Zymergen Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

My interview experience with Zymergen was quite unusual. For all the roles I applied for there, I did get calls from HR, though it seemed like some weren't really interested (maybe they had a quota). I got to speak with a hiring manager for one role and then had a panel interview with the team. The interviews themselves were okay, but I didn't hear anything back from HR or the hiring manager for two months. I felt the HR wasn't very professional or respectful.

I applied online and it took a few weeks for them to get back to me. The first step was a phone interview with HR that wasn't very technical. After that, I had a video call with three scientists, including the hiring manager. I had to give a 30-minute presentation on my project and then answer questions about it. The questions were pretty easy. They seemed to like me, and the next day they invited me for an on-site interview in Emeryville. The on-site was a full day. It started with an hour-long presentation, then I had lunch with some of the technical staff, and after that, I had one-on-one meetings with scientists from different teams. The last person I met with was the hiring manager. Even though I know I might have had some knowledge gaps, I felt like I could have fit in and contributed to their projects. The issue seemed to be that they were looking for someone with a background in bacteriology, and I'm more of a yeast geneticist. While a PhD can pick up new things quickly, you can't teach teamwork. So, in the end, they decided I wasn't a technical fit, even though I was a cultural fit. The HR should really work on how they phrase rejection emails and also respect people's time. Preparing for presentations and interviews takes a lot of effort, so it would be better if they didn't invite candidates on-site if they already think they aren't a technical match.

I had a preliminary interview with two technical scientists who were experts in yeast/microbe strain engineering, the company's focus. It was a polite meeting, though they were a bit tough with their questions. I was asked to prepare a 5-slide PowerPoint presentation, to be discussed in under 10 minutes. The interview felt more like a discussion, and I didn't expect to get through my whole deck without interruptions. I didn't get an offer, probably because my background is more in pharma than synthetic biology, despite my experience in project management and high-throughput discovery biology. They likely thought I wasn't the best technical fit. Even without an offer, I'd advise interviewees to ditch business casual if interviewing for non-executive roles. Most employees, aged 25-40, sport a millennial/hipster style: flannels, facial hair, skinny jeans or khakis, Patagonia jackets, etc. I felt out of place and possibly judged for wearing slacks, a white button-up shirt, and tie, thinking I was being more professional.