Zymo Research Research Associate Interview Questions
& Process

Scheduling this interview was a hassle and felt like they weren't considering my time. I'd reply to their emails with my availability within hours, offering multiple slots, but they'd take five days to get back to me, often suggesting times I wasn't free. After I sent more options, they'd respond the next day asking for a time that very afternoon, which I agreed to. I didn't hear anything about whether I got the job or not for four weeks after the interview.

I found Zymo Research through a career fair and really liked the person I talked to there. Once I was called back for an interview, I was asked to meet them at their facility. I interviewed with 3 new people in which they all asked about the research I was doing on campus. The seemed relatively interested and it was easy to talk about my research. They didn't ask any weird questions. Unfortunately, the woman from the HR department didn't seem like she wanted to be there. She basically googled a list of questions to ask me and gave me zero eye contact as she read off the list of questions. One question for example was, "Where do I see myself in the next 20 years?". I'm a college student still trying to get my degree that has never worked in industry before. In my opinion, I do not see how that question was relevant to the job nor do I see anyone being able to answer that question with a concrete idea as a college student. Based off observation, she clearly was not prepared to interview anyone and did the minimum required to hold an interview. Overall, the interview was ok and not very challenging. The most challenging part of the interview was answering questions that was not relevant for the job I was applying for.

Had one phone interview that was short and focused on personality and general skills. Then had two in-person interviews, each lasting about an hour. Some questions were asked by different interviewers. I asked them about the company culture and their own experiences.