Interview questions at GlaxoSmithKline
We analyzed 1,407 interview reviews for GlaxoSmithKline from various job sites, social network groups and forums.
Here are the most frequent job interview questions asked by HR managers during initial phone or onsite interviews. This list does not include technical or factual questions.
12 frequent non-technical questions at GlaxoSmithKline:
According to our research, hiring managers at GlaxoSmithKline ask soft skills interview questions 40% more than at other companies.
1. Tell me about yourself top question
How to answer
Most job candidates expect this to be one of the first interview questions and probably think of it as an “icebreaker” to get the interview started. It is much more than that! It is your opportunity to show the interviewer your relevance for the job. You want the employer to know that you are qualified to do the job, you are interested in doing the job and capable of getting it done.
-
About Yourself
What is your current occupation? Define yourself professionally in one statement.
Pick 3 key skills that make you great at your work (your Key Selling Points). How have you applied these skills?
Try to give some numbers to support your statement.
-
About The Company
Your first step is to Research the company to find out as much as you can about what they do and their approach to their business and their employees.
Based on what you know about the company and the job description, why are you interested in the position you are applying for?
-
About The Fit
Now is the right time to show the fit between your skills and the company's requirements. Your answer works best if you emphasize your relevance. How do you do this? You will have already researched the company, studied the job description to identify their needs and possible pain points and prepared the relevant Star Stories that show how you addressed similar issues in the past. Your next step is to develop your Present-Past-Present approach.
Start with the Present. Focus on the skills and experience from your most recent positions. What has enabled you to get the job done successfully and how this relates to what the employer is looking to accomplish.
Next go back to the Past. Here is where your Star story comes in. Explain how you were able to use your skills and experience to accomplish a task that relates to an area of concern for the employer.
Finally come back to the Present – summarizing the lessons you learned and how they shaped your response and approach today.
Remember, the whole conversation is about the present, not the past. Just one sentence can summarize why your approach works, and its applicability and relevance to this position.
Pro Tip
You can also end with a question like:
“Do you know what the current needs in the company/department are, where my skills and experience can help?”
That can help you learn more about the company and the job, turn the “interrogation” into a conversation and will allow you to relax some tension.
Read our blog post to learn more about how to answer this question.
Statistics
This question is asked 39% less frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
2. What is your greatest weakness?
How to answer
This question ranks as the most challenging for many people. Fortunately, Mr. Simon is here to help!
Interviewers are not out to trick or trap you! They ask this question to gauge your level of self-awareness, your honesty and openness, and your capability for self-improvement.
-
About Yourself
No one is perfect and your interviewer doesn't expect you to be perfect either.
While it is good to be honest and open, it will not help you to put yourself down.
What's important is to find a weakness that you have overcome. How you turned what might be considered a negative into a positive.
-
About The Company
Research the company (website, social media, etc) to learn about the company culture.
What personal and professional qualities do they value?
-
About The Fit
This is the time to clearly state a true weakness that you have overcome.
Be as specific as possible and stay away from vague cliches like “I work too hard.” It would be difficult for anyone to try and explain how they overcame a weakness like that
Mr. Simon emphasizes the Present-Past-Present method of responding to behavioral questions. When you are asked about your greatest weakness, you should be able to successfully use this approach as well. Here is an example of how someone might answer this question.
Present - "I have always had a fear of public speaking, and believe this may have held me back in my career, especially when having to make presentations to management."
Past - "Last year I learned about Toastmasters International and decided to join this group to help me gain confidence in myself and improve my ability to present to others in just about any situation."
Present - "By overcoming this weakness I believe that it has made me a much stronger candidate for this position, someone you can count on to make presentations to management, conduct training and communicate at a high level."
It's important to show how well you've overcome a weakness by motivating yourself and learning a new skill to grow professionally.
Pro Tip
Use this question to sell yourself!
Statistics
This question is asked 16% more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
3. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
How to answer
This question belongs to a family of behavioral, or even more precisely, reflective questions.
The interviewer wants to learn two things about you by asking this question.
- They want to know what you think about the job you are applying for. Remember, they are interviewing you for the job that's open right now. Are you a good fit and will you do a good job for them?
