Job Interview Questions in USA

 

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How did you know about X pharmaceuticals? What does make you to apply to X? 

·      I knew about X from online/linkedin/researchgate, anything from where you are known. They had my resume and they let me know about X. Then I went through the website of X and did research a little bit about X and its activities. I liked its activities and that prompted me to apply here. Considering my education and experience, I think X would be the best place to work. 

Could you please introduce yourself briefly? 

·      Starting from your education, describe about your job experience clearly. Always remember to explain everything clearly. Do not hesitate while you are talking. Make sure you look at their face when you are talking. If it is an online interview, look at the camera. Do not let your voice down, that shows your dall confident. 

A sample-

After my undergrad/MS graduation from X, I moved here in the US to do my PhD. I am working here in analytical chemistry. All of My projects are related to separation science that I have done as part of my PhD. Here again, I learned data extraction, data analysis, how to setup experiment, how to follow instructions for proper execution of experimental procedure. One of the projects that I have been working on for the last 6 months is related to microbiological organism more specifically covid-19. So, the platform and the instrument needed for this type of analysis is totally different from what I have been working for the last 4 years. SO, I did not have any knowledge about those types of analysis. Once I was given this opportunity I just got started. So, I did lab setup work, SOP development work and instrumentation work from the scratch along with my boss and some collaborators. 

 

In between my undergrad/MS and PhD or whatever you had, I started off my career about 7 years ago as a quality control officer with a pharmaceuticals company. I used to analyze finished product for their assay using different instruments like FTIR, polarimeter etc. I also performed documentation woks which is very important in pharmaceuticals industry and required for product release purpose. That’s where I learned how to follow GMP, SOP, using logbooks which has huge significance in pharmaceuticals industry. 

After that, I switched to multinational company as a quality assurance officer, where I regularly conducted QA testing sessions, meetings, audits, works like management people do. I also did data review, report analysis, product release report review and quality monitoring in the manufacturing unit to see if the product quality is within the expected standard. And whenever there was a problem with the product quality then I had to communicate with production department and engineering department to solve the problem that was going on with manufacturing process. As part of quality assurance department, I carried out sensory sessions to release that product. Also worked with product complaint department. 

 

If you use an instrument like LC/GC/MS/NMR or any other, talk about the updated software name. For HPLC, is it normal or reverse phase chromatography, resolution, tailing, column, detector (LTV/IR/Conductivity/UV). For GC, talk about column, software, about the residual solvents and organic volatile impurities. For IR, familiar with basic concept. 

What type of wet chemistry you have done before? 

·      Sample preparation, titration, content uniformity, water content (Karl Fisher), Potentiometric titration, recrystallization for purification etc. 

 

What do your current employer count on you? 

·      Explain what you do very clearly, e.g. I to test on Finished patches, in-process samples, process validation, stability of the samples etc. 

 

How do you fill to work in a group? What kind of work environment you feel comfortable? 

·      I think I can fit in any size of group at any place. I like to work in a regulated institution e.g. cGPM, GLP. 

Have you worked as a reviewer? 

·      Yes, I am a reviewer of a journal (if you are). Also, I was a notebook reviewer for two semesters. Data analysis and review is also responsible of my current work.  

·       

What have you done to prepare yourself to be successful in future? 

·      Explain about your student line, what you have learned with your hard work and efforts, if any professional training mention that. Mention your achievement and recognition even it is very small. You may start from your college life. Of course, remember your current goal for what you are facing the interview. 

 

How would you consider putting more extra hours on top of your 40 hours per week? Sometimes ever very odd hours. 

·      Be positive to this question. Explain what you did as a graduate student and if yes for your previous job. Tell you did some late-night experiment or early morning experiment in graduate life. 

