Certified Laboratories Interview Questions
& Process

I joined the Zoom meeting a few minutes early and the CIO joined shortly after. The meeting started with some awkward silence, so I introduced myself. After another pause, the CIO mentioned he wasn't very technical and couldn't ask specific technical questions. We then spent time discussing my resume and past experiences. About halfway through, I asked some questions. The interview concluded in about 30 minutes. A few days later, I learned I was rejected due to my appearance during the Zoom interview – I wore a t-shirt with my hair down, which apparently was an issue for this fully remote Software Developer role. The CIO even took a screenshot to show the recruiter as the reason for rejection. Given my 10+ years of experience in a niche field, I expected to be evaluated on my skills, not my attire in an initial interview. It reminded me of when I was a teenager interviewing for a restaurant job. So, if you want to work at Certified Labs, dress business casual and make sure you have a conventional haircut.

The interview process was pretty open, I got to pick my own date. First, I was in a group with HR and she looked over everyone's resumes. She was interviewing because the supervisor was busy. Turns out I was the only one qualified, and then the GC supervisor just happened to be free and could interview me too (I guess that's how they filter people). The GC supervisor was nice and asked a lot of specific questions about my resume, the instrument, and troubleshooting it. It was a good experience because he seemed really prepared. I waited two weeks and HR called to set up a meeting with the lab director. He had just started and was also nice. His questions were more about my personality and if I'd fit in. It was fine overall, the GC supervisor and lab director were approachable, HR was okay. You really need to know your GC inside and out. I think I showed that. The lab manager seemed to like me. I think they hired someone with more experience, but I wasn't a bad candidate. Make sure you study up on your GC knowledge.

The interview process was disorganized and unprofessional. The initial virtual interview felt like an interrogation, with the interviewer being dismissive and unclear about the role, leaving me confused about the actual job duties. Despite my qualifications, my experience was minimized. It took days to coordinate a second, in-person interview which went much better thanks to the microbiology manager. After that, I was left in the dark. Follow-up emails were mostly ignored, and communication was sparse and delayed. Almost two weeks later, I received a vague update about delays. By then, I had already accepted another offer. The whole experience showed a lack of professionalism and respect for candidates' time.

This was one of the worst interviews I've ever had. The interviewer seemed to have no experience, was rude, and came across as ignorant. Honestly, it felt like they might be related to someone to even be in that role because nepotism seems like a real possibility here. If I had to sum up the whole process in one word, it would be 'ridiculous'.