through a long and ultimately disappointing interview process with Sanofi. The entire process took roughly three months. After I applied, I was contacted by an HR representative and then interviewed by the hiring manager. Both conversations were friendly, and I was told they were very interested in my background. I was also asked whether I could work from the Cambridge office three days a week.
Next came a one-hour panel interview. It went exceptionally well, and based on the feedback, I expected an offer. Instead, two weeks later HR reached out again to schedule additional interviews — one with a more senior leader and another technical interview. Both of these conversations went well too, with a mix of behavioral and technical questions.
Afterward, I again expected a decision. Instead, 1–2 weeks later HR told me I was still a candidate but that they were also interviewing people outside the U.S. “to finalize the list of finalists.” That was unexpected and confusing.
About a month after that, I was informed that the position had been given to a candidate from Europe.
Overall, the process felt extremely drawn-out and indecisive. I invested a lot of time and energy and consistently received strong signals of interest, only for things to shift multiple times. It was a disappointing experience, and in hindsight it may be for the best — a hiring process this uncertain does not inspire confidence in how the organization operates internally.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us about a new scientific method that you developed.
Pretty standard but more automated feel - screening call with a general HR person and then got invited to a 5 person panel interview. After a few weeks I got an offer from a HR person I didn't interact at all
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Sanofi (Cambridge, MA)
Interview
The whole process was very organized and moved quickly. The Sanofi team was communicative throughout, and the interview process itself felt very comfortable (more a conversation than rigid, stereotypical interview style questions).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Have you worked with someone who is difficult before, and how do you handle such interactions?