P2 Job Interview Prep

What inspired you to apply to this role?

I feel like this role is a perfect match for my skill set and my desire for growth within my role, because I have a strong foundation in laboratory techniques, data analysis, and project management, which are essential for contributing to the team's objectives. I am confident in my ability to quickly adapt to new challenges, learn new procedures, and effectively contribute to the team's goals. The company’s priorities also line up with my career goals and values of delivering life-changing products, addressing unmet medical needs, and driving innovation.

Tell me/us a little about yourself.

My name is Marie Beimler and I have been working at Merck since Dec2022. I gained diverse experience starting in the biochemistry lab and then moving into the HPV lab. In my time here I've gained valuable experience in project management and developed my laboratory skills. I am passionate about contributing to innovative healthcare solutions and furthering my professional growth. I am excited about the opportunity to transition to a role that further leverages my skills and allows me to contribute to impactful projects.

What about our company's mission interested you the most?

I am particularly drawn to our mission of delivering life-changing products, which resonates with my passion for addressing unmet medical needs and driving innovation in healthcare.

What inspired you to apply for a role with our company?

I am inspired by the company's commitment to innovation and making a significant impact on health outcomes, as well as the alignment of its values with my personal and professional goals.

What are the three things that are most important to you in a job?

I prioritize opportunities for professional development, a diverse environment, and a collaborative work environment that fosters innovation.

Tell me about a time when you've been satisfied, energized, and productive at work. What were you doing?

In my current role, I felt a sense of satisfaction and energy after troubleshooting our urea assay. After assessing, it turned out the conical tubes were shedding residue which was causing variation in our testing. After purchasing new tubes, we saw no more residue and were able to proceed with testing. The resolution of this problem after narrowing down the root cause was very satisfying and encouraging. This experience highlights my problem-solving skills and attention to detail, ultimately improving our workflow and productivity.

What's the biggest misconception you coworkers have about you and why do they think of that?

Some coworkers may perceive me as unapproachable due to my focused demeanor, but this impression comes from my dedication to tasks rather than a lack of willingness to collaborate.

How do your colleagues benefit from working with you specifically, as opposed to one of your coworkers?

My colleagues benefit from my strong analytical skills, attention to detail, and commitment to collaborative problem solving, which enhances our team's overall productivity and fosters a supportive work environment.

Tell me about a time when understanding someone else's perspective helped you accomplish a task or resolve an issue.

In my role within the biochem lab, we used to retain our tested samples until review was completed. After hearing perspectives from other colleagues stating that there was more risk in keeping them, we were able to change our practices and keep the lab compliant and clean.

Tell me about a time when you brought others together to work towards a common goal. How did you convince others of the importance of that goal?

In the biochem lab we used to have a pH meter in the fume hood that no one would use due to its inaccessibility, so I decided to have conversations with management and automation about moving the meter. When I presented them with reasons on how a more accessible pH meter would improve efficiency, everyone agreed to the move, resulting in increased usage and streamlined processes.

Tell me about a time that you were part of a team that successfully worked towards a common goal. What was your role? What did you take away from that experience?

Tell me about how you've applied your company purpose / values to the work that you've done in your previous role.

Tell me about a time you had to use motivational strategies to promote working together towards a common goal. What was the overall outcome and what did you learn?

Think back to a successful project or program that you were a part of. How did you utilize your strengths to contribute to the completion of the task?

Tell me about a time when you needed to adapt to a change how did you help your team focus on what mattered most during this time? What was the outcome?

In my current role I face this challenge on a regular basis with an on-demand sample that we test. For this sample we are given a 24 hour testing window; however, the sample often comes outside of this window and causes our team to have to work together on scheduling additional coverage. During these times I have worked with my team to ensure that we have proper coverage in order to ensure that we can most efficiently deliver results for production continuation.

Tell me about a time that you simplified how you worked to improve the outcome of a project that you were working on.

Tell me about a time you realized that how you were doing something was too complicated and you found a way to simplify your work so that it focused on creating the greatest value for your team and / or the organization’s stakeholders.

For a urea assay that I test the standards are prepped and must be vortexed and inverted immediately after and then again before use to ensure that they are fully homogeneous while pipetting since we use such a small quantity. Previously I would prep the standards, then proceed to prepping the samples before aliquoting all of them accordingly. I now aliquot the standards immediately after prep to avoid re-vortexing and inverting resulting in saved time and a more simplified process.

Tell me how you prioritize your work or resources in a team to improve the value that your team can provide to others.

I prioritize sample testing and review based on an analytical testing dashboard that allows my team and I to test samples in a first in first out cadence. This allows for sample batches to be released to the public in a timely fashion.

Tell me about how your work habits adjust based on available resources.

In a urea assay I test we have recently encountered issues in PC and reagent supply. In response we increased the number of samples per test session to maximize the remainder of the reagents we have on hand.

Tell me about a time when you were proactive in solving a small problem before it turned into a major problem. What steps did you take? What was the outcome?

Think about a project that was not being completed as efficiently as it could. Describe ways you found to make your project more efficient.

At times you may be asked to do many things at once. Tell me how you would decide what is most important and why.

Describe a time-sensitive situation when your Manager/Coach/Leader was not around and a problem developed. How did you handle it and what were the results?

