EMSL Analytical Interview Questions
& Process

I went through a multi-stage interview process. First, a recruiter reached out by email or phone for 1-3 calls. Then, I had an online interview with the regional manager. After that, a second interview was conducted with the lab manager at the lab location before I was selected.

It was a pretty easy interview with the two lab managers. They asked me about my resume, my strengths and weaknesses, and some situational questions about how I would handle stressful events. The whole thing was about 2 hours. They mainly wanted to see if I was enthusiastic about the job, eager to learn, dependable, and knew my way around a lab (school experience is fine). No tricky questions about specific lab techniques.

The process started with a phone interview with the HR recruiter, which ran about 45 minutes to an hour. The recruiter was almost 30 minutes late, which I found unprofessional, though it didn't impact my schedule. After the call, I had an in-person interview at the local ESML lab. This interview lasted about 30 minutes and involved meeting with the lab manager and an associate. We discussed my resume and our respective expectations. I also got a tour of the lab and met the small team (under 10 people). I liked the lab's atmosphere and found it to be professional, clean, and organized, despite its size. I haven't heard back yet as they're interviewing others, but I'm hopeful and would accept an offer.

Got an email about a job and had a phone interview 4 days later. The HR person was super unprofessional, calling 10 minutes late and kept coughing and talking to other people during my interview. After that, they set up an in-person interview 2 days later to meet the lab manager and see the facility. I got to the building and nobody answered the doorbell for 10 minutes, so I had to wait outside until someone else came in and let me in. The in-person interview was really basic, mostly asking if I'd stay for at least two years. They told me I'd be replacing someone who left after only 7 months. The lab looked pretty basic and everything was cramped. I thought they'd ask about specific media and techniques, but they just asked if I was okay with using a microscope and doing repetitive tasks. No talk about pay or benefits. They did mention training would take 6-9 months and that I'd have to pay them back for training if I left before 2 years. It felt like the degree requirement didn't matter much because the training would cover what a degree usually does.