 

Tell me about a time when you have hard time getting the job done by your co-worker

When I started working in quality assurance department, I had a co-worker who I was depending on for the product release report. He used to constantly delay the report that affected my performance. I had to wait 2-3 days to get the report done. So, I decided to take the concern to him to solve this issue. Initially I respected him, tried to show empathy that he has lots of workload. And then I discussed with him past couple of deadlines that he could not meet. If we do not get the report on time, it takes about 5-6 more hours for the rest of us. Upon an open discussion he opened up and said one of the analyses is being done by a staff from another department which is not under our control. So, they sometime do not take that analysis work seriously as it is not their core job. And that is where the delay happens. So, I took this concern to my boss and to the inter-departmental meetings. And then finally we decided to do that analysis by our departmental co-worker in their facility. And from then on, we had been getting report on time. 

 

Your Strengths?

Hardworking, honesty, positive attitude, confident, quick learner, leadership, I have good communication skill (little bit of description on each)

 

Why should we hire you?

I believe you should hire me because I have necessary skills and expertise needed to come into the job and make an immediate impact.

As you already know, I have two similar experiences that are very closely related to the work environment of this job and I believe if I get some initial training, I will learn the role quickly and start contributing the company as soon as possible. 

As an analytical chemist I learnt several spectroscopic and chromatographic technique both practically and theoretically. I believe that if I get the opportunity, I will contribute to this company by applying my learnt knowledge in this real life application.

By hiring me, you are going to get a loyal, trustworthy and hardworking employee who will prioritize the work above everything else.

 

What is your weakness?

I had a senior co-worker who used to give me extra work which he was supposed to do and that happened several times. At that time, I could not say “NO” to him even though I do not have capacity to take this extra work. I used to take the extra workload and sometimes I struggled to finish those. So, I find it really hard to say no. That’s my weakness. However, this taught me how to work under stress and how to manage time properly.

On a different note, I am trying to improve in this area. Whenever anyone asks for extra work, I try to consider my own workload and capacity before I say yes to things. 

 

Tell me something you did not like about your last job

There was not much that I did not like about my last job. But in my mind, I always felt we could have achieved more in business. For example, we had to get the signature from each of the departmental head to release a product and that I believe took longer for the product to go to the market. That is why the business was slow and I always felt we could have changed this signature protocol to boost sales and revenue.

Having said that, it was a great place to work, and I really enjoyed working there. I had a chance to work with lots of positive people and I continually learned in my role that was important to me.

 

How would you deal with conflict with a co-worker?

I would definitely seek to resolve the conflict immediately for the sake of working relationship and for the sake of team.

I would speak to my co-worker in private to get to the bottom of the problem and would try to find a way that we are both comfortable with.

We both might need to compromise but I would definitely push the idea that the conflict that we are experiencing is opposing our combined goals.

 

Follow up question: How did you handle the situation?

“At that time, I tried to talk to him personally. At first, I was concerned about the conversation. But I became honest and tried to make him understand that if get extra workload before I finish my works, I cannot meet deadlines and it hurts my performance as well as our combined team performance as I am part of a team. So, I convinced him to take some extra work once I am done with my own work. And that way we can achieve goal as a team” 

 

Why did you leave your last job?

I left my last job for two reasons. First, I felt like I was ready for new challenge in new area where I could improve my skills and qualities.

Next reason I left the job was because I wanted to involve myself in some new area like research area where I can do exciting works for the future.

Being a positive person, I want to feel like I am growing continually and developing in my work 

 

Where do you see yourself in five years?

At this stage of my career, I really want to have long-term employment with the same company. I have some other plans outside of my work and that can be fulfilled if I work for the same company. in five years, I plan to work for the same company as trustworthy and productive employee, but as part of continual growth process I would like to get to higher positions like manager or senior officer.

 

Why do you want to work for us?

I did some research into your company before I submit my resume and I was attracted to your company values, the ambitious plan your company has for the future.

Tell about state-of-the-art instruments they use on a daily basis.

Jordi Labs routinely tests the extractables and leachables from polymeric packaging on pharmaceutical products such as blister packets, blood bags, and more.

I think it’s important for me to work for a company that does things of higher standard and involves continuous development and improvement. 

Talk about your accomplishments (finishing multiple projects), methodology that you developed (RNA extraction for fabsampler R&D), collaboration work experience.

