The medical laboratory professionals who work hard to look at samples and give correct results are one of the most important parts of a clinical diagnostic lab. Recruiters often ask specific questions to see how much a candidate knows, how skilled they are, and how much experience they have in the field when they are hiring for medical laboratory jobs. We will talk about common interview questions for medical laboratory jobs and what recruiters look for in job candidates in this blog post.
Landing a job at a medical diagnostic laboratory like Medical Diagnostic Laboratories (MDL) can be a competitive process. With the healthcare industry constantly evolving, these labs need to ensure they hire adaptable team members who can keep pushing innovation and high-quality patient care.
This means the interview questions will focus on assessing your technical skills, communication abilities collaborative spirit and problem-solving potential. While each company will have its own unique hiring process, there are some common questions that tend to come up for positions at medical diagnostic labs.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover:
- An overview of the MDL hiring process
- The top 20 most frequently asked interview questions
- Detailed sample responses to help you craft winning answers
Let’s get started prepping for your next medical diagnostic lab interview!
Overview of the MDL Interview Process
MDL is one of the leading medical diagnostic labs, focused on cutting-edge research and testing services for infectious diseases, genetics, and oncology.
According to reports from candidates online, the MDL interview process typically follows these steps:
- Phone screening – 30 minute call with HR to review your resume and assess basic qualifications
- 1-2 phone interviews – 45-60 minutes each, focused on sales experience, personality fit, company/product knowledge
- In-person interviews – For senior or client-facing roles, 1-2 rounds of in-person interviews may be required
- References and background check – Final candidates will need to provide references and consent to a background check before an offer is extended
The process can take 2-3 weeks from initial phone screen to final offer. It’s quite rigorous and aimed at assessing both hard and soft skills relevant to the role.
Having a good understanding of the company’s products and being able to speak to relevant sales experiences are key. The ability to follow scripted sales processes will also be evaluated.
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of how to ace the most common interview questions.
Top 20 Medical Diagnostic Laboratories Interview Questions
Here are 20 of the questions that come up most frequently in interviews for jobs at medical diagnostic labs like MDL:
1. How do you stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the diagnostic testing industry?
This question assesses your curiosity and ability to continuously expand your knowledge as the industry evolves rapidly.Highlight ways you proactively stay current, such as:
- Reading industry publications and blogs
- Attending conferences and seminars
- Leveraging internal training resources
- Setting Google alerts for news on latest advancements
- Participating in relevant professional associations
Emphasize being driven by a desire to provide patients with access to the most advanced solutions through a lifelong learning mindset.
2. Describe a time you had to explain a complex diagnostic procedure to someone without a medical background.
This tests your ability to take complex technical information and communicate it in an easy-to-understand way. Focus on:
- The context – who you were speaking with and why
- How you determined their level of understanding as a starting point
- The analogies/visuals/examples you used to simplify the concepts
- How you checked for their comprehension during the explanation
Being able to convey complex details in a patient and engaging way is key for client-facing diagnostic roles.
3. What do you find most rewarding about working in the medical diagnostics industry?
This question evaluates your passion for the industry and its mission. Share what truly drives you in this work. For example:
- Improving patient outcomes through early detection of diseases
- Operating cutting-edge lab technology to advance healthcare
- Collaborating with talented scientists pushing innovation
- Knowing your contributions help inform better treatment plans
- Facilitating breakthroughs in therapies for complex conditions
Convey your sincere commitment to delivering diagnostics that improve patient care and quality of life.
4. Tell me about a time you successfully optimized a testing procedure or process.
With this behavioral question, interviewers want to understand your approach to continuous improvement and ability to implement positive changes. Discuss:
- The existing procedure/process and opportunities for optimization
- How you analyzed bottlenecks and identified solutions, e.g. time studies
- Specific improvements or changes you spearheaded
- How you collaborated cross-functionally to build buy-in
- The measurable impact your optimizations achieved
Being able to improve processes while maintaining quality demonstrates your leadership abilities.
5. How would you go about verifying the accuracy of test results?
This question assesses your attention to detail and quality assurance skills. In your response, cover:
- Double checking calculations and measurements
- Running quality control samples and verifying expected values
- Confirming proper functioning of testing equipment
- Validating results using an alternative testing method, if possible
- Consulting with experienced colleagues as needed for input
- Tracing back through the testing process to identify any errors
- Documenting the verification process thoroughly
Emphasize that patient health relies on the integrity of test results.
6. What experience do you have with laboratory information management systems (LIMS)?
For many lab roles, LIMS expertise will be required. Discuss:
- The specific LIMS you’ve used, e.g. STARLIMS, LabWare, etc.
- The types of functionality you’ve leveraged within these systems
- Key benefits LIMS provides for workflow and sample tracking
- Any specialized LIMS training you’ve undertaken
- Your approach to quickly learning new LIMS platforms
Even if your direct experience is limited, demonstrating eagerness to master new systems is beneficial.