- Just as important, they want to get an idea of your ambitions and goals for yourself and if your goals align with their needs, especially going into the future.
In this way the employer should see how you see yourself today, and whether you are ambitious and strive to grow as a professional, and whether you like to learn and develop your skills.
-
About Yourself
What challenges do you like overcoming? Where are you starting from and where might you be going?
For example, let's say the position you are applying for is junior accountant. It includes a wide range of tasks such as basic bookkeeping, financial analysis, and reporting. If accounting is your chosen field, then you would most likely want to move in the direction of obtaining your CPA so that you might step up to more responsibility as an accounting manager or senior auditor within the next 5 years. Your responses should make sense in how you see yourself growing in your professional career.
However, at this point, if you are happy just where you are and want to further your current skills, that is also fine as long as there is a growth path for you that can be imagined and described.
-
About The Company
Research the company to learn what career opportunities may be available in the department you are applying to, and what the trends are in the company in general.
- Is the business expanding, are they opening new locations, or starting new projects?
- Or are they heavily automating and cutting staff?
Let’s say you are applying for a UX designer position for a brand-new product.
In the future, if the product becomes a success - which is what the company hopes for - the company will hire more designers and you may become a lead designer, or you may become a product manager.
On a side note: If you train your mind to be open to opportunities you will be amazed at how much this world has to offer to you!
-
About The Fit
And, of course, try to see where the perfect fit lies between your own potential and aspirations, and the company’s trends and hopes.
However, beware of the risk of showing too much excitement for future opportunities compared to your attitude towards the current position.
As we said earlier, you must show interest and enthusiasm for the position you are applying for. If the interviewer senses that you are more enthusiastic about future growth than about the current position, they may conclude that you are not the right person for the job at hand.
Pro Tip
This question gives you a good opportunity to showcase your Key Selling Points (e.g. “As I am very good at delegating tasks, I can easily see myself leading a team of software testers in the future…”), and end your statement by asking about current initiatives and goals at the company.
In thinking about the possibilities that may lie ahead, you also might want to consider taking a personality test (I recommend 16Personalities which is based on the Myers-Briggs test), research the internet on what career paths are possible with your skills and current job.
It is generally NOT a good idea to say something like:
“Oh, I cannot imagine what happens to me tomorrow, let alone in 5 years”.
This will show you as a person who is unimaginative and not forward-thinking enough to grow with and be a good fit for the company.
Statistics
This question is asked 14% less frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
4. Tell me about a time you had a conflict at work. How did you handle it? What have you learned?
How to answer
Wherever you go, you will always have to work with people. This means that there is a greater chance for conflict to happen. This question helps the interviewer determine how well you would fit within the organization.
-
About Yourself
Think of the times you had to deal with conflict.
- What were the different ways you were able to address the situation?
- If you were the cause of the conflict, how did the other person talk you down from the conflict?
- What were the key lessons you learned through your experience?
-
About The Company
Research the company and its culture.
- What do they value?
- Is there anything that you can find about how they deal with conflict resolution?
Reading comments to their social media posts often prove helpful to see how they react to customers' complaints.
-
About The Fit
- What have you found out about the company’s culture and job description?
- Are they looking for someone who can take charge and resolve conflict?
Tell a story of how you addressed conflict and how it turned a negative into a positive. Try to conclude with your lessons learned or methodology for approaching conflicts - this will show the interviewer that you would be able to apply your methodology to future situations.
Use the STAR method to frame your story.
Pro Tip
A key to addressing conflict is listening, communication and emotional intelligence. Highlight these skills.
If you're able to, turn the question around and ask the interviewer if they have experienced the same thing. This will start a conversation, which is the goal of an interview.
Statistics
This question is asked 3.3x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
5. Tell me about a time when you had to work with a difficult or disruptive person. It may be a client, manager, or coworker. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome?
How to answer
People skills are highly valued in a company. It is important to show how you can manage difficult personalities, especially if you are applying for a job that involves teamwork, or a lot of interactions with clients.
-
About Yourself
Look back on your experience. Have you worked with a difficult or disruptive person? Remember a few such situations and how you diffused them and turned things around. What are your approaches to resolving conflicting situations at work?