  

If I give you x (this instrument), I want y(this result), What would you do?

I don’t know what to do in that situation. But I would talk to other people that have worked with this. I would talk to other leaders in R&D, other directors, other scientist. I will look into associated literature and based on the information what they say, I will find out which experiment to set up, based on the data that I receive I would move toward conclusion.

 

What is your work ethic?

I would describe my work ethic as hard working, responsible and dedicated person. I always try to prioritize my work above everything else. I try to get my work done before the deadline no matter what. I hold an honest and positive attitude towards my co-worker and try to be helpful to the extent I can be. Another work ethic I believe I have is integrity. I will do what I am supposed to do whether anyone watching me doing so or not. 

 

Salary expectation

Depending on the geographic location, my educational background and experience I would consider a salary range of 65-70K. but I am open to discussion and flexible about that.

 

When will you be done?

I am done with all my projects required for my PhD. I started writing my dissertation and hopefully I will defend on mid-September. If I get this position, I can join with cpt or opt. 

 

Top selling points

Problem solving – example of product release problem

Quick learner- learning PCR, Working Safety department works

Leadership- carry out training in nestle as safety and hygiene personnel, TA leadership.

 

Tell me a time when you had a conflict with your boss, how did you handle?

I had a situation when my boss said to do an experiment in with a certain method. But I had a different opinion on that. I proposed a different method of doing that and he was not agreed on that. So, I thought a way so that I can apply both methods independently just to see which works better. So, I carried out both method and showed the data which works better.

 

How did you handle pressure when you had one?

I handle pressure by reprioritizing. As pressure and stress builds up, I make myself believe that I can do anything. So, I sit back down, go over my priorities and readjust those priorities based on the timeline that I have. 

I had couple of situations when I had to really work hard under pressure. When I was working in Nestle, during an audit time, I was really pushed by my boss to get all the documents done before the auditors. At the same time, I had to do my regular works that I was doing daily basis. I really felt pressure at that time. So, I listed all the works that should be prioritized and managed time very carefully. And I also spent extra hours in office and for that I stayed in an accommodation within the factory. That is how I finished those works.

In my last PCR project, I was asked to finish some preliminary research data that is crucial for my boss’s conference and at the same time I had to finish the enclosure design of the product that is a part of my boss’s start up. For that I was a given about 2-3 months. That was not enough to finish all those works together. And I did not have any idea how 3d printer works, how pcr works, and how to design anything in autocad software. So categorized all the works that I have to finish by the deadline. And definitely I had to work hard and had to manage time properly and also had to spend more time than what I usually do. So, I learned autocad by myself, learned pcr and RNA extraction with the help of our collaborator, learned 3D printer by myself following the detailed manual. That was really a situation that I felt pressurized.

 

Tell me time when you had to work in a group?

Situation: At the beginning of my last project, when I worked with covid-19 research project. 

Task: I needed to learn those PCR and RNA extraction first in their lab and implement in our lab.

Action: I was assigned by my boss to work under a collaborator. That collaborator assigned me his student to learn all those techniques. Initially we decided on the time that works for both of us for the daily analysis and for the discussion we fixed a specific day where I will be discussing the outcome of the experiment with my collaborator and his student. So, I started working under that student and regularly communicated with the collaborator and my boss about the experimental results.

Result: Together with proper communication with the team I was able to learn new skill and implemented in my lab and carried out preliminary research data that was necessary for my boss’s conference and funding proposal.

Nestle:

Situation: In my last job during an audit time, I was asked to finish all the documents before the audit starts.

Task: along with my co-worker we prioritized the work which must be done first. 

Action: we categorized all the different types of documents and divided the work among all the team members. We created action plans under each of the team members name that we will be evaluating on a regular basis. For that purpose, we used to carry out daily, weekly review to see where we are heading. We communicated with each properly about the problems that we faced and tried to find out solution upon discussion.

Result: With proper communication and good teamwork we were able to pass that audit and the auditors complemented our team as the “best team with least fault” in the whole factory.

