r/pharmaindustry

I’m guessing this has to do with AI, but wondering if anyone else can speak to this?

TL;DR: I have a full-day interview for a postdoc position at a mid-sized pharma, including a research presentation and meetings with scientists, a Senior Director, and a VP. I’m comfortable with the technical part but unsure what to expect from the one-on-one conversations with senior people. Would really appreciate hearing about others’ experiences and any advice on what to ask or prepare.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been invited to interview for a postdoc position at a mid-sized pharma company, and the interview will be a full day.

I’ll be giving a presentation on my research, which I’m comfortable with, but I’m a bit unsure about the rest of the day. I’ll be meeting people from different departments that I would potentially work with, spending about an hour with a Senior Director I’ve already spoken with, and also about an hour with a VP who is the head of a department.

I really like the position and the company, and I feel that I’m technically well suited for the role, so I’d like to prepare properly.

For anyone who has experience interviewing for pharma/scientist positions: what are these full-day interviews usually like? What do senior people such as VPs and Senior Directors typically want to discuss, and what kind of questions should I ask them?

I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, especially from anyone who has been through a similar interview or has been on the interviewer side.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

I know CDMOs tend to have high turnover & can be very busy work environments, but I am looking to hear about people’s experiences working at CDMOs vs Big Pharma for R&D (process development, ideally).

I am interviewing with both big pharma companies and CDMOs, and getting to later stages now and trying to decide what my best move would be after my PhD defense in a few weeks.

What are the benefits to starting at a CDMO? Is it looked down upon at all by larger companies? Does the breadth of experience make you an ideal candidate for transitioning to larger pharma companies afterwards?

I’ll likely have to relocate with my partner & pets too, so I really want to be thorough in my assessment of pros/cons - any feedback is appreciated!!!

Unsure if this is the right place to post, has anyone traditioned from IT to Pharma? What role did you move from and to?

I am a nurse trying to become a pharma rep and I have a panel interview with two hiring managers next week. I really do not want to miss this opportunity so I have been preparing STAR answers. I know they will ask me behavioral and situational questions, but what other types of questions will ask? Will they expect me to sell their drug to them? I am researching all the drugs in their portfolio just to be prepared but kind of at a loss as to what to expect in terms of how specific they will be in their clinical questions. Any insight/advice is appreciated.