-
About The Company
- What have you found about the company and its culture?
- What have you learned about how the employees value each other?
- How do they treat their customers?
- Do they have any specific standards and policies?
-
About The Fit
Using what you found about the company, choose one of your examples that fits best with the company standards and share your story.
If it's a customer, how did you turn things around and made a customer happy?
If it's a coworker, how did you diffuse a tense or difficult situation?
Pro Tip
Use the triple A of diffusing a difficult situation:
- Acknowledge - what the other person is feeling,
- Apologize - for the way the other person is feeling,
- Admit - that there was an issue that you are working on to get it resolved.
If it is a customer, it would add that extra touch if you "Ask" for the customer's contact information so you can update them of any progress on their issue.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.5x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
6. Walk me through your resume
How to answer
This question is often asked at the beginning of the interview.
The interviewer wants to hear a brief overview, a summary of your professional experience, in order to have a starting point from which they can dig deeper.
Structuring your answer wisely gives you a good chance to emphasize your Key Selling Points and to channel the conversation in the direction you want.
-
About Yourself
Print out your resume. For each of your recent job experiences (at this point do not go back more than 5 years), write down 3-5 key points at which you feel you are strong.
For example, for your current (or previous) job, you may want to list skills like “Excellent presentation skills,” “Employee Engagement guru,” “Analytical skills,” “Attention to detail” (they don’t have to be all soft skills, but being aware of at least a few of your strong soft skills is important). Make sure you have examples for each of your statements.
If you have difficulties to think of these points, search online for job descriptions for similar job roles, and figure out which of those keywords appeal to you. Look for people on LinkedIn that have jobs similar to the one you are applying for. Their profiles often contain many keywords that you can use in response to this question.
Now that you’ve gone through all your recent experiences, are there any points that repeat more often than others, or are especially important to you? These are candidates to be your Key Selling Points -highlight 3-5 of them.
-
About The Company
Research the company and the role for which you're being interviewed. When researching the company, find out what skills and qualities they value the most. Carefully consider the job requirements. What is it that you will be responsible for?
Now, write down 3-5 keywords from the job description that you find of utmost importance for this job role.
-
About The Fit
Try to establish the match between your own highlighted keywords, and those of the job description. These are your Key Selling Points! You should normally limit yourself by 3-5 such keywords or phrases.
Now, craft a story based on your career history. You don’t have to go in chronological order - you can start with your current or last job experience, and then go back to your previous ones, or focus on just the experiences that are relevant to your story, and only briefly mention the less relevant ones and only if needed.
Select one point to highlight for each phase of your career. Make sure you ingrain your Key Selling Points in the interviewer’s memory - after the interview is over, you want them to remember you as someone who is strong at XYZ, or experienced in A, B and C.
It's okay to focus more on stellar achievements and brag a little bit about them.
Pro Tip
Don't bore the interviewer by going through your resume line-by-line.
Instead, WOW them by succinctly (keep it within 2 minutes) telling a story of how your career path has brought you to this point and how you are the best candidate for this role.
Super tip: The more you practice with Mr. Simon, the better you'll be at telling WOW-worthy succinct stories!
Statistics
This question is asked 2.2x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
7. Tell me about your greatest professional accomplishment
How to answer
Of all your accomplishments (and I am sure you’ve had a great many of them!), you should choose the one most relevant to this job position.
-
About Yourself
In preparation for answering this question, list the top 3 professional accomplishments that you are most proud of. No need for lengthy descriptions, just a sentence or two for each one to help you recall each situation.
Write down your Key Selling Points - your top 3-5 skills that make you a strong professional.
Make sure you have developed the story behind each accomplishment and have a strong command of the details of what happened so that you can tell the story clearly and distinctly.
Along with each accomplishment, mark which of your Key Selling Points they showcase. How exactly?
-
About The Company
Based on your research of the company, what are their current needs?
- What are the major projects going on?
- What are the expectations for the position you are applying for?
- Think about which of your accomplishment stories best fit their needs and expectations?
-
About The Fit
Once you have decided on the appropriate accomplishment story, think how you will relate it in an interview and how you will make it relevant to the the job you are seeking. One approach is to use the Present-Past-Present technique.
