20 10x Genomics Interview Questions and Answers

When it comes to interviewing for a job at 10x Genomics, you can expect to be asked questions that assess your skills and experience in the field of genomics. In addition, you may also be asked questions about your knowledge of the company’s products and services.

To help you prepare for your interview, we’ve compiled a list of sample 10x Genomics interview questions and answers. These questions will give you an idea of what to expect and help you showcase your skills and knowledge to potential employers.

10x Genomics Interview Process

The interview process at 10x Genomics can vary depending on the position you are applying for. However, most positions will require at least one phone screen with a recruiter, followed by an interview with the hiring manager. If you make it past these initial rounds, you may be asked to give a presentation and/or participate in a panel interview. Overall, the interview process can be lengthy and difficult, but most reviewers found the people they interviewed with to be friendly and helpful.

1. How would you describe your leadership style?

This question can help the interviewer get a better sense of your management skills and how you would interact with other team members. When answering this question, it can be helpful to describe a specific situation where you used your leadership skills to achieve a goal or solve a problem.

Example: “I believe that my leadership style is collaborative in nature. I like to work alongside my team members to find solutions to problems and develop new ideas for projects. In my last role as a senior software engineer, I worked on a project where we needed to create an algorithm that could analyze large amounts of data quickly. My team and I decided to use our company’s ELV solution to complete the task.”

2. What do you think is the most important thing for a company to keep in mind when hiring new employees?

This question is an opportunity to show your interviewer that you are a team player and understand the importance of working with others. When answering this question, consider what the company values most in its employees and how you can demonstrate those qualities.

Example: “I think it’s important for companies to hire people who have diverse skill sets and backgrounds. I believe that having a variety of perspectives on a team makes everyone more innovative and productive. In my last role, I worked with a team of data scientists who all had different educational backgrounds and experiences. This made our meetings interesting and allowed us to come up with unique solutions to problems we encountered.”

3. What excites you about working at 10X Genomics?

This question can help the interviewer get to know you as a person and how your personality might fit in with their company culture. When answering this question, it can be helpful to mention something specific about the company that interests you or what drew you to apply for the position.

Example: “I’m excited to work at 10X Genomics because of its reputation for innovation. I’ve always been interested in science and technology, so working here would allow me to use my skills to create new solutions for customers. I also think the company’s commitment to customer service is impressive, which makes me feel like I could really make an impact on the organization.”

4. Describe any experience you have with managing people working in different departments.

This question is an opportunity to show your leadership skills and how you can work with a team. When answering this question, it’s important to highlight the importance of collaboration in order to achieve goals as a team.

Example: “In my previous role, I managed a team of five people who worked on different projects for our company. Each person had their own strengths that they brought to the table, which helped us complete tasks more efficiently. For example, one employee was great at communicating with clients while another excelled at data entry. By recognizing each person’s unique talents, we were able to collaborate effectively.”

5. Provide an example of how you made improvements to a process, what did you change and why was it successful?

This question is a great way to show your problem-solving skills and how you can make improvements in the workplace. When answering this question, it’s important to highlight your ability to work independently and communicate with others about changes that need to be made.

Example: “At my previous job, I noticed there was an issue with our security system when we were having issues logging into our accounts. After speaking with my supervisor, we decided to upgrade our security system to 10X Genomics ELV solutions because of its ease of use and improved security features.”

6. Tell me about a time where you were able to improve upon the design of something you were working on (structural or otherwise).

This question is designed to assess your problem-solving skills and ability to innovate. When answering this question, it can be helpful to provide a specific example of how you improved upon the design of something or created an entirely new solution.

Example: “In my last role as a software engineer for a security systems company, I was tasked with creating a program that would allow our clients to monitor their security cameras remotely. The system needed to be able to connect to multiple devices at once and send alerts when there were any changes in the environment. After researching other similar programs, I realized that most of them only allowed users to monitor one camera at a time.

I decided to create a program that could monitor multiple cameras simultaneously by using a different type of technology than what was currently being used. This change helped me improve upon the design of the original program and made it more efficient.”

7. Why are you interested in this position?

This question is an opportunity to show your enthusiasm for the role and highlight any relevant skills you have that make you a good fit. When preparing for this interview, review the job description and identify which skills are most important for success in the position. Share how you possess these skills and use them to achieve results.

Example: “I am interested in this position because I believe my background as a software engineer makes me well-suited for this role. In my previous role, I worked with a team of developers to create new features for our company’s security system. This experience has given me valuable insight into what it takes to develop 10x Genomics ELV solutions.”

8. Do you feel comfortable taking initiative if you notice that a project could be improved?

This question can help the interviewer determine if you’re comfortable with taking on a leadership role. You can answer this question by explaining that you enjoy helping your team members improve their processes and offering suggestions for improvement.

Example: “I’ve worked in several different roles throughout my career, so I’m used to adapting to new projects and learning new systems. If I notice that there’s an opportunity to streamline or improve a process, I’ll speak up during our weekly meetings or one-on-one conversations with my supervisor. I believe it’s important to offer solutions rather than just pointing out problems.”

9. What do you find interesting about our products?

This question is a great way to show your interviewer that you’ve done some research on the company and its products. It also shows them that you’re genuinely interested in working for their organization. When answering this question, try to highlight one or two specific features of 10x Genomics’ products that you find interesting.

Example: “I’m really impressed with how quickly 10X Genomics can sequence DNA. I know it’s something they pride themselves on, so I think it would be fun to work here because I’d get to use such an innovative product every day.”

