Glassdoor is your free inside look at AstraZeneca interview questions and advice. All 115 interview reviews posted anonymously by AstraZeneca employees and interview candidates.
AstraZeneca Interview Questions & Reviews
Getting the Interview 115 Interviews
Interview Experience 99 Ratings
Post Doctoral Scientist at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Waltham, MA – Reviewed Mar 12, 2013
Interview Details – The interview process was truly superb. Everyone was friendly, accommodating, and very professional. I was invited out for dinner by the hiring manager and a couple of principal scientists the night before to break the ice and establish a little friendly rapport. The day of was a whirlwind, as are all day-long interviews. But everything was very well organized and the schedule had been provided to me well in advance. I interviewed with the HR rep, then a research associate, then her managing principal scientist, then I gave an hour-long presentation of my previous research, then lunch with some of the collaborating scientist outside of the hiring group. After lunch I interviewed with another principal scientist, then a current postdoc scientist, and finally with the hiring manager where most of the discussion involved the research project. Overall, it was a great experience. The scientists are brilliant and offered some great insight into my previous work. The campus is beautiful, the culture is friendly and innovative. I very much respect how they do business up there. To be honest, my only complaint is that I didn't get the job. =)
Interview Question – What area of synthetic chemistry do you find that you have not explored, but that you would like to gain more experience in? Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Reviewed Mar 10, 2013
Interview Details – I applied early February, and got an invite for a phone interview two weeks later. After my phone interview I was sent a link to complete two online personality tests, and still waiting to hear back from them...
Interview Question – Very basic questions referring back to your resume. Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
Accepted Offer – Interviewed in New York, NY Jan 2013 – Reviewed Jan 16, 2013
Interview Details –
I first applied online and was emailed a confirmation for a phone interview. This went well, fairly easy, simple questions about yourself, your past work experience, and behavioral questions. Remember to answer in STAR format. I was then asked to fill out a questionaire of about 200 questions. Done and Done. I was then appointed a face-to-face interview with the Hiring manager/DSM who brought along another DSM to the interview.
**WORD OF ADVICE: It is extrememly important to DO YOUR RESEARCH! look up the hiring manager, find out a little about him/her so you have something to talk about regarding their accomplishments and experience. An interview should be a conversation.
***Research the company. Find out what their goals are. DO NOT assume that you will just be selling drugs to doctors and courting them with exceptional foods. The hiring manager does not want to hear this. You want to provide great medicine to HELP PEOPLE IN NEED. Care about the job, don't just do it for the perks or money. You can't fool others.
**Smile, be charasmatic, polite, and professional. Always answer in STAR format, for they will indeed ask you 4 behavioral questions that pretty much make or break your interview. Last but not least, CLOSE THE INTERVIEW by expressing your gratitude for the interview and letting them know that YOU WANT THE JOB and that you solemly believe you qualify. Ask them if they see you as a potential candidate. It's a yes or a no question, so be prepared.
GOOD LUCK and always be a step ahead.
Interview Question –
1. What ethical dilemma have you experienced at your workplace
2. When have you had to convince your boss to make a decision
Answer Question
Negotiation Details – I got a call after my interview and was offered a package I couldn't resist. I tried to negotiate the base salary for the heck of it, however I was told that my lack of experience was the reason for the base salary (which wasn't too shabby). So I happily accepted. I also had the luck of having a lovely manager to work with, so that's always helpful.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Jan 2013 – Reviewed Feb 6, 2013
Interview Details – Applied online and was given a phone interview that covered my background and a few behavioral/STAR questions followed that.
Interview Question –
Tell me about a time you had to give a presentation, who was the audience, etc.?
Why do you want to work in this industry?
What is your greatest weakness?
Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Specialist at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Reviewed Feb 6, 2013
Interview Details – Applied online. Was contacted 2 weeks later for a phone interview. That same day I was sent and completed 2 different personality assessments, 200 questions each. 5 weeks after that I had an in-person interview with 2 DSM's (one that was hiring for the specific job I was interviewing for, and the other was said to be a DSM in training who was learning the ropes of interviewing candidates). I sent a follow-up/thank-you e-mail. 3 weeks later I received an automated e-mail saying the position was closed.
Interview Question – 3 strengths, 1 weakness, name an ethical dilemma you faced, talk about a time you gave a presentation Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Los Angeles, CA Jan 2013 – Reviewed Jan 10, 2013
Interview Details – I have done the phone interview and the first face to face interview
Interview Questions
- Described a time where in a difficult circumstances you had to build a rapport with a customer? Answer Question
- Tell me a time when you set a goal for yourself and what did you do to accomplish? Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceutical Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in San Juan, PR Dec 2012 – Reviewed Jan 9, 2013
Interview Details – Apply online. After two weeks received a call for an appointment for a phone interview. It was really a screening call, it was very easy. It consist of simple basic education, experience,salary expectationsand what you know about the company . The next step was to take an on line personality test. Its been a week now and I am waiting for them
Interview Question – At this first step in the process there no difficult or unexpected question Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Houston, TX – Reviewed Jan 4, 2013
Interview Details – Had a phone interview and face to face. Waiting to hear back. So far the process has taken about 2 months
Interview Question – Describe a difficult task you had to overcome and what steps did you take to rectify it? Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Phoenix, AZ Nov 2012 – Reviewed Dec 18, 2012
Interview Details – The first notification was an e-mail to set up an interview with a recruiter. Then it was followed by 2 personality tests. After completing the 2 personality tests I received another e-mail to complete additional information application and agree to a background check and it would be forwarded to a hiring manager. That was a month ago and I have not heard anything back.
Interview Question – General questions about previous sales situations. Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Pharmaceuticals Sales Representative at AstraZeneca
No Offer – Interviewed in Monroe, LA Nov 2012 – Reviewed Dec 3, 2012
Interview Details – I submitted my resume online late afternoon then received an email to schedule a 30 minute phone interview by lunch time the next day. The phone interview was done by a third party company and basically verified my resume so be sure to have a copy at hand. They don't ask too many probing questions during the phone screening so the first step is relatively easy. Moving on to the next step in a couple days, it takes quite a while to get your career going with this company.
Interview Question – Greatest strengths and weaknesses... Answer Question
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Problem with this interview?
Worked for AstraZeneca? Contribute to the Community!
Add Review Add Salary Add Interview Review Add PhotosWork in HR or Recruiting?
AstraZeneca Videos
Loading...
AstraZeneca – Why Work for Us?
Our mission is to create a meaningful difference. In the lives of the patients we serve. And the people who work here. We are AstraZeneca. More than 57,000 employees strong, we have a presence in over 100 countries… — Full Overview
Provided by employer [?]
This is the employer's chance to tell you why you should work for them. The information provided is from their perspective.
Interviews by Company
Flag this {0} as inappropriate
Would you like us to review something? Please describe the problem with this {0} and we will look into it.
Oops!
We're sorry but your feedback didn't make it to the team. Your input is valuable to us – would you mind trying again?
The difficulty rating is the average interview difficulty rating across all interview candidates.
The interview experience is the percentage of all interview candidates that said their interview experience was positive, neutral, or negative.
Your response will be removed from the review – this cannot be undone.