Let's say that the accomplishment was leading your team in installing a new billing system and bringing it in on time and under budget.
You might start off in the Present by talking about the importance of having good leadership skills.
Then move to the Past to relate your story about how you successfully lead your team in accomplishing the objective.
Finally, come back to the Present to address how you will be able to help them reach their goals (the ones you learned about when researching the company) going forward.
Be sure to keep practicing your accomplishment story until it flows naturally and convincingly.
Pro Tip
Most enterprises are now going through major transformations, often called Digital Transformation.
Do your research on what it means and what is often involved, to get a better idea of the current goals and environments in companies. But one thing that definitely characterizes this transformation is striving for agility.
Whether the prospective employer is a long-established company or a startup, they are looking for people who demonstrate qualities like agility and adaptability, which are generally considered to be both helpful and quite a safe choice in most circumstances today.
Statistics
This question is asked 21% more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
8. Describe a time when you resolved a conflict with a colleague in your past role
How to answer
Wherever you go, you will always have to work with people and this means that there is always going to be a chance for conflict. Employers ask this question to gauge how well you handle disagreements and how you resolve contentious issues with your coworkers. Remember, if conflcts are not properly handled they may cause disruption in the running of the department or even the entire organization.
-
About Yourself
Think of the times you had to deal with conflict.
- What were the different ways you were able to address the situation?
- If you were the cause of the conflict, how did you handle it and what role did the other person play in helping to resolve the conflict?
- What were the key lessons you learned through your experience?
-
About The Company
Research the company and its culture.
- What do they value?
- Is there anything that you can find about how they deal with conflict resolution?
- Do sites such as Glassdoor give any indication of the kinds of conflicts that might occur and how they are handled?
Reading comments on the company's social media posts often prove helpful to see how they react to customers' complaints.
-
About The Fit
Consider the Present-Past-Present method to tell a story of how you addressed conflict and how it turned a negative into a positive.
Start with the Present to expain to the hiring manager how you always ask questions and listen carefully to your coworkers perspective to understand both sides of an issue and apply your sense of fairness when it comes to resolving potential conflicts with others.
Then go back to the Past using the STAR method to frame your story. Here is an example of how someone might relate just such a story:
"My coworker, who started with the company about 6 months before me explained the process the department used for tracking certain data metrics. In my "wisdom" I thought I had a better way. Without telling my colleague what I was doing I went ahead and tried my own way. Unfortunately my way did not quite do the job and as a result we had to start again. He was naturally upset but I brought out my best listening skills to understand his perspective and we agreed to start again with the next reports. I learned a lesson and we have worked together very well since that time."
Finally, come back to the Present to explain how you skills at listening to and doing your best to understand the other person's point of view is a valuable asset and makes you a strong candidate for the position.
Pro Tip
A key to addressing conflict is listening, communication and emotional intelligence. Highlight these skills.
If you're able to, turn the question around and ask the interviewer if they have experienced the same thing. This will start a conversation, which is the goal of an interview.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.7x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
9. Describe a time when you had to overcome a significant obstacle on a job
How to answer
Why do employers ask this question?
It is designed to help the interviewer understand your problem solving and decision making skills. They want to know that they’re hiring someone who can think on their feet and who is resilient when facing challenges.
Think of this question as a great opportunity to turn what may have been a big challenge into a great accomplishment on your part.
-
About Yourself
The employer is looking for the skills needed to overcome a significant obstacale on the job. This is not the place to discuss the ordinary problems that you might face on a daily basis at work.
Start with recalling a few examples of real obstacles and challenges you faced. For each of them, consider:
- What was the project or task you were trying to accomplish?
- What was the obstacle? This can be a specific problem related to your job or a higher-order issue across the organization.
- What steps did you take to address the issue?
- What decisions did you have to make?
- How did the company benefit from your decisions?
- How would you describe your approach, or what lessons have you learned?
Be careful how you respond to this question. The problem you faced and resolved for the company should not have been of your own making.
See this as your chance to show how you stepped up by turning to your skills and inner strength to find the right solutions.
-
About The Company
When you research the company, try and find out what kind of challenges they are facing. Try to find out what they need in terms of problem resolution.
