I was first contacted by a recruiter, and I was quite surprised when she mentioned the word "ICON," as I had submitted my latest application about 4-5 months prior to her call. I was enthusiastic to listen to her because this was a company I had been interested in for several months. During our conversation, she mentioned that she was reaching out for a position that was not yet open — which hit me as unusual. The conversation went well; she asked about my current position (also as a CTA) and requested that I outline my tasks, strengths, weaknesses, and how I handle stress and pressure. She also asked for details about common documents submitted to CTIS and the software and systems I am proficient in (like CTMS). Shortly after the call, within about 5-10 minutes, I received another call from her to set up my interview with the manager for Portugal and Spain. However, I found the questions in that interview to be quite strange. The manager seemed to feel that I was overqualified for the position, as my current tasks extend beyond typical CTA responsibilities. She appeared uncomfortable when I explained my duties related to A and B, repeatedly remarking, "You know that these tasks are not common for a CTA, right?" and making faces throughout our conversation. When I explained that my current role is "restricted" to one main branch of medicine and that I was looking to expand my skills in multiple areas — a point previously mentioned to me by the recruiter if I were selected — her expression suggested that she didn't believe me (though I was being honest). Two weeks after the interview, I reached out to the recruiter and was informed that I would not be joining the company. Honestly, the manager's behavior was quite off-putting.

I have gone through the first round of interviewing with ICON for the CTA role and it was 5 timed questions basically getting a feeling for if I would be appropriate for this role at all. There is not a lot of time to think but the questions are very standard.