I was initially contacted by a group manager who had seen my resume and found my skills desirable. Following this, a phone interview was conducted wherein the details of the job were spelled out, my resume was dissected, and technical questions pertaining to the prerequisites of the job were asked. Two weeks passed before I was invited to an onsite interview with a panel of managers.
The onsite interview took eight hours, wherein I had one-on-ones with six managers, did a presentation of my thesis work to all, and had lunch with two employees of the same position. The interviewers prior to my presentation/lunch asked technical questions pertaining the skills I listed on my resume, while the interviewers after lunch asked a mixture of behavioral, problem-solving, and presentation-based questions.
The presentation, (which was about my research), was informal, with several questions asked as it went along; it took around 45 minutes. Lunch was very casual, with discussions ranging from work-life balance and non-work related things. Upon wrapping up, I was told it would take about 4-6 weeks for a decision to be made. By week 4, I was offered the position, at which point a background check was performed and subsequently passed.
Overall, the interview was a mixed experience. There were times when it was incredibly stressful and times when it was surprisingly pleasant, a feature that was likely by design.
General Advice:
- Be able to defend and answer questions about the claims made on your resume, this will be a primary source of ammunition for your panel
- Be ready for curveballs. The intent for a lot of the questioning is to catch you off guard and to assess how you think on your feet. Always try to answer their question, but know when to admit defeat when you don't know something.
- Practice your presentation, definitely don't make it too long; it's better to be short than overly long, this communicates that you can summarize information well, and your panel members (who are taking time out of their day) will appreciate not being kept over the allotted time.
- Have references that will be able to speak at length on your strengths; I believe this was a crucial factor in the decision to hire.
- Bring your A game.