PPD is now part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. On December 8, 2021, Thermo Fisher Scientific completed the acquisition of PPD. For up-to-date information, please see the Thermo Fisher Scientific profile.
Assistant Scientist applicants have rated the interview process at PPD with 2.5 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 81% positive. To compare, the company-average is 70.6% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Assistant Scientist roles take an average of 19 days to get hired, when considering 64 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at PPD overall takes an average of 22 days.
Common stages of the interview process at PPD as a Assistant Scientist according to 64 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone interview: 25%
Drug test: 17%
One on one interview: 17%
Group panel interview: 11%
Skills test: 9%
Background check: 9%
Presentation: 5%
IQ intelligence test: 5%
Personality test: 2%
Other: 1%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at PPD (Middleton, WI)
Interview
Applied online, an initial call screening was set up about a week later and was relatively informal and more informational. Once a position of a desired shift opened I was contacted and an onsite interview was scheduled. The interview consisted of three different PPD employees: my "manager to be", my "manager to be's manager" and then another employee from a different department. I was interviewed by each in a conference room individually for periods ranging from 40-60 minutes. The majority of the questions were behavioral in nature with a strict STAR response needed. Be sure to have 15-20 specific stories ready to draw from and use "I" language when explaining, no general "we" language. There were a few non-behavioral questions thrown into the mix but were nothing shocking, just standard "good to know" employer questions like "where do you see yourself in 3-5 years?". All three interviewers were polite and informative as well as receptive to questions or pauses before answering questions. I was offered a bottled water for the interviews which was a plus. Overall, nothing unexpected... would have liked a tour of the facilities though. You can likely get this job if you care and prepare!!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Have all classic behavioral questions mastered with specific examples prepared in STAR format, ~90% of interview was in this style. What WAS surprising, however, was that very little was asked about technical skills other than highlighting what I was familiar with on my resume but to be safe I'd still prepare for these.
It was a multi-interview process. The first interview was a general interview with a recruiter. The next interview was with two managers. It lasted an hour, 30 minutes to interview with each manager.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
In your current position did you ever make a mistake? If so how did you react? Describe a challenging situation and how you overcame it?
I applied online. I interviewed at PPD (Richmond, VA) in Apr 2023
Interview
Very short and easy. Asked a few technical questions and focused on the resume. The interview consisted of two 30 minute sessions. There was one initial interview with the HR department and then a second interview with the mangers of the lab.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Q: Explain how you used the skills listed on your resume.
I applied through an employee referral. I interviewed at PPD
Interview
the interview was straight forward and easy. I was asked about my relevant experience (work and school) and they asked questions to gauge my team work skills. I spoke to two separate people, one eventually became my boss
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What challenges have you faced and how did you overcome them?