AstraZeneca HireVue Interview Questions and How to Answer Them

Graduate applicants at AstraZeneca report a recorded HireVue interview after the online tests. The questions lean on motivation and on AZ’s values, so the answers that work show science, patients and initiative in your own experience.

Practise a HireVue-style interview

Your first session is free with a free account. After that, Interview Access is £5 once for up to 20 sessions, with no subscription.

How the AstraZeneca HireVue works

Where it sits

Reported as after the online assessments and before the assessment day on graduate roles. Some shortlisted candidates report going straight to it with no tests.

Programmes

Not published. Reported for graduate roles, including the Clinical Study Administrator graduate programme. Some roles use a live Teams or Zoom interview, or a phone interview, instead.

Length

Not published.

Questions

Not published. Reported as four to six video questions. One graduate candidate reported about 15 items in all, most of them written questions on eligibility and availability.

Thinking time

Not published. Reported as about 30 seconds per question.

Answer time

Not published. Reported as up to three minutes.

Retakes

Not published. Reports differ: one take, or four attempts per video question.

Practice questions

Not published. Reported as practice recordings you can repeat before the real questions.

AstraZeneca HireVue questions candidates report

10 questions from AstraZeneca HireVue interviews. Prepare a story for each type rather than a script for each question.

Motivation and fit

Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to work for AstraZeneca?
What skills do you think are necessary to succeed in this role?
What do you do to improve yourself?
What are your strengths and weaknesses?
What do you see as the biggest opportunity or challenge for AstraZeneca in the next five years?

Values and behaviours

At AstraZeneca, we believe in following the science. Give us an example where you’ve used science to make a decision.
Tell me about a time you were entrepreneurial or took initiative in an uncertain situation.
Tell me about a time you collaborated with people from different backgrounds or disciplines.
What was the hardest technical problem you ever had, and how did you solve it?

How to answer AstraZeneca HireVue questions

Show the evidence behind your decision

“We follow the science” is the first of AZ’s five values, described as “pushing the boundaries of science and working creatively with partners and collaborators”. For the science question, pick one decision where data or an experiment changed what you did, say what you tested and what the result told you.

Build “Why AstraZeneca” around patients

“We put patients first” means “considering them in every decision we take”. Name the therapy area or function you applied to, say who the patients are, and connect one thing you have done to that work. AZ’s purpose is to “push the boundaries of science to deliver life-changing medicines”, so the reason should be the medicines, not the brand.

Take a smart risk in the initiative question

“We are entrepreneurial” is “acting with urgency, bravery, resilience and taking smart risks”. Describe a time you moved without full information: what made the risk worth taking, how you limited the downside and what happened.

Show what you added to a mixed team

“We play to win” is about “building high-performing, inclusive and diverse teams and making the right choices to win”. In the collaboration question, say what the other disciplines brought, how you bridged the differences and what the team achieved that one of you could not have.

Give a view on AZ’s next five years

The opportunity or challenge question wants an opinion. Pick one, such as a pipeline area, pricing pressure or using data and AI in trials, and say why it matters for patients and what AZ could do about it.

Tips for recording your answers

Check the instructions for how many attempts you get. Some candidates report one take, others four per video question.
Use the practice recordings to check your camera, sound and framing before the real questions start.
Answer the written eligibility and availability questions carefully. They are part of the same interview.
Use the thinking time to note three words: the situation, what you did and the result.
With up to three minutes reported, aim for about two and finish on the outcome.
Look at the lens, not your own picture, with the light in front of you.

Frequently asked questions

Does AstraZeneca use HireVue?

Candidates report a HireVue video interview for graduate roles, including the Clinical Study Administrator graduate programme. Some roles use a live Teams or Zoom interview, or a phone interview, instead.

How many questions are in the AstraZeneca HireVue?

AstraZeneca does not publish a number. Candidates report four to six video questions, and on one graduate programme about 15 items in all, most of them written.

How long do you get to answer AstraZeneca HireVue questions?

Candidates report about 30 seconds to prepare and up to three minutes to record each answer.

Can you re-record answers in the AstraZeneca HireVue?

Reports differ. Some describe one take, while a Clinical Study Administrator graduate candidate reported four attempts per video question.

What happens after the AstraZeneca HireVue?

On graduate roles, candidates report an assessment day next, with a case study, a presentation and a final interview.

Practise for the AstraZeneca HireVue

Our AI interview practice uses the same one-way format: five questions on screen, 60 seconds to prepare, then up to a minute to answer on camera. Choose the finance focus and the questions lean towards finance, with feedback on relevance, clarity and structure and on what finance assessors look for, such as commercial awareness and integrity. You also get a model answer to your weakest question.

The questions are ours, not AstraZeneca’s. Start answering before the 60 seconds are up to match a shorter thinking time, and since practice lets you re-record, do one session in a single take.