5. interview

““very, very large brain””

— 45

This is a long section. It is the most important section.

Interview Advice

Rounds of Interviews

Most programs follow a format like this:

First-round or phone screen
- Time: typically 20-30 minutes
- Format: phone or Zoom. Sometimes this is two separate rounds (i.e. phone screen then first round).
- Interviewers: often with the first or second-year fellow or with Talent Acquisition at the company
Second round
- Time: typically 30 minutes
- Format: Zoom
- Interviewers: a fellow and one or two other employees of the company, often a manager or preceptor
Third round or “On-sites”
- Time: ranges from 30 min to full day
- Format: Zoom or in-person (slowly starting to see this come back in 2021, thought it is still rare) Sometimes this is two separate rounds (i.e. Third round then on-site). Sometimes you will be asked to present, though the program will give you a heads up if you do.
- Interviewers: variable; team members you’ll be working with, program directors from affiliated universities, senior leadership at the company.

Selling yourself

Hit a grand slam on these questions to go far.

Tell me about yourself

This is often the first question you are asked, and it is your opportunity to make a great first impression. Google how to answer this question and pick your preferred structure. This is one great way to answer:

I am a P4 student at Springfield University in Springfield, but originally from Shelbyville. At Springfield University, I’ve been involved in three categories of professional activities: (1) I have direct patient care experience working at ABC Pharmacy and XYZ hospital, (2) I have developed as a leader through involvement in X, Y, and Z organization serving in different capacities on the executive board, and (3) I have research experience focusing on Topic X resulting in publications and posters. Outside of work and school, I love to play the saxophone and enjoy reading.

The above answer is a cogent way to summarize the main points of your CV and highlight things not listed on your CV. It provides over five different areas for the interviewers to expand on. There is no one right way to answer the question so modify it to suit your personality.

Why biotech?

We won’t give away too many secrets, but these are the most common answers we hear:

“I want to make a global impact”
“…impact patients on a macro scale”
“I tried retail and hospital and did not enjoy them, so…”
“dynamic, fast-paced” (so is retail)
“collaborative, cross-functional” (so is a hospital residency)

Industry is more than global impact and escape from pharmacy practice. Be unique to stand out.

Why this company?

Do your research on the company! Give an answer that shows that you spent time understanding the mission, vision, and science of the company.

Tell me about this on your cv

When an interviewer asks you about a certain project or role, be as specific as possible. Describe exactly what you did on that particular project (or internship/rotation) or what you owned. Share how much you contributed, how long was the project took, what was the outcome of the project, etc.

Bad answer: "I was the treasurer for the club. I managed finances and did fundraising."

Good answer: “As treasurer, I maintained the finances of the organization overseeing a budget of $750. I developed and executed fundraising initiatives to generate money for club initiatives. The most successful fundraiser generated $500 in new funds which is a 240% growth from last year. The money was used to fund projects A, B, and C”

When you're talking to companies about specific things you've done, make sure they know:

What? - What did you make? What impact has it made? What was the hardest part? What could you have done better?
Why? - Why did you make it? Was it for a school project, rotation, student organization, or something else?
How? - What tools did you use? What steps did you take to move the project forward?
When? - Did you do this recently?
Who? - Did you work on this with anyone? Who did what? Who is this for?

Our biggest tip: Answer questions using the STAR method. Make sure to have five or so specific examples/scenarios on hand that you can adapt to different questions.

Interview Questions

We created a list of questions to help you prepare for your fellowship interview 🙊

Introductory

Tell me about yourself
What is one thing on your CV that you would want me to know and why?
Tell me something about yourself not on your CV

Fellowship Specific

Why do you want to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry?
Why this specific program/role?

Company

Why this company? Why do you want to work here?

Collaboration

Tell me about a team you worked on where you had a big impact. What role did you play?
If you were to provide a folder of everything a new team member needs to know about you, what is one thing they would admire and one thing they may misinterpret?
How would you help a team that disagreed about a problem form a conclusion or a solution?

Innovation

Tell me about a risk you’ve taken at work or school. Walk me through your thought process
Walk me through a problem or unmet need you identified where you created and implemented a new solution.
Has there been an existing system or process where you identified a better way of doing it?
What new things have you tried recently that had a steep learning curve? How did you manage it? What was your approach?

Communication

Tell me about a time when one of your ideas was shot down and how you handled it
Tell me about a time you were upset by the opinion or decision of another team member because you strongly disagreed with them. How did you decide to handle it?
Tell me about a time when you had to be thoughtful in your approach to moving a project forward due to anticipated push-back from others, how did you navigate the potential resistance?
Give me an example of a challenging deadline you faced and how you worked with team members to tackle it
Tell me about a time when your objectives were at odds with those of the team. What did you do?