10. Can you tell us about a time when you failed at something? How did you handle the situation?

This question is designed to see how you respond to failure and learn from it. It’s important to be honest in your answer, but also show that you learned something valuable from the experience.

Example: “I once had a client who was unhappy with our services. I spoke with them about their concerns and tried to find out what we could do better. They told me they were unhappy because of the amount of time it took for us to complete projects. I explained that this was due to the complexity of the work we did and assured them that we would hire more employees to help reduce wait times.”

11. From your research, what do you think the biggest challenges in genomics will be in the upcoming years?

This question is a great way to show your knowledge of the industry and how you can apply it to help the company. When answering this question, make sure you highlight any specific challenges that 10x Genomics has already overcome or plans to overcome in the future.

Example: “The biggest challenge I see in genomics is the lack of data sharing between researchers. There are so many different databases for storing genetic information, but there aren’t enough ways to share that information across platforms. This makes it difficult for scientists to collaborate on projects and learn from each other’s research.”

12. When have you had to deal with conflict within your team? How did you respond?

This question can help interviewers understand how you handle interpersonal conflict and your ability to resolve it. Use examples from previous work experiences where you had to address a conflict with a team member or coworker, and explain what steps you took to resolve the issue.

Example: “In my last role as a senior software engineer, I worked on a project that required collaboration between two teams of developers. One developer was very outspoken about his opinions, which sometimes led to disagreements among the team members. When he started making comments that were offensive to other team members, I spoke with him privately and explained that his behavior could affect our productivity. He apologized for his remarks and agreed to be more respectful in the future.”

13. What do you consider your greatest failure, and what did you learn from the experience?

This question is designed to measure your ability to learn from mistakes and grow as a professional. It’s important to answer honestly, but you can also use the opportunity to explain how you’ve grown since that experience.

Example: “My greatest failure was when I didn’t ask for help with a project at work. I had been working on it for weeks, and I felt like I needed to finish it before asking for assistance. In the end, I ended up missing an important deadline because of my mistake. Since then, I’ve learned to always ask for help when I need it.”

14. If hired, what would be your first step in creating a marketing strategy for 10X Genomics?

This question is an opportunity to show your creativity and problem-solving skills. Your answer should include a plan for how you would create a marketing strategy that includes the company’s goals, objectives and target audience.

Example: “My first step in creating a marketing strategy for 10X Genomics would be to conduct research on my target market. I would analyze data from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter to determine what types of content are most popular with our customers. Then, I would use this information to develop a marketing campaign that focuses on these topics.”

15. How would you explain the importance of genomics to someone who does not have a scientific background?

This question is a great way to test your ability to communicate complex ideas in an easy-to-understand manner. It also shows the interviewer that you are able to explain scientific concepts to non-scientists and can help others understand them as well.

Example: “Genomics is the study of genes, which are the basic units of heredity. The human genome contains all of the genetic information needed for life. I would start by explaining what DNA is and how it’s important to our health. Then, I would talk about how genomics helps us better understand DNA and its role in disease.”

16. Explain the concept of single cell gene expression to us as if we were 5th graders.

This question is a great way to show your ability to explain complex concepts in simple terms. It also shows that you can simplify information for others and are willing to do so when necessary.

Example: “Single cell gene expression is the process of identifying all genes within a single cell. This allows scientists to study how individual cells work, which helps them understand how the body functions as a whole. In 5th grade, I learned about DNA and RNA, but I didn’t learn much more than that until college. When I was asked to explain these concepts to my classmates, I realized it’s important to break down complicated ideas into simpler ones.”

17. What problem solving techniques do you use?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your problem-solving skills and how you apply them in a work environment. Use examples from previous jobs that show you can use different approaches to solving problems, such as using logic or creativity to find solutions.

Example: “In my last job, I worked with a team of data scientists who were tasked with finding patterns in large amounts of genomic data. We used several techniques to solve the problem, including creating algorithms to analyze the data and identifying trends based on our findings. In another instance, I was working with a client who wanted to create an algorithm for their website that would predict what products customers would buy based on their browsing history. I used several methods to develop the algorithm, including machine learning and neural networks.”

18. What type of work environment do you prefer?

The interviewer may ask this question to learn more about your personality and how you might fit in with their company. To answer, think about what type of work environment you’ve enjoyed the most in the past. Consider describing a specific example if possible.

Example: “I prefer working in an open office space where I can collaborate with my coworkers. In my last job, we had a large team that worked together on projects. We all sat at desks arranged in rows so we could easily communicate with each other. This arrangement made it easy for me to get help from others when needed.”

19. What has been your favorite job so far?

This question is a great way to learn more about your potential new colleague. It’s also an opportunity for you to share what you enjoy most about working in the field of genomics and sequencing.

Example: “My favorite job so far was when I worked as a research assistant at my university. I got to work with a team of other students on a project that helped discover how certain genes affect aging. The experience taught me a lot about the importance of teamwork, communication and collaboration.”

20. Tell us about a time when you worked well under pressure.

This question is a great way to learn more about how you handle stress and pressure. When answering this question, it can be helpful to talk about a time when you were able to complete a project or task in a short amount of time.

Example: “In my previous role as a software engineer, I was tasked with creating an algorithm that would help the company’s genomics platform identify genetic mutations. The deadline for this project was two weeks away, but I knew that if I worked on it alone, I wouldn’t have enough time to create a quality product. So, I asked one of my coworkers to work with me on the project. We split up the tasks and met every day after work to discuss our progress. In the end, we finished the project just in time.”