Moderna Research Associate Interview Questions
& Process

Had an initial video screening with the recruiter. Then had a first round video interview with the hiring manager/team lead. An in-person interview with team members was planned for the second round. Both video interviews were on Microsoft Teams.

The interview process involved two initial 15-minute phone screens, followed by a 30-minute Webex call with two senior staff members. There was also a panel interview that could have gone better, with one interviewer frequently leaving the call to attend to their dogs. I had initially tried to contact HR about rescheduling the second part of the interview due to a prior commitment on the original date. HR was unresponsive for three days until I called them directly. The HR representative mentioned a wedding and sounded unprofessional, but I explained my situation. They emphasized how excited the hiring manager was and how fortunate I was to be interviewed by them, which felt like a strange response given my request to reschedule due to an emergency. I proceeded with the interview while managing my emergency. Following the interview, HR again became unresponsive for three weeks, leading me to contact the recruiters for an update, only to receive a generic response about the position being filled by another candidate.

HR reached out to schedule a phone interview, but the hiring manager missed the initial call and it had to be rescheduled multiple times. The HR rep was very apologetic. Eventually, I spoke with someone on the team for the phone screen and got an onsite interview. The onsite was about 6 hours long. Each 1:1 was supposed to be 45 minutes, but the hiring manager only met for 20 minutes, gave a quick tour, and left me to wait for the next person. Another interviewer stepped out for a phone call midway through our chat and left me waiting alone for half an hour before returning. A third interviewer asked about my interest in a different role in his department. Given the company's rapid growth, I understand scheduling issues can happen, but the process made me question working there. I never heard back.