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      Eli Lilly and Company

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      Eli Lilly and Company interviewsEli Lilly and Company Formulation Scientist/Protein Biochemist interviewsEli Lilly and Company interview


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      Formulation Scientist/Protein Biochemist Interview

      27 Feb 2016
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Indianapolis, IN
      No offer
      Negative experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, IN) in Nov 2015

      Interview

      I applied through LinkedIn, I received an email about a month later from one of the research scientists, not an HR person, which was really refreshing. I had a phone interview 3 days later. I received a follow up email about an hour afterwards inviting me to an onsite interview. I had about 3 weeks to prepare for my interview, in which I had to give a 45 minute presentation with 15-20 minutes of Q&A. About 8 PhD scientists were present, and each one interviewed me 1:1 afterwards. The whole process took about 5-6 hours, with a lunch break in between. I liked how structured it was, there was an itinerary and the company was very accommodating. They took me to dinner the night before and put me up in a really nice hotel right next door to the company. What I didn't like was how I was made to feel under-qualified during the interview. I was told during the phone interview this was a new division being developed and they were looking to hire 30-40 new people over the next couple of years, people willing to learn new techniques and who have a strong interest in protein formulation. The position called for a bachelors minimum, but preferably a masters, which I had, yet every single person who interviewed me asked me why I didn't have a PhD and if I would eventually consider pursuing one. I felt they were looking for someone with a PhD level of experience and knowledge, but without actually having a PhD. I knew I didn't get the job when the HR person scheduled at the end of the day to discuss benefits didn't show up. The last scientist who interviewed me tried to act as if this was surprising, but instead of figuring out what happened she just walked me back to the front door of the building and said that would be it for the day. It was awkward. One week later I got the official call from HR saying they were pursuing other candidates, I let the call go to voicemail. The funniest thing is I felt the questions asked at the onsite interview weren't all that different from the questions asked during the phone interview. It was the SAME people, too! Why they made me feel qualified on the phone and not at all onsite is beyond me. They could've saved me the trouble of taking a day off of work. The important thing to remember with Eli Lilly is that it's a sellers market, they have their pick of the best and brightest in the world. So even despite this negative experience, I still felt pretty good to at least have the opportunity to interview onsite.

      Interview questions [2]

      Question 1

      Would you ever pursue a PhD?
      1 Answer

      Question 2

      They asked a lot about my research experience, like the techniques and types of analysis used, and what others I would have considered using if available.
      Answer question
      2