Good qualities for teamwork: 

1.     Listening to the team so that we can follow instructions

2.     Making the team competent what they are supposed to do

3.     Being able to communicate effectively both by speaking to them during the project and listening to them

4.     To be adaptable and flexible about the changes

5.     To motivate and support the team members

6.     Improve and develop the team members

What makes you uncomfortable?

I am very organized and like to have a systematic way of working. So, I feel uncomfortable if I am in a situation where things are disorganized. And I always try to fix disorganization when I come across it. I encountered this type of situation when I was working in nestle Bangladesh as QA officer. I observed the that one of my subordinate co-workers used to do all his work haphazardly. I was able to put a process that outlined his responsibilities clearly and streamlined the workflow by making him a chart that show what are the work he is supposed to on a daily basis, what he has missed, the reason for that. I evaluated that chart every day during daily operational review (DOR). And every time he filled out the chart it showed his key performance. And this process solved the problem of disorganization.

 

What motivates you? 

When I am passionate about something. That is what motivates me. I get excited when I see the clear vision and the mission of the work. This is one the best reasons why I did research work. Because I can do some exciting work for the future. So, any job or work that relates my learnt knowledge really motivates me. 

 

Walk us through your resume

Why are you the best person for the job?

I know what this company does. And these are lot of the things that I have done before. I know how to do those stuff very well. As an analytical chemist, I am very good at work in a research environment. Documentation, audit, sample analysis, data analysis. Since I have previous experience, you probably do not need to train me on everything.

Because I have passion for science, I have good work ethic, I have good skill in problem solving, I am good at learning skills quickly, my ability to collect information and data, finding out the most credible info to innovate, to analyze 

 

Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond the job

Talk about the Fab Sampler product design, how you started learning 3D printing, autocad, PCR analysis.

 

Tell me a time when you reached a goal

Talk about the Fab Sampler product design, how you started learning 3D printing, autocad, PCR analysis.

 

Tell me a mistake you made 

Talk about the prelim work that I was doing again and again without succeeding and letting my boss know about that. After a while I realized that it’s not gonna work.

 

How did you hear about the job?

Talk about the source and excitement that you had after reading the job description. That you knew that if you are a part of this org then you can contribute to reach its goal. 

 

How do you deal with pressure?

I am always under pressure as a researcher during PhD life. Talking about compiling all the docs ready for the audit, talk about the work I did as QA officer, had to manage to separate department, complaint management and packaging. I had to take care of good time management to fulfill the daily work, prioritized the work, talk about the deadline for the fabsampler work.  

 

What is your dream job?

Talk about the place where you can contribute for the future. Ever since I took the science as my major, I always wanted to be researcher specifically that involves human health. I know the importance of drug, (when we get sick, the first thing we think about is the cure). I always wanted to do something for the betterment of the human being like drug development. That is why I choose analytical chemistry that is directly related to pharmaceuticals product analysis. It feels really good when you can utilize in real life what you learned. 

I have always wanted to work in an environment where I can utilize my knowledge. As an analytical chemist I learnt analytical techniques. Now I want to utilize that knowledge in real life application. And organization like Jordi labs provides a lot of instrumentation techniques to learn. It also gives opportunities for continuous growth as it deals with different client’s time to time. Not only that, but it’s also a combination of lab work and management work. I really find this type of organization as a dream job.

 

Why are you changing career?

Talk about the previous job, what you have loved about your job. After a while it was not fulfilling anymore, not engaging. I felt like I have new passion.

 

Tell me a time when you helped your co-worker?

Tell me a time when your co-worker helped you.

 

Do you need stamp/Visa? 

·      Be honest on that. 

 

Other Potential Questions for interviewer

What would you expect from me in the next six months?

What long does your hiring process take?

How can I be successful in this role?

What would be my day to day routine work?

What is the working culture in PPD

Growth opportunity, Insurance benefits, short/long term disabilities and benefits

communication/collaboration among the department, shifting duties etc.