Gryphon Scientific Interview Questions
& Process

I was not aware of the interview format and was caught off guard with these group interviews. They ask you vague questions and want you to talk through your critical thinking thought process on how to answer the questions. There are several of these. I didn't like that they didn't prepare me for this lengthy process or for this on the spot 90 min test during an interview for a research assistant position. I wish I would have known so I could prepare and I wish the questions were relevant to a research assistant position. They only spent a few minutes asking about my background and I didn't get a clear answer when asking more about the role and the team. The second 90 min interview was also an on the spot test with different questions. Overall, it seemed like I spent multiple hours preparing a writing sample and attending lengthy interviews but did not get a lot of information about the position and team in return. This was a lot of unpaid time to ask from a candidate, without clear information. I also asked a few questions via email and they ignored both of my emails with questions (even though they encouraged me to reach out with questions).

The interview was about an hour and a half. The interviewers were nice and told me a lot about the company. I spoke with two different people, and they immediately asked me problem-solving questions related to the job.

I sent in my application online and was contacted a few weeks later for more details like my expected graduation date and transcripts. They also sent me a journal article and asked me to analyze it and summarize my findings, giving me a few weeks to complete this task. I found this part enjoyable because the question was interesting and the data analysis was open-ended. After submitting my analysis, I was set up for a video interview. This interview lasted for two hours and involved meeting with two groups of two people each. We started with some discussion about my research background, and then they asked a series of questions. These questions fell into two main categories: hypothetical design/analysis scenarios ('If we wanted to understand X or design something to do X, what factors would be important, and how would you gather the necessary information?') and estimation problems ('How many X are there in Y?'). They mentioned that these Fermi-style problems were intended to assess problem-solving skills, and that no specialized knowledge was required. I enjoyed the interview process, found the people friendly, and the work seemed interesting. However, there were a couple of points that made me question if this was the right fit. Firstly, they emphasized a need for someone who could start within a month, which seemed contradictory given they knew my graduation date was several months away. This made me wonder about their hiring urgency and the long-term stability of the role after a specific project ended. Secondly, there were strong indications that 40 hours a week was a minimum, with expectations of longer hours for promotion, and that career advancement was tied to securing government contracts. While they were upfront about this, I'm seeking a role with a better work-life balance where 40 hours is the norm and performance isn't solely measured by contracts brought in. Given these factors, I decided it was best for both parties that I withdraw my application after receiving another offer.

I first met them at a career fair and handed them my resume. A few days later, I got a call to set up an interview. The firm is pretty small, mostly scientists, and it's a consulting business. The internship I applied for was basically to support the consultants by researching topics and reviewing journal articles. They mentioned there was almost no chance of doing actual lab work. Their office in Takoma Park had a really chill vibe, with maybe 10 people max. There was even a dog that would greet you, which made things feel more relaxed.