EMSL Analytical Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

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.

The interview started oddly with the interviewer being more than fifteen minutes late and not even apologizing or giving a reason, as they apparently hadn't started work yet. The people interviewing me didn't have any science background and seemed clueless about what the job actually involved or how to assess technical skills for lab roles. It was apparent that the company is understaffed in the lab, as they admitted employees are overworked. The benefits were really bad - no sick days and paid time off capped at 15 days a year, forever, even after three years. Plus, they require you to sign a 2-year non-compete agreement, which makes it tough to find other work. Most of the interview focused on how long I planned to stay in the area, which is understandable, but it went on and on. They asked about my origins, whether I felt homesick, and even about the stability of my partner's job. It was quite strange, as they seemed really worried about investing training in someone who wouldn't commit long-term to the company.

I started with a phone screening with HR where they asked about my previous roles, my interest in EMSL, and my knowledge of the company. After that, I set up an in-person interview. This turned out to be a group interview with four lab managers. They were all really nice. First, I had to walk them through my resume and talk about my background and education. Then, they went into more detail about the job. We had a back-and-forth with questions, and then we finished. Both the phone and in-person interviews were about 30 minutes.