Frontage Laboratories Interview Questions
& Process

I had an interview with a technical screen. They asked me about HPLC, like when and how to use it in research, its challenges and how to overcome them. Also asked about teamwork experience and biggest mistake.

Since I live in another state, all my interviews were scheduled together and conducted virtually. The interview panel included the HR team (2 people), about 9 research team members who were interested in my profile, my direct supervisor, their supervisor (a Director), and the department head. They weren't all there at once, but interviewed me back-to-back for about 30 minutes each. Not everyone could make it, but I spoke with HR, some research members, my direct supervisor, and their supervisor. I spent the most time with the research team, and they asked some critical questions to assess my knowledge for the role. The questions were fair, not too easy or hard, and generally expected if you've read the job description carefully and prepared on the expected techniques. Some questions were also there to check if my resume was accurate. I know I listed a lot of techniques for my education level, and they wanted to see if I was being truthful. If you're honest, it should be fine. I didn't get an offer, likely because I couldn't provide an exact start date due to my VISA status.

I got to the second interview stage at Frontage. The first was a typical Zoom meeting. The second involved a check of my lab skills and then a meeting with lab management. I felt it went pretty well, and even one of the recruiters from the hiring company seemed to agree. But, Frontage didn't move forward with my application. I think this might be because the lab manager said I didn't write my own thesis manuscript. He asked me something about my thesis, and I couldn't answer it, mostly because his question wasn't related to my actual research. I suspect he either saw a mention of another researcher's paper in my work or mixed up my manuscript with a different one. It was unprofessional because he didn't let me correct him.

Got an email from the recruiter asking about my salary expectations and availability to start, then they scheduled me for a 20-minute chat with one of the company VPs. The VP's audio kept cutting out, and he seemed distracted, possibly looking at another screen. He didn't really seem to listen to my answers, as I had to repeat information I'd already given him just a couple of minutes prior. It was the worst interview experience I've had. I wouldn't recommend applying here.