I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Syngenta (Waterloo, NE) in Apr 2011
Interview
Syngenta has the interview process very well organized. The entire process took quite a bit of time, but the company communicated well. The initial 2 interviews were on the phone and were fairly short. The on-site interviews were one hour each. There were 2 meetings with groups of interviewers. The process is difficult, but not unpleasant. I felt free to ask questions and developed a good feel for the position and the people interviewing me. An example of a situational question is describing an experience managing others. Most situation questions were directly related to the position.Work safety was stressed more than I have ever heard a company mention it before. The frequency had me worried about being reprimanded for the smallest infraction if I did get the job. I got the perception that the work environment was okay, but that most employees were putting in their time and not really excited about what they do.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a situation where you trained subordinates on safety guidelines and made sure they followed through with those guidelines.
It was a standard interview. Started with a phone screen with Human Resources. After that they set up the meeting with lab manger. After that a panel interview with the team.
2 interviews for the whole process: Theoretical knowledge of plant biochemistry, products, methodology and questions to assess personality and see future goals. Physical competence, ordering of plants and understanding weeds and crops
I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Syngenta
Interview
Got an email confirming the on-site interview. The HM also emailed a list of people I was going to meet on-site. Pretty much behavior questions for all the 1:1 session of one hour each. Met with three colleagues that I was working with later on. Pretty straight forward.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Describe a situation that you were not comfortable and how did you come over it.