I went through a long and ultimately disappointing interview process with Sanofi. The entire process took roughly three months. After I applied, I was contacted by an HR representative and then interviewed by the hiring manager. Both conversations were friendly, and I was told they were very interested in my background. I was also asked whether I could work from the Cambridge office three days a week. Next came a one-hour panel interview. It went exceptionally well, and based on the feedback, I expected an offer. Instead, two weeks later HR reached out again to schedule additional interviews — one with a more senior leader and another technical interview. Both of these conversations went well too, with a mix of behavioral and technical questions. Afterward, I again expected a decision. Instead, 1–2 weeks later HR told me I was still a candidate but that they were also interviewing people outside the U.S. “to finalize the list of finalists.” That was unexpected and confusing. About a month after that, I was informed that the position had been given to a candidate from Europe. Overall, the process felt extremely drawn-out and indecisive. I invested a lot of time and energy and consistently received strong signals of interest, only for things to shift multiple times. It was a disappointing experience, and in hindsight it may be for the best — a hiring process this uncertain does not inspire confidence in how the organization operates internally.

The whole process was very organized and moved quickly. The Sanofi team was communicative throughout, and the interview process itself felt very comfortable (more a conversation than rigid, stereotypical interview style questions).