I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 3 days. I interviewed at Genentech (Redwood City, CA)
Interview
A day long hiring event which is first, scenario questions then interview questions. You will be placed in groups of 5-8 people per table and work with them as a group. You will be presented certain questions to answer as a group. They look for customer service and easy ability to explain things.
After that you will be given an interview by typically 2 people. The questions are on a template but there can be additional questions. The less questions you have, the worse it's going.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The interview questions are all customer service type of questions. Show a good personality and an aptitude to learn if you're not technically sound. If you are, show good customer service and personality. Afterwards they decide that day on who will get hired and who won't.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Genentech in Feb 2014
Interview
Hiring event consisted of about 45 prospective employees.
Everyone was split into teams of about 5-6.
Teams were given scenarios where you work as a team to solve. There are a total of about 5-6 scenarios.
After the scenarios, 1 on 1 interviews are conducted (or 2 managers and you). You may need to wait over an hour for your interview depending on how many people are there.
1 on 1 interview: There were no technical questions at all. Every question asked was based on customer service.
How did you handle a difficult customer before?
Have you had any conflicts with teammates in the past?
What is the most challenging thing you have overcome in the workplace?
Tips
Make sure you speak! Do not let someone else speak for you. Yes this happened where people stayed quiet.
Remember details about your teammates
You are watched throughout the entire 6 hour event so be social and respectful
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The hiring process is very straight forward and simple. Most difficult thing for me was waiting about 90 minutes after the group scenarios for my 1 on 1 interview.
The interview process take a full day. What to aim to convey: how you can work in a team, how you can problem solve, how you can articulate a solution, how you can communicate overall.
