To succeed in the Tempus labs interview process, you must demonstrate a unique blend of scientific curiosity, clinical sales excellence, and exceptional resilience. Interviewers are looking for consultative partners who can hold peer-to-peer conversations with oncologists, not just transactional product pitchers.

Clinical & Domain Knowledge – You must show a strong grasp of genomic sequencing, molecular diagnostics, and the oncology landscape. While you do not need to be a geneticist, you must be comfortable discussing concepts like somatic vs. germline mutations, NGS (Next-Generation Sequencing), and liquid biopsy applications.

Sales Execution & Grit – Tempus labs operates in a highly competitive market. You will be evaluated on your structured sales process, your ability to handle tough clinical objections, and your resilience in the face of challenging territory dynamics or aggressive competitive positioning.

Presentation & Pitch Skills – A core component of the evaluation is your ability to think on your feet and present complex data clearly. You will be tested on how you structure a clinical value proposition, capture an audience's attention, and defend your sales strategy under cross-examination.

Resilience & Adaptability – The healthcare sales environment is highly fluid. Interviewers look for candidates who remain composed when faced with unexpected scenarios, ambiguous instructions, or high-pressure role-plays.

The interview process for the Account Executive position at Tempus labs is highly rigorous, multi-staged, and designed to evaluate both your cultural fit and your practical sales capabilities. Candidates can expect a structured journey that tests their resilience, scientific adaptability, and presentation skills.

The process typically begins with an initial HR screening call to assess your background, baseline qualifications, and alignment with the role's basic requirements. Following a successful screen, you will move to a one-on-one interview with the hiring manager, where you will dive deeper into your sales history, territory management strategies, and motivations.

Subsequent rounds involve deeper conversations with regional sales leadership and potential team members. These stages may include intensive discussions regarding industry challenges, where sales leaders may stress-test your commitment and resilience by painting a highly realistic, sometimes demanding picture of the local market dynamics. The final stage is highly intensive, typically requiring you to prepare a comprehensive sales presentation, conduct a mock clinical role-play, and defend your territory strategy in front of a panel of sales leaders.

The timeline above outlines the standard progression from your initial contact to the final decision. Candidates should prepare for a thorough evaluation that can span several weeks, with a strong emphasis on practical, scenario-based assessments in the later stages. While the exact timeline can vary based on territory urgency and leadership availability, maintaining a highly proactive and communicative follow-up cadence throughout this process is critical.

To excel in your interviews, you must understand the specific areas where the hiring team will focus their evaluation. The process is designed to separate standard sales reps from elite clinical consultants.

Clinical Sales Pitch & Role Play

The clinical sales pitch is the cornerstone of the final interview stage. You will often be asked to prepare a sales presentation or participate in a mock role-play with minimal background information provided beforehand. This is a deliberate tactic to evaluate how quickly you can synthesize complex diagnostic product details and present them under pressure.

Be ready to go over:

• Value Proposition Delivery – How clearly you can articulate the clinical utility of Tempus labs assays compared to competitor offerings.
• Active Listening & Discovery – Your ability to ask probing questions to uncover a clinician's specific pain points before pitching.
• Objection Resolution – How smoothly you transition when a panelist role-playing as a skeptical oncologist raises concerns about turnaround times, billing, or clinical data.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Integrating digital health platforms and AI-driven clinical trial matching (such as the TIME program) into your clinical pitch to differentiate the value proposition.

Example scenarios:

• "You are meeting with an oncologist who currently uses a competitor's liquid biopsy test. You have five minutes to capture their interest and secure a follow-up meeting."
• "During your presentation, a panelist interrupts to state that genomic sequencing is too expensive for their patient population. Demonstrate how you handle this cost objection."

Resilience & Stress Handling

The interviewers, particularly regional managers, may intentionally create a high-pressure environment during your conversations. They want to see how you handle pushback, clinical skepticism, and tough territory realities without losing your composure.

Be ready to go over:

• Composure Under Fire – Maintaining a professional, consultative demeanor when your sales metrics or experience are aggressively questioned.
• Navigating Industry Cynicism – Proving that you understand the difficulties of diagnostic sales and are motivated by the challenge rather than discouraged by it.
• Adaptability – Pivoting your presentation style mid-stream if the panel changes the parameters of the role-play.

Example scenarios:

• "A regional manager spent the majority of the interview highlighting the negative aspects and high burnout rate of this specific territory. How do you respond to show you are still highly motivated?"
• "You are told mid-presentation that your time has been cut in half. Show how you dynamically restructure your pitch to deliver the core message."

Sales Performance & Background (The Brag Book)

Your past performance is the strongest indicator of your future success. You must be prepared to defend the numbers, strategies, and achievements listed on your resume with concrete evidence.

Be ready to go over:

• Quota Attainment History – Detailed explanations of your performance against targets over the last 3-5 years.
• Territory Growth Metrics – Clear data demonstrating how you built, managed, and scaled a clinical territory from scratch.
• Strategic Account Wins – Walkthroughs of complex, multi-stakeholder deals you closed, highlighting your specific contributions.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Demonstrating experience with institutional contract negotiations and navigating hospital system buying committees.

Example scenarios:

• "Walk me through your brag book and show me a specific example of how you converted a highly resistant key opinion leader (KOL) in your previous role."
• "Explain a time when you missed your sales quota. What went wrong, what did you learn, and how did you rebound the following quarter?"