Calico Life Sciences Research Associate Interview Questions
& Process

I applied and spoke with a recruiter, then went through several 1-on-1 interviews and an all-day online panel interview with about 10 people. The interviews were really unpleasant; most interviewers were rude and condescending, and the overall vibe felt elitist and pretentious, like I had to prove I was worthy of being there. People were unfriendly, didn't smile much, were curt, and acted like the interview was a bother. The questions were extremely technical, with no personality assessment at all, like a college final exam. Some science questions weren't relevant to the job or mentioned in the description. When I asked one PI about the qualities of a perfect employee, he told me to just look at the job description. Some people didn't even leave time for my questions. The whole process took about 3 weeks, followed by 3 weeks of silence before I was rejected. They also asked for references before the panel interview, which was a bit odd.

I applied and after 3 weeks a recruiter reached out. Then I had a 30-minute phone call with the hiring manager who asked about techniques on my resume. After that, I was invited for an onsite interview which included a presentation and then questions. Unfortunately, I didn't get the job because I wasn't the right fit.

I applied through a recruiter and after the initial phone screen with them, I got a link to schedule the phone interview with the hiring manager. Later that same day, I was told I was moving forward to a virtual onsite interview that was scheduled for the following week. The onsite took place over one and a half days and included a 1-hour presentation along with 9 one-on-one interviews. About a month after the onsite, the recruiters informed me that they would not be proceeding with my application.