I applied through a staffing agency. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group (Costa Mesa, CA) in Nov 2012
Interview
They usually select applicants from various contracting agencies so that they have employees for a trial period of about 5-6 months (usually starting in Nov or Dec), then they select the top 2 pharmacists to keep permanent and everyone else they let go upon contract ending. Initially you submit your resume to a contracting agency (jobs posted in Sept), and if they find your resume is a good fit for the position, once the position is open, they forward it to the OptumRx hiring manager who selects applicants for interview (usually in Oct). If you have at least 1 year pharmacist experience (say in retail) but don't have pharmacy benefits management experience, they are still willing to train you, unlike other PBM companies. If selected as a good match, you will meet with the manager(s) of the department who will give you a tour, conduct the interview and answer any questions. You will hear back through the contracting agency within a week if they are offering you a position.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What interests you in a pharmacist career doing pharmacy benefits management with United Healthcare (OptumRx), as opposed to continuing in retail pharmacy?
Give an example of when you had a difficult situation with a pharmacy patient, and how it was resolved?
Where you ever asked to do something illegal by one your previous company, and if so, how did you proceed?
I applied online. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group
Interview
You will receive an email from HR with your availability and then be assigned an interviewer. The interview was through a video chat (Microsoft Teams, WebEx, or Zoom) and was roughly 30 minutes.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Which of our companies values do you identify most and why?
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group
Interview
I’ve applied enough times with UHG that I didn’t think I’d hear back from anyone. Surprisingly I got an interview request two weeks after my submission. Not from a recruiter but straight from the supervisor. I was also asked to send a copy of my covenant agreement for review since I was working with a competitor. I interviewed a week later on Microsoft teams. I thought it went well. The two supervisors I talked with were very friendly and professional. I didn’t feel nervous speaking with them. They said I’d hear back by the end of the week. I didn’t. So I followed up on Monday. I got an email saying my agreement review is fine then another email from the recruiter saying they’re giving me an offer. Overall it took maybe 4 weeks from submission to offer.
Interview questions [5]
Question 1
Tell me a time you had to work with a difficult co-worker
I applied online. I interviewed at UnitedHealth Group in Oct 2016
Interview
Met with interviewer in conference room; had everyone in the room introduce themselves and had light conversation followed by individual interviews. Process lasted roughly 30 minutes. Received hiring notice a few days later.