EPO interview questions

I had an interview with EPO for a Patent Examiner position. The interview involved discussing a medical device patent, which I got the chance to review 24 hours before the interview. However, the questions posed were mostly tangentially related to the patent and focused on other technical topics. Unfortunately, the interviewers' understanding of the physical phenomena behind these technical processes was quite poor. They evaluated my answers based on their incorrect understanding. Despite my attempts to gently correct them during the interview, my hints were not picked up. After the interview, I sent a follow-up email with clear evidence to address their misunderstandings. Predictably, this affected their egos, and I was not moved forward to the next stage. This outcome is fine with me, as I feel I dodged a bullet. The work environment appeared to prioritize pleasing managers over technical accuracy. Moreover, the longer one works in this organization, the more their ability to work elsewhere diminishes. The skills developed here seem to be highly specific to this company and not transferable to other employers, potentially trapping employees over time. Overall, while the salary offered is about 15% (net income) higher than working as an engineering expert within the industry, the long-term career prospects appeared limited. I would advise future candidates to consider these factors carefully.

You had to start with a written application (cover letter)l. Then there was an online interview with pre-recorded motivational questions (about 10). The final stage was an online interview with members of the team (30 mins, motivational mostly (although they asked some knowledge questions here and there, about the EPO mostly)).