Peak Scientific Interview Questions
& Process

I went through a really long and tiring interview process that took about 45 days. First, there were two phone calls, then two online interviews – one with the hiring manager and another with HR to go over my PAPI 3.1 test results. Then I had an in-person interview with four people. After a week with no news, I reached out and was told they'd gone with someone else. But, they mentioned they were considering both of us. Two weeks later, they called again saying the job was open again because of unexpected issues and hoped I was still interested. I said yes, thinking it would be the final chat to meet my potential colleagues. Before I left that meeting, I asked HR about the timeline and was told it wouldn't take as long this time. Four days later, after I followed up, they told me they decided to hire people with more experience. After all that, they changed their minds again. This whole thing was a frustrating waste of time and effort. It felt like they didn't respect our time. It seems like the company is really short-staffed and probably hasn't done layoffs. They seem to expect people to handle too much work without enough help. If you're thinking of applying, really think about it and ask tough questions about work-life balance and what the job really involves before you get too deep into it.

So, the whole thing took about 45 days. First, I had 2 phone calls, then 2 video calls, and finally, an in-person meeting with 4 people. Oh, and this online personality test too. They got back to me a week after the last meeting, saying they liked both of us but picked someone else. Then, like, 2 weeks later, they hit me up again, asking if I was still interested and if I could come back to meet the general manager and a coworker. Of course, I went. I thought it went okay, but then I had to wait 5 days for them to tell me they wanted someone with more experience. Honestly, I'm just so drained from this whole process. What a total waste of time and energy.

After sending my CV, I had two phone interviews. This was followed by a face-to-face interview that focused on competencies. The final stage was a half-day event that included a formal presentation, more competency questions, a personality assessment, and a casual lunch. During this final stage, I met with several senior leaders, including executives, board members, and the Managing Director. The whole experience was very good and gave a real sense of the company's culture and how they work. It was refreshing how open and honest they were. It also allowed me to showcase my skills and experience in different ways, both formally and informally.

The first interview was good, with a nice setup, positive vibes, and good questions from F.Taylor (HR). However, internal interview processes are usually bad. Incompetent managers/team leads who lack experience conduct them. Sometimes they're stumped by answers and questions because they don't know enough. Twice, I had to guide the interviewers, and we ended up discussing their backgrounds, which didn't match the job description for the role they were managing or leading. This happened to me and a few colleagues.