Sometimes, job interviews stand out for all the wrong reasons, including odd settings, off-topic topics and questionable decorum. BioSpace collected several stories that highlight biopharma professionals’ strangest experiences as they pursued employment.
Not all jobs interviews are the same, and that’s probably a good thing, based on how some of them have gone for biopharma professionals. For example, in a Reddit thread earlier this year about people’s weirdest and worst experiences, one person shared a story that involved traveling overseas and beer. A lot of beer.
Here’s how they summed up that experience:
Another Reddit poster’s story was brief but had a happier ending: “I had someone fall asleep while in a 1:1 interview. I got the job.”
In light of stories like those, BioSpace asked biopharma professionals to share the strangest job interviews they’ve had for biotech or pharma positions. Here are a few of their stories.
Camera-Shy Interviewers
One biopharma professional shared that while pursuing a vice president role, the chief of staff—the final interviewer prior to meeting the CEO—arrived late to their video interview and didn’t turn on the camera.
“Then about 10 minutes into the call, he asked me to hold - about 10 minutes of waiting,” they wrote. “It was a strange interview and I decided right then I would not further pursue this role.”
In a similar story, a biopharma professional shared that while they had their camera on, the other person didn’t, leaving them to do the interview looking at a blank screen.
Another person mentioned one-way interviews where job candidates record one-minute answers to questions about topics including work experience and why they want to join the company, calling the practice impersonal and “useless (for everyone).”
Conversations That Go Off Course
For some biopharma professionals, interviews take unexpected turns. One person shared that they had a superficial conversation with human resources where they ended up discussing pets rather than their skills, job qualifications or interest in the position.
“Needless to say, I was ghosted afterwards,” they wrote. “Seems like they already had someone in mind and were just calling back (after 3 months) as a formality.”
Another biopharma professional shared their experience pursuing a clinical trial associate position at a growing biotech that uses artificial intelligence (AI) quite a bit. Rather than the 30-minute interview they’d expected, they had a 10-minute conversation about AI and tech metrics.
“I had prepped about the background and mission of the company, but was not prepared to have the whole interview focus on just AI,” they wrote. “After 10 minutes of this, the interviewer abruptly ended the call. Didn’t ask if I had any questions, just that they’d get back to me soon. The next day I received an auto rejection email.”
Questions and Answers That Land Wrong
Interview questions—and how hiring personnel perceive the answers—can also be strange. One biopharma professional shared that while pursuing a role at a small contract development manufacturing organization (CDMO), the human resources/financial executive asked if their partner would move with them. The exec also wanted to know if the relationship didn’t work out, would the job candidate consider leaving the company?
Another biopharma professional shared their experience interviewing with a Big Pharma company for an environmental health and safety specialist role. They were asked what they’d do if they walked into the production unit and discovered approximately five to 10 gallons of an unknown chemical on the floor giving off an odor. They replied that they would first evacuate the area and contact the on-site emergency response team for immediate containment and cleanup.
The job candidate received an unexpected response, with the interviewer telling them they should never shut down production and, since the spill was “only 5-10 gallons,” they should simply clean it up.
“I was in disbelief,” they wrote, adding that they tried educating the interviewer about the importance of evacuating the area before cleanup to prevent other hazards from developing with people in the area. “He disagreed and I basically didn’t get the job. He definitely should not be in anybody’s leadership position hiring a safety professional.”
Strange Customs
Sometimes job interviews are strange not because of what people say but because of what they do. Just ask the job candidate who interviewed for a position at a relatively early-stage biotech. As the company’s HR person showed them around the building, they noticed their host kept holding up their hand when passing people. The candidate didn’t pay much attention until someone they were told was the CEO walked by and stuck up their middle finger.
“No one said anything!” they wrote. “Apparently it was okay to ‘flip the bird’ to anyone that walked by.”
They didn’t share if they wound up working at that company. Whether or not they did, that business made a lasting impression—and it didn’t even require a red-eye flight to London or a CEO telling them to drink their beer faster.
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