Celgene Director Interview Questions
& Process

I had a phone interview with HR first, then an in-person one. The interviewers seemed nice, but they needed to check with the hiring manager about where I'd fit in the team. I didn't have one specific experience they were looking for, but I was upfront about it. It felt a bit pointless interviewing me if they didn't grasp my potential fit. The hiring manager explained his vision for the role and liked my business & science background. He mentioned they were looking to hire ASAP and that I'd hear about the second round in two weeks. It's been a month, and I haven't heard back, even after emailing the hiring manager and HR. It's pretty rude not to give a status update, regardless of the reason, especially after in-person interviews. They also scheduled the in-person interviews during lunch but didn't acknowledge it. Even though this was my dream job, I'm glad it didn't work out because it really shows the company or department's culture, especially since the role involves external interactions.

The interview process started with a phone chat with the hiring manager. Then there were face-to-face meetings, each lasting 45 minutes. I met with two Directors, an Associate Director, the HR rep, and the hiring manager. They asked questions that were behavioral and technical, all fitting the job description. The HR rep mentioned I'd hear back in about two weeks about the next stage, which would be another face-to-face with upper management. I followed up via email the next week, but got no response. After a month, I figured I didn't make the cut. It sounds like this happens sometimes at Celgene, as a former colleague also didn't hear back after their second interview there.

Got a call from a recruiter who thought my resume was a good fit. Then I met with the VP and some HR folks for a face-to-face. That first round went okay, so they had me back for a final round. Unfortunately, my interview with the ED of Global Marketing didn't go well. They seemed unprepared, thought I only had 3 years experience, and were mad I was going for a Director role even though I have 12+ years in pharma. The interview got confrontational about the role, and I think they felt it should be theirs. They shot down all my ideas and showed no interest in me. Despite that one bad meeting, the rest of the interviews went fine. The VP even asked about the ED, showing they really cared about their opinion. That's when I knew I wouldn't get the job, and sure enough, the position is still open.