7. How would you handle a situation where your test results differed significantly from a colleague’s results on the same sample?
This question tests your systematic approach to troubleshooting and your teamwork abilities. A strong response covers:
- Reconfirming both sets of results independently
- Reviewing procedures side-by-side to identify any deviations
- Assessing equipment calibrations on both ends
- Ruling out sample integrity issues through quality checks
- Collaborating with the colleague to determine the cause
- Documenting the discrepancy investigation fully
- Reporting significant unresolved differences to a supervisor
Keep the focus on finding the root cause objectively and with the colleague’s input.
8. Tell me about a time you successfully educated a physician on the value of a novel diagnostic test.
Your ability to have consultative sales conversations with healthcare professionals will be evaluated here. Share how you:
- Utilized clinical evidence from studies to highlight benefits
- Drew comparisons to existing standards of care
- Demonstrated how the new test enhanced their diagnostic capabilities
- Addressed concerns around insurance coverage for the test
- Established your credibility through industry expertise
The goal is to showcase your ability to guide clinicians to solutions that tangibly improve patient care.
9. How do you stay motivated when faced with tight deadlines and heavy workloads?
This evaluates your resilience and ability to manage pressure. Discuss:
- Remembering your “why” – how your work impacts patients
- Taking brief mental breaks to refresh when overwhelmed
- Celebrating small wins along the way
- Leaning on your support network of colleagues
- Keeping lines of communication open to ask for help
- Balancing perseverance with being kind to yourself
Convey that you leverage a range of strategies to sustain energy and stay focused under stress.
10. Describe your experience with Six Sigma or other quality improvement frameworks.
Six Sigma and Lean are often used in labs, so highlight your application of these methodologies:
- Achieving Yellow Belt, Green Belt certifications
- Applying DMAIC process for improvement projects
- Using fishbone diagrams and 5 Whys analysis to identify root causes
- Leveraging Kaizen strategies to promote continuous improvement
- Reducing testing variability through process standardization
- Implementing 5S system organization principles
Even if you lack formal training, showing an eagerness to learn these frameworks is beneficial.
11. Tell me about a time you successfully coached or mentored someone.
Mentorship ability is valued highly at MDL. Share how you:
- Took a collaborative and patient approach as a mentor
- Provided actionable feedback based on direct observations
- Set clear learning goals and development plans
- Connected mentees with growth opportunities
- Celebrated your mentee’s progress and successes
- Maintained an open door for ongoing guidance
Focus on your commitment to nurturing talent and guiding team members to reach their potential.
12. How would you go about validating a new laboratory testing method or assay?
This technical question assesses your knowledge of validation protocols to ensure quality. Cover:
- Reviewing clinical evidence/publications on the new method
- Developing a validation plan aligned to regulatory requirements
- Establishing acceptance criteria and performance benchmarks
- Testing accuracy, precision/reproducibility, specificity, etc.
- Analyzing statistical results across sample sets
- Documenting all validation procedures in detail
- Collaborating with colleagues and oversight throughout
Demonstrate a meticulous approach to prove a method’s reliability before clinical use
Can you give an example of a time when you had to provide feedback or mentorship to a less experienced colleague?
This question evaluates a candidates leadership and mentorship skills in the workplace. Candidates must give a specific example of a time when they gave feedback, advice, or mentorship to a junior team member and talk about how it helped their skill development and performance.
Recruiters also look at how professional, honest, and dedicated a candidate is to upholding the highest standards of conduct and honesty in the lab. Some common interview questions in this category include:
How do you ensure confidentiality and data security when handling sensitive patient information?
This question checks how well a candidate knows the laws and rules about patient privacy and how committed they are to keeping information secret and safe in the lab. Candidates should explain the protocols they follow to safeguard patient information and prevent unauthorized access or disclosure.
LABORATORY TECHNICIAN Interview Questions & Answers! (How To Pass A Lab Technician Interview!)
FAQ
Why should we hire you as a laboratory technician?
How do I interview for a medical laboratory scientist position?
You’ve been invited to interview for a medical laboratory scientist position. Before you step into the room, it’s important to be prepared with knowledge of common lab science questions and answers that hiring managers may ask.
How do you answer a medical laboratory interview question?
This question can help the interviewer determine your level of experience with medical laboratory technology. It also helps them understand whether you have any additional training or certifications that would benefit their organization. In your answer, list the computer programs and software you’ve used in the past to analyze test results.
How do I prepare for a job interview in a lab?
They provide medical professionals with essential tests to help determine treatment and preventative methods. Preparing for a job interview in this field by reading and answering practice questions can help you become a top candidate for a lab position.
What questions do employers ask when interviewing a clinical laboratory scientist?
Employers often ask questions to learn more about your previous work experience beyond what they read in your resume. Your interviewer may ask questions like these to learn more about your work history and training: What is your educational background? What is your background as a clinical laboratory scientist?
