5 Impressive Final Round Interview Questions for Life Science Professionals

At each stage of the interview process – whether it’s an initial phone screen with HR or a final interview with the organization’s top leadership team – you’re expected to come with fresh, meaningful questions that demonstrate your level of interest in the job and the research you’ve done about the role and the organization.

You can’t ask the same questions in your final interview that you’ve asked at every step leading up to that meeting. The final interview is probably the most intense and important interview you’ll go through and is when you want to show your in-depth knowledge of your industry, the role, and the organization.

So, your final round interview questions should reflect this high level of preparedness and research.

If you’re drawing a blank on what to ask but still want to make a good impression with the hiring manager or interviewers, consider using some of these impressive, fail-safe questions that work particularly well for late-stage interviews.

Q: If I am in this position, how can I make the transition as smooth as possible for the team?

This type of final round interview question is especially relevant if you will be in a management or leadership role and responsible for other team members. This lets the interviewer know that you’re already thinking about how to lead the team and are concerned about their own well-being and performance during your onboarding process.

Q: Do you have any reservations about my background or qualifications that I can address?

This is an excellent question to ask at the end of the interview process before the employer contemplates extending an offer to you. Instead of trying to distract from any deficiencies in your resume, meet them head-on with this question. If you’re able to adequately address any of their concerns or reservations about your candidacy, this may very well be the one question that seals the deal for you and wins you the job offer.

Q: What kind of person do you think makes the ideal colleague here?

This shows the interviewer(s) that you’re considering their perspective as well, and that you’re genuinely concerned about being a good fit for their team or organization. It will also give you an opportunity to reiterate those personality or character traits – your “soft skills” – that will make you seem like not just a capable employee who can get the job done, but a pleasant coworker who the other team members will look forward to spending time with every day.

Q: What does the onboarding process look like (for the first day, the first week, the first month, etc.)?

Asking this will signal to the interviewers that you’re already thinking about digging in and how you’ll establish a productive workload from the get-go. This question positions you as more of a colleague rather than a job candidate, and it opens the conversation to the details of exactly what you’ll be doing in the first few months on the job, forcing your interviewers to imagine you as a peer and a fellow team member.

Depending on how detailed of an answer they give you, you also may be able to gauge how serious they are about your candidacy or if they seem to have any reservations.

Q: Is there anything happening or trending right now in the industry/field that we haven’t talked about that will affect this role/the organization in the coming year?

Again, this final round interview question indicates that you’re already thinking like an employee and want to learn as much as you can about how industry or market trends will affect your ability to reach your goals. Also, it’ll probably kick off a pretty interesting conversation about your field where – hopefully – you’ll be able to win a few more points by being able to turn this into a productive back-and-forth and make some meaningful or insightful points of your own.