Duke Clinical Research Institute Interview Questions
& Process

Initial chat with the hiring manager about my background and what the job entails, expectations, etc. Then, I had a more formal chat with the technical lead, which was just Q&A, no coding or anything. After that, I chatted informally with two people on the team at my level, but in different roles. It was all done in a single day.

First, there was an HR phone screen where they asked basic questions about my experience, salary expectations, and work history. Then, I interviewed with the functional group manager who asked high-level questions about my clinical research experience and some behavioral questions. Finally, I interviewed with the project manager. This interview focused on specific project questions to assess my fit for the role.

A recruiter from DCRI reached out on LinkedIn back in March 2017 and sent my resume to the hiring manager. A phone interview with the hiring manager was set up quickly, but they didn't call at the scheduled time. I contacted the recruiter, and we rescheduled. The second time, the call happened as planned and went well. The hiring manager then wanted an in-person interview, and HR sent over a date and time. The day before, HR called because the hiring manager was sick, so we had to reschedule again. I got the new date/time and a confirmation email with directions and a list of the 5 people I'd be meeting with over 3 hours. They mentioned getting parking validated. I got there 45 minutes early, but there was a big event, and all the parking lots were full. Since DCRI is downtown, parking is usually only street parking for 2 hours, so I parked about 5 blocks away, hoping I wouldn't get a ticket or towed. Glad I arrived early! The interview was on March 23rd, 2017. The first hour was with the hiring manager and another recently hired team member. They talked about the IT department, its place in the company, team dynamics, and job responsibilities. We also went over my technical background and what I'd do in certain situations. I understood the IT department better but wasn't sure about my fit on the team. I answered questions clearly and felt I did well. The next hour was with the Business Analyst team managers I'd be working with on projects. We discussed my business analyst experience, and that also felt pretty good. The final 45-minute interview was with the same hiring manager, who asked more questions and wrapped things up, saying they'd be in touch soon. I've interviewed a lot and felt this went great. Afterward, I thanked the team members. After a couple of weeks with no word from the recruiters, I reached out to the initial recruiter. She apologized and said she'd check with the hiring manager for feedback. Two months later, I still haven't heard back after the interview.

The interview had two parts: a phone screening and then some group interviews with the marketing folks. It was mostly a chat. Everyone was really nice and easy to talk to, though some were better at running the interview than others. The department was pretty new when I interviewed and figuring things out. I didn't get an offer because I lacked experience in clinical research. I'd totally work with them again and liked the interview, which lasted about 3-4 hours.