Search for online reviews, complaints and any other useful resources. What problems and obstacles can the employees face with this position?
Pay particular attention to the requirements listed in the job description. It is quite possible that you have a a STAR story about overccoming an obstacle that relates directly to one of their needs. This would be a great opportunity to answer this question.
-
About The Fit
This is your opportunity to showcase your problem-solving skills, resilience, and strength of character. We recommend that you use the Present-Past-Present method to answer this question. The following is an example of how this method might be applied for the position of Blog Writer. The job description mentions that a successful candidate must have experience working “in a dynamic environment.”
Starting with the Present you might say "I really enjoy working in a fast-paced and dynamic environment" (repeating the words used in the job description is reinforcing to the interviewer).
Next go to a Past situation in which you had to write an article on extremely short notice. Your boss came to you at the last moment because your coworker failed to complete a very important assignment. The pressure was on but you worked extra hours to prepare the article successfully and on time. This story shows your sense of responsibility, ability to achieve results under stress, your willingness to go the extra mile, and your problem-solving skills.
Finally come back to the Present to again reiterate how working under pressure is a skill that you are proud of and you will bring to any assignment for the employer.
Pro Tip
This question is not about your past, it's how you deal with things that will happen in the future, so try to keep your answer short and focused.
After all, the interviewer is really looking for what you took away from the situation and doesn’t need to know the full backstory of what happened.
Use the STAR method to prepare your story and practice it so that you can stay within 1-2 minutes.
Make sure to show that you remained positive when overcoming a hurdle at work. Positive attitudes lead to positive outcomes.
Statistics
This question is asked 96% more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
10. What are your long-term goals?
How to answer
Even in this age of the so-called Gig Economy, employers are always looking for people who can become their strong and loyal “soldiers,” a part of their “army” to help them conquer their market share against their competitors.
So, even if at this moment this job may be a temporary contract, you never know what opportunities may present themselves to you in this company.
Trust me, your hiring manager doesn’t know either!
So, be open to opportunities and use this question to emphasize how your personal goals correspond with those of the company.
-
About Yourself
Start with honestly assessing yourself. (At this moment, you are not sharing these thoughts with anyone, so be as open as you can).
Imagine that you have all the resources in the world and that all roads are open for you.
- How would you use them?
- Which road(s) would you choose?
- What do you see on the horizon in that direction?
Be audacious and don’t limit yourself. There is no longer a perspective than “long-term,” so be as futuristic as you possibly can.
List a few “road” options that you would be enthusiastic about going down.
For example, this list may be as broad as the following:
• writer
• choir director
• software engineer and architect
• CEO of a unicorn startup company,
• entrepreneur.As William Shakespeare once said, “We know what we are, but we know not what we may be.”
-
About The Company
Now, look at the company.
- What is the industry they operate in?
- What is the position you are applying for, and what are potential career growth possibilities within the department, company, and industry?
-
About The Fit
Which of your “road” options correspond best with the opportunities presented by this company?
Highlight this option and focus on it. Imagine, in as much detail as you can, going down this road.
What would be the major milestones for you, in order to move towards your goal?
Describe the chosen option by focusing on the first 1-2 milestones, and by presenting it in light of company goals and current initiatives.
For example, if you are applying for a project manager position in a corporation engaged in the education industry, and your “road” option is “CEO,” your next career step may be a program manager, or an innovations and research manager.
Explain why you are enthusiastic about reaching these goals, and what makes you think you have the necessary traits and skills to reach them.
How can the company benefit from these traits and skills of yours already today, in the current role you are applying for?
Pro Tip
Framing your answer in the same terms used by the company will help ensure the interviewer can easily understand your language and help both of you to be “on the same page.”
The easier you make it for the interviewer, the better are your chances they will “vote” for you over other candidates.
Statistics
This question is asked 30% more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
11. Tell me about a difficult work situation and how you overcame it
How to answer
Everyone faces some awkward, difficult, and possibly even dangerous situations on the job once in a while.
The interviewers aren’t asking you this question to remind you about any stress you have experienced in the past or so that you can complain about your old job. They are asking you this question to see how you handled the situation.
