Nektar Therapeutics Interview Questions
& Process

Started with a recruiter call, then a phone screen, followed by another phone screen with HR. After that, I had to prepare and deliver a short PowerPoint presentation on my prior training experience in a clinical setting. The onsite involved meeting with several people, including VPs, for 30 minutes each to discuss the role and my background. I was then let go. A few weeks later, the recruiter told me I didn't get the job because they felt I wasn't 'Nektar material,' which is a vague reason. It's concerning because I was 20 minutes late due to traffic but had informed the recruiter and HR. While HR said it was fine, the recruiter mentioned it as an issue in the feedback. The 'not Nektar material' feedback felt belittling, leaving me wondering about underlying biases. The interviews seemed to go well, so the lack of clear feedback is disappointing, especially as I thought it was a good company for my career.

A third-party recruiter let me know about a "Manager, Medical Writing" role. The company's site also listed a "Director" position, suggesting they'd consider candidates for mid-management roles in Medical Writing. After an initial call with the external recruiter, I spoke with the internal recruiter, followed by the hiring manager. The process stopped there. Both manager and director roles seem to still be open, and I've seen ads for the manager position as contract work. It appears the company is seeking a very specific skill set in medical writing and hasn't found it yet. Given that it's not a highly successful company, it's interesting to consider what profile of candidate they're realistically hoping to attract.

The interview process was pretty standard for a VP role, but it had some unusual requests. They wanted to speak with my previous managers, and after that, they asked for my last annual year-end reviews. They said an offer would be presented after speaking to all my references. This was strange to me because asking for a confidential company document like performance reviews, especially after talking to references, is not typical. I got a job offer, but it didn't end up happening. Based on my experience, I can't recommend this company.

The interview process involved multiple stages. It started with a conversation with the hiring manager. This was then followed by a lengthy 2.5-hour video interview with various stakeholders I'd be working with daily. They really dug into my resume and LinkedIn beforehand and were very proactive in asking about my experience and how I approach my daily work.