Bristol Myers Squibb Research Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was quite fast. It began with an HR call. The HR person mentioned my background was a great match for the role and that they had an immediate opening. We covered some typical HR questions about my background and salary expectations. After about two weeks, I had an on-site meeting with the hiring manager and a group of scientists. They had prepared questions and asked standard behavioral questions like 'Tell me about a time you faced adversity on a project and how you handled it.' However, when I met with one of the research staff, I was surprised because she immediately gave me a skills test instead of a typical interview conversation. I was caught off guard by some very challenging, test-like questions. On a positive note, they treated me to lunch, and my conversations with the director and hiring manager went smoothly and felt more natural. They seemed very interested in my background and how well I would fit into the department, but ultimately, I didn't receive an offer, which was a bit disappointing. Still, you never know until it's finalized.

I spoke with HR first, then the hiring manager. The hiring manager didn't ask many technical questions, but instead talked about the work culture, what a typical day looks like, and the work environment. After that, I went through a panel interview where I gave a presentation and then answered questions for about 15 minutes. This was followed by several more interviews, usually with panels of one or two people, where they asked about my experience. These interviews weren't super technical; they were more focused on my perspectives to see if I was a good fit.

First, there was an initial chat with HR, then a phone call with the hiring manager. After that, I had an onsite interview for about an hour with the manager and some main stakeholders. The process was pretty straightforward, but they didn't give much info about the team and the job.