It says a lot about you as an employee and as a person. They want to know how you will deal with an unprepared situation that might arise during your work tenure.
-
About Yourself
Try to think of a time when outside forces created a stressful situation.
- What was the context?
- What was the challenge?
- Did you step in?
- Were you able to create a solution that could make everyone happy?
- What did you learn from that situation?
- How would you handle this situation should it happen again in the future?
Avoid examples that make you seem indecisive or uncertain, and keep your answer positive.
This is your chance to show that you have problem-solving skills. Showcase these skills using the STAR method, which will help you effectively organize your response when answering this type of question.
-
About The Company
Do your research about the company. What challenges and kinds of situations may you face in your new role?
Read carefully the job description and the list of responsibilities required.
-
About The Fit
Do your best to ensure your interviewer that you are a person who can identify, isolate, and solve problems.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter how big of a difficulty you had with any particular project. What really matters is the process of how you overcame that difficulty and whether you are capable of handling difficult situations in the future.
Choose your example wisely: if you're looking at a team leader or manager role, it might be better to talk about a people issue rather than technical.
If you're looking at a developer or architect role, then highlight something more technical.
Name your soft skills as well, such as project management, dealing with difficult people, pushing back requirements that were inadequate, etc. Talk only about your fits which are relevant to the job you want to get.
Pro Tip
Any company would prefer to hire a mature person, capable of rising above complex situations.
Therefore, make it a point to describe a situation in which you utilized your strong personal and professional skills. Emphasize how the situation helped you grow in different aspects of life.
Statistics
This question is asked 2.8x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
12. Describe a time you had to apply your skills to something you had never done before
How to answer
There will probably be a time when your manager will ask you to perform duties that might be beyond your level of experience.
Interviewers ask this question to see how adaptable you are and how you may have leveraged your problem-solving skills, learned to do something new and grew in your position as well.
They want someone who is open and thrives on challenges, not someone who’s going to be close-minded, do the bare minimum, or not get anything out of his/her experiences.
They also want to see that you are willing to take on new assignments for the good of the company even when they may seem difficult for you.
-
About Yourself
Remember your previous experiences.
- Are you a quick learner?
- How did you cope when you faced a challenge you had never previously experienced?
- What emotions did you have when doing something new?
- Who or what motivated you to do this task?
- Were you excited to complete it?
- Were you satisfied with the result?
-
About The Company
Research the company and analyze the job role you are applying for.
- What skills are they looking for in their candidates?
- Is there anything in the job description that might present a challenge to you?
See if you are able to match their values to those you learned from your previous experience.
-
About The Fit
It’s your chance to speak about your Key Selling Points, qualities, and skills that you gained in the process of learning and improvement and which have become your professional strengths.
Highlight your skills like creative and independent thinking, decision making and logic. Show the interviewer that you are a quick learner, a capable and confident person who isn’t afraid of challenges and eager to constantly improve your skills and have big plans for working for the company.
Remember a real story from your previous work describing how your skills helped you to successfully complete a new assignment. It must be relevant to the position you are applying for.
Tell your story using the STAR method.
- What techniques did you use?
- What steps did you take?
Here is an example of an answer:
“In my previous job, I was a marketing coordinator. My manager asked me to help her build and launch a digital ad campaign, which was something I’d never done before. I did a lot of research, met with several employees outside my immediate team who had experience running digital ads, studied best practices and successfully help to launch the campaign. Thanks to that hands-on learning experience, I became our team’s expert on digital advertising.”
Pro Tip
When we try to do new things, first we feel uncomfortable but after some time we got interested in it. These new things will open you up to more experiences and leave you feeling more fulfilled.
Statistics
This question is asked 16.3x more frequently at GlaxoSmithKline than at other companies.
You don't have to be alone in your job search!
Mr. Simon invites you to join the Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group that supports both individuals seeking their next job role and working professionals. Members of our network come together to learn and practice new skills and network with others through our regular interactive events where they establish meaningful connections and have a chance to promote their personal brand and stand out in the marketplace.
Group membership is free of charge, courtesy of Mr. Simon.
Join our Friends of Mr. Simon Meetup Group to become part of our growing and supportive community!
This page has been updated on September 1, 2024.