Tell me about a time that you were the first person to take action on something. How did you approach the task? What was the outcome?

Tell me about a time when you took on additional work to help your team meet a crucial goal. What impact did this have?

We once had a KF sample that was un-tested and due the upcoming weekend. I stayed late in order to complete this samples testing so that we could meet the deadline. This helped the biochem team keep TPOT metrics up and put us in a better position for the next samples coming due.

Describe a situation where a task required close collaboration during a short period of time. How did you manage this and what challenges did you face?

Give an example of when you needed information from a coworker who wasn’t responsive? What did you do?

When reviewing sample data, it is our responsibility to review the sample tracking information as well. When I encounter a sample tracking error, I most of the time have to reach out to manufacturing in order to get a correction. Whenever they are unresponsive, I first send a follow up message, from there if they still remain unresponsive, I reach out to my manager to determine next steps.

Tell me about a time when you invented something and how you moved forward from idea to implementation. How did your idea change as it progressed?

Tell me about a time you made a bold decision you were unsure if it would succeed.

Tell me about a time in which you went out of your way to learn a new skill. How did you apply this to your work? What impact did it have?

Tell me about a time when you had to adapt because of a change in circumstances or plans. How did you handle it and what was the result?

Give me an example of difficulties you faced during a transitional period (from university to the professional world, or from one job to another) and how you overcame them.

Describe a time that you volunteered to expand your knowledge at work, as opposed to being directed to do so. What compelled you to seek out the opportunity?

Tell me about a time when you had to explain a complex topic to people with less subject knowledge. How did you adjust your message so that everyone would feel comfortable in the discussion?

What approach do you take to communicate effectively with a diverse team?

Tell me about a time when you showed empathy toward another individual or group. Describe the situation, the actions you took, and the outcome.

Tell me about a time when you changed your style to work more effectively with a person from a different background.

Tell me about a time when you overheard a conversation/ observed a derogatory interaction. What did you do? Looking back, would you do anything differently?

Tell me about a time when you were not able to meet a deadline. What did you do? How did you articulate the risks and bring proactive solutions to overcome the challenge?

Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your manager’s leadership style or team culture. What did you do? What was the outcome? What did you learn from this experience?

Describe a time when you disagreed with others on your team while you worked on a project. How did you come to a decision? What did you learn from the situation?

While working to digitize the BCA assay it was decided by the team that we would begin uploading PDF forms of our protected spreadsheet into GLIMS. As our SOP at the time still stated that saving the spreadsheet was not allowed, I was opposed to the idea. We came together as a group to discuss options and ultimately agreed upon an SOP update that would allow us to compliantly attach the PDF to our test session paperlessly. From this situation I learned the power of teamwork and the importance of multiple points of view.

Tell me about a time in which you challenged the way a colleague handled a task. How did you discuss it with them? What did you learn?

Tell me about a time when you had to convince someone to do something that they were unsure of but that you knew was the best course of action. What happened and what did you take away from this situation?

Think about a time when the quality of your work was extremely important. What actions did you take to ensure that you met expectations?

Briefly describe a time when you had to work with a difficult customer or stakeholder.

Think about a time when you exceeded your customer/stakeholder's expectations. What actions did you take to do so?

Tell me about a time when you were not effective in meeting the customers needs. Why and what steps did you take to correct the situation? What did you learn from the situation?

Tell me about a time when you had to adjust your actions or a solution because it did not match the needs of your customers or clients.

Tell me about a time when you were communicating with a colleague / peer / team member and they did not understand your ask or directions. What did you do?"

During training sample tracking

Describe how you've helped to contribute to the environment of a team so that it was responsive to the needs of all people.

Tell me about a time when you had to take on the work of a colleague/peer. What happened and how did you adjust your priorities to be able to do so?

Last year a co-worker in the biochem group went out on maternity leave leaving me as the only fully trained analyst in the lab, just as two new employees were hired for the group. In this time period I had to take on additional responsibilities, mentoring the new hires while ensuring that our ongoing testing remained on schedule. I prioritized tasks by determining when samples needed to be tested to meet TPOT and made sure to start training with assays that were easier to learn that way I would speed up the onboarding process and manage workflow efficiently.

Tell me about a time where you had to take into consideration the feelings, reactions and comfort level of others in your team/organization. What was the situation and how did you factor in these additional considerations?

Tell me about a time when you communicated something and had to go back later and change/revise your original communication. How did you ensure that those impacted understood the change?

Describe a time in which you served as a role model of ethical behavior. What actions did you take to conform to ethical standards and practices?

Describe a time when you had to make a decision with possible ethical ramifications.

Tell me about a time when your trustworthiness was challenged. How did you react/respond?

Describe a situation where you were asked to provide information that you knew was not correct or accurate. What did you do?

Tell me about a time when a situation challenged your integrity. How did you handle it and what was the outcome? What did you learn?

Tell me about a time when you made the decision to expand your knowledge by learning a new topic or skill at work, as opposed to being directed to do so.

Describe how you would go about learning a new program that changes the way you work.

Tell me about a time when you collaborated with others across the organization to drive a new and different idea or program forward. What was your role? What was the outcome?

Tell me about a time when you used your research skills to gain information to solve a work-related problem. How did you analyze the information and determine a solution?

Describe a time when you saw an opportunity through analysis that others did not realize was there. What processes did you use?