Bio-Rad Laboratories Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

It was a weird interview. First up, a phone screen where the interviewer told me to call him at a specific time. I did, and guess what, he wasn't ready. Once we started talking, I saw the job description didn't really match the role or prep me for the technical question they hit me with (honestly, these are usually for screening and getting to the next step). Then, the interviewer started spilling about some messy department stuff and screw-ups, making it seem like he didn't care much about the company or me. I reached out again a couple weeks later, and HR called me. They asked a few follow-up questions and told me to 'sit tight,' which made me think they were interested. A couple more weeks passed, still nothing. I followed up one last time and got told they'd already offered the job to someone else. So, they probably decided on the role before I even interviewed.

I interviewed for a role at the Digital Biology Center in Pleasanton. It started with a phone screen where they asked me basic questions about my knowledge, like what PCR is and how it works. After that, I was invited for an onsite interview. The hiring manager and another engineer interviewed me. The interview had two parts: first, a typical behavioral and resume-based interview, and second, a practical interview testing my basic lab knowledge. I was told I did very well and they scheduled a final HR screening. However, the HR screening never happened. I was later informed that the position had been put on hold.

So, first they asked me to demo my app live, which was a bit of a surprise because an earlier manager had mentioned I should be ready to talk through some code. They really need to be clearer about what they want us to prepare. Then, during an eigenvector question, the interviewer got confused, ended up answering it himself, and I didn't even get a chance to try, even though we actually finished the interview with time to spare.