Skip to contentSkip to footer
  • Community
  • Jobs
  • Companies
  • Salaries
  • For employers
      Notifications

      Loading...

      Elevate your career

      Discover your earning potential, land dream jobs, and share work-life insights anonymously.

      employer cover photo
      employer logo
      employer logo

      Cobra Biologics

      Is this your company?

      About
      Reviews
      Pay and benefits
      Jobs
      Interviews
      Interviews
      Related searches: Cobra Biologics reviews | Cobra Biologics jobs | Cobra Biologics salaries | Cobra Biologics benefits
      Cobra Biologics interviewsCobra Biologics GMP Operator interviewsCobra Biologics interview


      Glassdoor

      • About / Press
      • Awards
      • Blog
      • Research
      • Contact Us
      • Guides

      Employers

      • Free Employer Account
      • Employer Centre
      • Employers Blog

      Information

      • Help
      • Guidelines
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy and Ad Choices
      • Do Not Sell Or Share My Information
      • Cookie Consent Tool
      • Security

      Work With Us

      • Advertisers
      • Careers
      Download the App

      • Browse by:
      • Companies
      • Jobs
      • Locations
      • Communities
      • Recent posts

      Copyright © 2008-2026. Glassdoor LLC. "Glassdoor," "Worklife Pro," "Bowls" and logo are proprietary trademarks of Glassdoor LLC.

      Company Bowl sample

      Want the inside scoop on your own company?

      Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.

      Bowls

      Get actionable career advice tailored to you by joining more bowls.

      Followed companies

      Stay ahead in opportunities and insider tips by following your dream companies.

      Job searches

      Get personalised job recommendations and updates by starting your searches.

      GMP Operator Interview

      8 Jul 2019
      Anonymous interview candidate
      Keele, England
      No offer
      Positive experience
      Difficult interview

      Application

      I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Cobra Biologics (Keele, England)

      Interview

      I interviewed for a GMP operator. Interview was split between 4 sections: 1. with HR 2. Arithmetic based test (30 mins) 3. GMP Production manager along with 2 Senior scientists 4. Head of Production. Interview lasted about 2hr 55 mins and this was followed by a 15-20 mins tour of their clean-room production facility (Downstream processing, specifically). The interview was intense with many subject based questions around cell culture, GMP, microbial fermentation, and down stream processes including plasmid purification. HR interview section is mainly get you to calm your nerves down and get in the interview mood. GMP manager and Senior scientists are there to test your competence and specific skills and experiences around the role; they put you under pressure to see how you could endure the seemingly never ending questions. Head of production was like a psycho analyst who want to know your commitment, knowledge around industry and possible long term goals. Tour guides are fun and help you learn more about the kind of work they do there and how they find working at the place; don't ask too specific questions and the products they produce or the cell lines they work with because they'll tell you that sensitive company information. All interviewers were friendly and showed interest in the process, but also with a commitment to absolutely test your competence around the role.

      Interview questions [8]

      Question 1

      Explain what GMP is why it's important. What is the role of a GMP operator?
      Answer question

      Question 2

      Calculate cell viability % and plasmid yield. What would you use to stain cells (not bacteria)? If you go for 'trypan blue' as I did, then explain the principle behind the stain. What would you use to preserve/bank cells? Hint cryoprotectants.
      Answer question

      Question 3

      Draw and annotate bacterial or cell growth curve? Why do cells enter the stationery growth phase on the curve you have drawn?
      Answer question

      Question 4

      What's the generation time of E. coli and what's its optimum growth temperature?
      Answer question

      Question 5

      What are the conditions for microbial fermentation?
      Answer question

      Question 6

      If you've done transformation/transfection before what method did you use. Cobra uses electroporation, which you may only be told after you tell them yours :). Do you have plasmid purification experience? If yes how did you carry it out-if you used a kit such as Qiagen's Plasmid purification Kit you may be asked to name the manufacturer
      Answer question

      Question 7

      You will be given ~5 pictures of pressure meters and asked to record the readings on the meters. Then you will calculate the differences in pressure (not as complex as you may think, it's just subtracting one reading from the other and they'll give you a calculator). There will also be reference ranges for each meter and you have to say whether the meter reading is within (pass) or outwith (fail) the reference values.
      Answer question

      Question 8

      You'll be provided with a short text describing how to correctly write data in a GMP format. Then you'll be provided with an excerpt from a GMP data book and asked to identify any wrong entries.
      Answer question
      5

      Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

      avatar
      Johnson & Johnson
      4.0★Compensation and benefits
      avatar
      AstraZeneca
      4.1★Compensation and benefits
      avatar
      Novo Nordisk
      4.1★Compensation and benefits
      avatar
      Roche
      4.1★Compensation and benefits