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Eli Lilly behavioral interview questions

Researched interview questions, process detail, and difficulty signals for Eli Lilly, compiled by the Primly research team.

6 experiences Difficulty 3.7/5 Pharma

Regulatory Affairs Manager

virtual · Difficulty 4/5

Candidates report starting with a recruiter screen covering regulatory scope (US, EU, global), therapeutic-area fit, and experience leading cross-functional submission workstreams. A second stage is typically a hiring manager interview focused on strategy, risk tradeoffs, and how the candidate influences clinical, safety, CMC, and labeling partners without direct authority. Many processes then move to a multi-interviewer virtual panel that includes regulatory leadership and key matrix partners, where interviewers test scenario-based thinking around variations, lifecycle management, and health authority interactions. Some candidates describe a short presentation or discussion prompt, for example outlining a regulatory strategy for a labeling update, a post-approval commitment, or an expedited pathway scenario, with follow-up questions probing clarity and decision logic. Final steps often include broader leadership and culture interviews emphasizing judgment, accountability, and communication in high-stakes, time-sensitive settings, followed by references and standard background checks.

  • Given a product with emerging safety signals in post-market data, how would you assess whether the issue triggers a labeling change, a Dear HCP communication, or additional studies, and how would you engage internal governance?
  • Describe a time you led a cross-functional regulatory submission or major variation. What were the toughest points of alignment across clinical, safety, and CMC, and how did you resolve them?
  • How do you structure a global regulatory strategy to balance speed to market with long-term lifecycle flexibility, particularly around indications, dosing, and post-approval commitments?
  • A health authority asks for additional analyses that will delay a target action date. How do you triage the request, negotiate scope, and communicate the impact internally?
  • What does ‘integrity’ look like in regulatory decision-making when internal stakeholders strongly prefer an aggressive position? Provide an example of how you would respond.

Clinical Research Associate (CRA)

virtual · Difficulty 3/5

Candidates report an initial recruiter screen focused on location flexibility, travel expectations, therapeutic-area interest, and baseline knowledge of GCP and clinical trial workflows. The next step is typically a hiring manager interview with a clinical operations leader that probes monitoring fundamentals, documentation habits, and comfort handling site relationships. Many processes then include a panel-style virtual interview with cross-functional partners such as clinical trial managers, data management, or quality, designed to test collaboration and escalation judgment. Some candidates also describe a brief written or case-style exercise, for example summarizing how to respond to a protocol deviation, missed visit window, or informed-consent issue. Final steps often include a values and culture conversation aligned to Lilly’s emphasis on integrity, patient focus, and speaking up, followed by reference checks and compliance-related onboarding steps once an offer is extended.

  • Walk through how a monitoring visit is planned and executed, including what source data you prioritize and how you document follow-up items in the visit report.
  • A site reports they re-consented a patient after a procedure occurred because the latest ICF version was not used. What do you do in the moment, what do you document, and what do you escalate?
  • Describe a time you had to deliver difficult feedback to a stakeholder about compliance or quality. How did you handle pushback?
  • How do you decide when an issue is a protocol deviation versus an exception you can resolve at the site level, and when to escalate to the study team?
  • Lilly teams emphasize integrity and patient safety. Tell an example of when you raised a concern or stopped a process because something did not feel right.

Software Engineer

virtual · Difficulty 3/5

Recruiter screen, coding phone, virtual onsite with coding, system design, deep-dive, and behavioral.

  • Tell me about owning a feature with patient-app implications.
  • Describe debugging a hard issue.
  • Walk me through how you'd design a connected-insulin-pen ecosystem.
  • How do you partner with clinical teams on a feature?