Recursion application questions — all 20, word for word
Recursion hires through Greenhouse. Beyond name, email and CV, its application form asks 20 questions, 17 of them required. 2 of them are required, fixed-choice questions about your eligibility to work. A cover letter is optional.
19 roles were open when this was last checked, mostly in healthcare and data. The questions below are the form's own wording, not a paraphrase.
What Recursion has open
These are the roles the form was read from, as Recursion titles them, in New York, New York, New York, New York; Salt Lake City, Utah, London, England, Salt Lake City, Utah:
- Associate Director, Computational Biology – Early Discovery
- Director, Clinical Pharmacology
- Director, Clinical Science
- Director, Regulatory Affairs
- Don't see what you're looking for?
- Engineering Manager - Machine Learning
- Executive Director, Asset Strategy Leadership
- Executive Director, Corporate Strategy & Intelligence
- Interested in an internship?
- Manager, Computational Biology (Early Oncology)
- Senior Computational Biologist - Early Discovery Oncology
- Senior Computational Biologist – Early Discovery Immunology
12 of the questions below are ones at most two of the 212 employers measured ask (median: 13), the least standard being “This position is located at our HQ in Salt Lake City, Utah. Qualifying candidates who are not local to the area can receive relocation support. Are you local to SLC OR willing to relocate to Salt Lake City for this position?”.
The eligibility questions
These are required, and answered from a fixed list rather than in your own words: work authorisation, visa sponsorship or security clearance. Employers often use questions like these to filter applications automatically, but Greenhouse's public data does not say whether Recursion does — so treat them as the answers most likely to matter, not as a verdict. Answer them honestly either way.
| Question | Answers accepted |
|---|---|
| Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
| Are you authorized to work in the United Kingdom for any employer? required, fixed choice | Yes, No |
Every question on the form
| Question | Type | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Are you authorized to work in the United Kingdom for any employer? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| First Name | text | Yes |
| Last Name | text | Yes |
| Preferred First Name | text | No |
| text | Yes | |
| Phone | text | Yes |
| Resume/CV | file | Yes |
| Cover Letter | file | No |
| LinkedIn Profile | text | Yes |
| How did you initially hear about this job? AngelList, BioSpace, Drop Out Club, Glassdoor, Handshake, Indeed (+8 more) |
select | Yes |
| If you chose Recursion Employee, Recursion Event, or Other, please specify here: | text | No |
| Please select the country (or countries) where you have work authorization: Canada (CA), United Kingdom (UK), United States (USA), None of the above |
multiselect | Yes |
| This position is located at our HQ in Salt Lake City, Utah. Qualifying candidates who are not local to the area can receive relocation support.
Are you local to SLC OR willing to relocate to Salt Lake City for this position? Yes, No |
select | No |
| I identify my ethnicity as: | text | Yes |
| I identify my gender as: | text | Yes |
| I identify as transgender: | text | Yes |
| I identify my sexual orientation as: | text | Yes |
| Veteran Status | text | Yes |
| I have a physical disability | text | Yes |
| What is your current notice period? | text | Yes |
| GDPR Confirmation Acknowledge/Confirm |
select | Yes |
| Do you have 5-7+ years of experience as a Clinical Scientist? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| What specifically appeals to you about Recursion, and why do you feel drawn to be a part of it? | textarea | Yes |
| Do you have 10+ years of experience working in biopharma with a focus on strategic leadership of clinical assets? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| Do you have deep expertise in the development of small molecule therapeutics in the areas of oncology and immunology/inflammation? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
| This position is located at our NYC office. Qualifying candidates who are not local to the area can receive relocation support.
Are you local to NYC, or willing to relocate for this position? Yes, No |
select | Yes |
What it's really asking about
Grouped by what each question is for, so you can prepare the answers that repeat across employers.
| Topic | Questions |
|---|---|
| Voluntary diversity questions (EEOC) | 6 |
| Other | 3 |
| How you heard of them | 2 |
| Relocation | 2 |
| Work authorisation | 2 |
| Years of experience | 2 |
| Cover letter | 1 |
| Notice period | 1 |
| Visa sponsorship | 1 |
What other employers ask
The same question rarely comes out the same way twice. These employers' forms are measured the same way, from their own job boards:
Ltse · Magic Leap · Makersite · Mallory Alexander · Marqeta · Mercury
Before you apply
Have the answers to the required questions ready before you open the form — Recursion's asks for 17 of them, and Greenhouse does not save a partial application by default. Settle the eligibility questions first — they are the ones with no room to elaborate, so knowing your answer before you start tells you whether the rest of the form is worth your time.