Illumina Research Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

After filling out an application online, I had a Hirevue digital interview where I had to answer questions with recorded audio responses. After that, I had a face-to-face interview with the recruiters.

After applying, I got a reply within about a week that they read my application with "great interest", but then I did not hear again from them for two weeks and received no responses from them after telephone calls and e-mails. Then they contacted me again and a telephone interview was arranged within a few days. This was straight forward. The opportunites were described and how I would fit in the company. Then there was a three week silence and I gave up on trying to contact them. Then an interview day was arranged for which I was asked to prepare a presentation. Several 1-1 interviews were also arranged. Some interviews contained technical questions while others were more a chat about the company and opportunities within. Since this day my travel expenses were duely reimbursed, but I have not heard back Since then, over 6 weeks, no correspondence. I do not think it bodes well if a company cannot even adhere to simple rules of politeness such as returning phone calls. How must the climate be within the company? I did also not get a good impression of the work culture. When an interviewer says that their childcare arrangement from 8 to 6 is barely sufficient and another says that arrangement of part-time work is difficult, then this is not a family friendly climate. The work culture was also quoted as work hard, play hard. This might suit many people well, but those whose life is not solely defined by their job and who are looking for a good work life balance, this does not seem to be the place.

It started with a HR call, I was supposed to do a HireVue but there was a technical error and it was swapped for a 30-minute call instead (there were confusing emails about this). The interviewer was nice and gave positive feedback which made me feel confident. It's a good idea to read up on the company and their research beforehand. The next step was a panel interview with 6 scientists where I had to present a PowerPoint about my last project. The questions were about my project and tested my knowledge in my science area, not super technical. Feedback was late, impersonal, and just said they chose someone with more relevant experience. The whole process felt rushed until the outcome, which seemed unprofessional and shows the company is very fast-paced. Other reviews mention they don't always provide outcomes, which is partly true as they don't reply to emails but they do update the Workday portal with an automated email once the candidate accepts.