I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at nspm
Interview
1. CV and cover letter 2. Interview with a principal medical writer and one of the directors 3. Writing test - a powerpoint presentation based on a sent manuscript 4. Interview day in their office: an interview with two senior/principal medical writers, a writing test (1 h), a chat with one of the directors
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a situation/time when: you had to work with a difficult person, how did you deal with them? you didn't keep a deadline you made a mistake/failed you were the most proud of yourself you had to handle a stressful situation What type of writing did you do in the past? What is your writing strategy for a manuscript?
I applied online. I interviewed at nspm (Cheadle, North West England, England)
Interview
It’s a three stage process meeting various team members. First stage is a virtual interview which felt more like a chat. Second stage is a writing test and third stage is an in person interview at the office in Cheadle. In my opinion, the third stage could be improved by telling candidates exactly what is expected of them prior to arrival i.e I knew it was an abstract test but wasn’t aware i would also need to also fill in a multiple choice which threw me off entirely. There’s also a feeling of the team being overwhelmed with work alongside a feeling of management having favourites. They seemingly base their hiring decision only on writing tests so focus on that because it won’t matter if the team liked you or not. They also do not compensate for travel to final stage and aren’t the most diverse group.
I applied through other source. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at nspm (Cheadle, North West England, England) in Dec 2023
Interview
Four rounds to get the job comprised of a cover letter, first interview, sma writing exam which was to prepare a New England Journal of Medicine style video, and a final four hour interview with an abstract writing exam.
The interviews were relatively okay with questions about experience, how to handle conflict, and how to approach writing a manuscript.
They essentially were going to ghost me despite spending 6 weeks in the recruitment process after the final interview I had to chase them up. They offered absolutely no feed back at all. They offer no compensation for fuel or travel. I don't think the interviews actually matter as most of the questions didn't focus on the job, I think they put the majority of the credence in the writing exams.
They are relatively slow with getting back to you through the entire process, they have 60 staff only and I got the impression work loads are heavy from talking to their team. I'm leaving a negative review as I think ghosting someone is completely abhorrent, especially from a company which prides itself on communication.
Interview questions [5]
Question 1
Have you ever found yourself in conflict and how would you handle it?