I got an interview after applying online and reaching out to find a connection through Linked-In. I got connected with the hiring manager for the position and was able to get my CV submitted directly. My first interview was a brief, 10 min phone interview with an HR person which was aimed at determining if I was serious about the job. I clearly was, so a second phone interview was set up with the hiring manager for five days later. It was scheduled for 45 minutes, but the hiring manager called me 10 minutes late and ended the interview 15 minutes early due to a hectic work schedule. The 20 minutes we did interview revolved around learning what experiences I had relevant to the position and what types of ideas I might have for translating my research into drug development efforts. The interview ended with the hiring manager inviting me for an on-site interview two weeks later. I had to schedule the trip for my interview with two different HR/recruiter people, which ended up causing some communication problems (perhaps a problem in Bayer bureaucracy). For example, my hiring manager had tried to schedule a dinner with me during my visit, which never happened due to mis-communication between them.
The on-site interview was a one day interview: 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. I had one-on-one meeting the whole day, for 30min at a time, with various scientists working there. Some of them asked me very direct questions about what research I think would lead to new drug discovery. Some had more informal discussions with me about my background and told me about their jobs and responsibilities.
I also had to give a 45 minute seminar around lunchtime; the hiring manager had directed me to give a presentation aimed at convincing people of the therapeutic potential of my research. I had a few questions after the talk, most notably whether or not a particular experiment I performed had given me a new drug target. To which my answer had to be: no, not yet.
I met with the hiring manager twice during the day, including my last meeting of the day. In the first meeting, the manager asked me typical questions like "describe a time you had a disagreement with your boss." The manager also talked about the type of person they were looking for: someone who did a lot of reading, came up with ideas, and proposed new research projects and lobbied to get resources to pursue those projects. At the end of the day, we discussed possible projects I would be interested in working on how I felt about the visit.