I applied through a recruiter. I interviewed at Pfizer (Groton, CT) in May 2011
Interview
HR pre-screening phone interview to basically assure you have the qualifications listed (20min). Followed by a phone interview with the hiring manager for specific questions on experience, career goals and what I would contribute (20min) - they want to see what your ideas are, what you plans are. They want you to be proactive and hungry for the chance to join them. This was followed by a full day on-site interview with a research talk, meeting with all the department managers and department head. Basically, will you fit in, does anyone see any red flags and are you trying to impress them. They throw HR in there to get a face to face psychological review - you can't want it too much or you'll be a risk. But they do want you to have your own goals, your own reasons for why this job would be good for you (other than the pay, benefits and rep). Overall, professional and useful.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What would be my solution to a very specific research project issue (multi-parameter optimization)?
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Pfizer
Interview
I applied online through the company's website. Two weeks later, I did a phone interview with the hiring manager that lasted for about 30-40min. About ~1.5 month later, I was invited for an onsite interview. The interview was from 830a-330p, with 7 one-on-one meetings, an job talk presentation, and lunch. Everyone was very nice and informative. There were lots of behavioral questions.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Pfizer (San Francisco, CA) in Nov 2014
Interview
Applied online, but contact to hiring manager through contacts got things rolling. Phone interview with hiring manager and members of the team. Invitation to an on-site interview two weeks later, consisting of a talk and meetings with groups one or two people throughout the entire day (14 meetings total!). Collection of internal and external references the next 2 weeks. Great: received detailed feedback to what the references said.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Design an optimal therapy approach if you had unlimited resources.