Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was quite long and involved. We had three stages: first, a chat with the manager about my projects, then a take-home assignment. After that, I had another call with the manager to discuss my approach to the problem from the take-home test. Finally, I had back-to-back interviews with bioinformaticians from various labs.

It started out great, I really connected with my potential supervisor and felt she was invested in my growth. But then they went radio silent and I had to chase them down, even after being told I was the top candidate and an offer was imminent. I had other offers from two other interviews I was in at the same time, one from a former employer who told me to name my price. Ashion was my top choice because of the work, but I need an employer who's as enthusiastic about me as I am about them, otherwise it won't work out for either party. I'm disappointed, but this is a really important and meaningful role, and I hope they find someone great who is truly worthy of the job. Ultimately, this position serves cancer patients, and that's not something to take lightly. I wish Ashion well.

The application process was quite extensive, similar to a college application, and required two letters of recommendation. Once the application period closed, the Education and Outreach team would pick the finalists. These finalists would then be presented to a group of research mentors who would then select who they wanted to interview based on their needs for the summer. Not everyone who was a finalist got an interview, and some people even got interviewed by multiple mentors. The first time I applied as a finalist, I didn't get any interviews, but the second time around, I managed to get three.

It was a drawn-out process with 5 rounds of interviews, basically talking to everyone in the lab, any PIs involved, and HR. The whole thing took about 1.5-2 months. Most questions were about my past research, not testing what I knew, but I really had to know my experiences and link them to their lab. A big part of the interview was me asking questions, so make sure you know who you're talking to and can ask questions based on what comes up early in the interview.