Celgene Interview Questions
& Process

Got a call from a recruiter for a job they'd been trying to fill for a while. Had a technical phone interview that seemed to follow the job description and went well. They set up an in-person interview for two weeks later. But, a few hours before, the recruiter called urgently saying the first interviewer needed to talk to me immediately about needing completely different skills than we discussed. I missed the call until two hours before the interview because I was in a presentation. The interviewer told me the role requirements had changed drastically, even though the job had been advertised for months. When I got to the interview, the person who called me wasn't there. I spoke with a different group, including the hiring manager. Their questions showed they were unclear about the role's needs. It seemed they were looking for someone with many years of experience in four different careers, including marketing, which is unrealistic for one job. The hiring manager got distracted by emails for the last 15 minutes. Another person asked very basic technical questions, like for an intern. When I asked about their services, this person exaggerated, claiming they used all of them, which a follow-up showed wasn't true and didn't make sense given their described needs. This made me think their leadership was lacking and their tech practices were sloppy. I was very unimpressed and lost interest in the company.

I had two interview rounds. First was a phone screen, about 30 minutes, where they asked about areas I'm interested in, like biostatistics or drug safety, since they didn't give a specific job description. It was mainly to understand my background and see if it matched any open roles. If there was a match, they'd send a job description and invite me for a full interview. Since I was nearby, I went for an on-site interview. I met with three people individually for about two hours total. We mostly talked about my resume and how my past work connected to the role.

It was a really thorough process, I ended up talking to 14 different people, including VPs, business directors, and some of the folks who would report to me. They seemed really focused on whether I'd fit the company culture, which they made clear isn't for everybody. They're looking for people who can jump in and get things done on their own, take responsibility, and aren't afraid of what they don't know.

Got an employee referral and then heard from HR for a 15-30 minute phone screening within the week. The next week, I was invited for an on-site interview. Received an itinerary and directions. The interviews were scheduled from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, involving ~30-minute talks with various people. Lunch was included to meet team members. Schedule changed last minute upon arrival without prior notice. Each interaction involved discussing my experiences, their roles, and current projects. Some conversations flowed naturally, while others required me to lead. One interviewer had very few questions and the meeting ended in under 5 minutes. About 1-2 weeks later, I was informed they chose another candidate. Attempted to get feedback from HR but haven't heard back.