Passion & Excellence

What’s most important to you in your work? What drives you?
What are you most proud of? Tell me about one of your biggest achievements and why you think it was so meaningful to you?
Tell me about something you took the initiative to improve
Tell me about a time when you had a project where you didn’t know what to do, how did you handle it, and what was the result?

Bonus Round: Fun & Challenging (pls do not memorize answers for all these)

What do you believe that few people agree with you on? (Peter Thiel)
What is your superpower? (Peter Thiel)
What would you do if you could do anything and money wasn’t an issue? (Joel Marcus)
If you won the lottery, what business would you open? (Dottie Mattison)
What is the №1 thing you’re worried about? (Aaron Bell)
When you leave the interview, what are you going to be thinking about or wondering about? (Aaron Bell)
What would be your dream job if you could do anything in the world?
Tell me about the last time that you encountered a rule in an organization that you thought made no sense. What was the rule? What did you do and what was the result?
How would you improve the fellowship recruitment process?
Tell us about a personal project you are truly proud of?
What aren’t people talking enough about?
Tell us about a time when a decision you made turned out to be a terrible idea? What happened, and what did you do about it?
Talk about a company you admire for how it has aligned company values with customers’ values and how the overall business is better as a result.
What have you changed your mind about in the last decade and why?
What is a company, brand, or product that you admire? What makes it so great?
What is an interesting trend that you are following? Why is it important?
What is the last thing you geeked out about?
Tell me something about yourself that is not on your CV
What is something you accomplished that you are proud of?
What does your ideal day look like? What activities energize you and what activities drain you?
What are some things you are eager to learn about during this fellowship?
If I were to hire you for this job and I granted you three promises with regard to working here, what would they be?
Tell us about a time when you had to influence others to shape a decision or outcome
Tell us about a time when you struggled to get people to listen to you
Tell us about a time in your life that you wanted something so badly that you were unstoppable in pursuing it
What are you an expert on that you can teach me in 60 seconds?
Last question, what is your favorite interview question or a question you wish we asked? What is your answer to it?
What are some of the best ideas you’ve had and implemented at work or at school?
What risks have you taken in your career or academics?

How to Ask Questions

Many candidates prepare for interviews by creating answers to hundreds of potential questions one may face during an interview. Equally important is the question you ask the interviewer. Curiosity is an exceptional trait for a candidate. Curiosity can easily shine through by simply asking the right question. The best questions are ones that are unique to you. Therefore, instead of us providing you a long list of questions to ask we created a guide to developing these questions.

Express genuine intent
- Bad: Do fellows have the opportunity to travel during their fellowship? This question lacks curiosity and intent. The interviewer may interpret that this candidate intends to travel the world.
- Good: I am interested in learning about and supporting congresses/conferences, booth staffing, KOL engagement, advisory boards, and more. What opportunities might be available during this fellowship? This question demonstrates curiosity, intent to learn, and an understanding of the role. The candidate is showing they would like to travel outside of company headquarters to gather information or share data that is impactful to the strategic platform of the company.
Demonstrate knowledge
- Bad: What strategies are being used to assist the launch of DRUG? This question shows a candidate’s interest and knowledge. However, it stops there, simply at the product name. This is a cookie-cutter question that can be replicated to tens of companies.
- Good: In DRUGS’ phase 3 pivotal trial I noticed… is the company addressing this by…? This question digs much deeper at the candidate’s knowledge of data and shows their ability to identify a problem and suggest a solution. This shows insight into the company. Internet is a powerful tool, use it!
Polish things up
- Good: What project have you worked on that was most impactful to your progression as a fellow? Many candidates may ask this question in the simple format of “what projects do you work on?” Adding this twist shows the candidate is interested in the purpose of projects that current fellows complete
- Good: How have past fellows played an integral role in the function of your department and company as a whole? This question digs deeper at the impact the fellow has on the company. A question like this can only be answered by someone in a leadership position who has experience analyzing the value of team members.

Asking great questions and turning the interview into a back-and-forth conversation is a guaranteed way to rise to the top. We encourage you to ask questions during the interview – you do not have to wait until the end. The interviewer is likely bored of asking questions, so it would be a refreshing change of pace if you helped turn it into a conversation. The questions you ask can showcase your curiosities and insights which are two key aspects we look for in strong candidates (read this article).