California State University, Northridge Interview Questions
& Process

It was a super simple chat, like 10 mins, and pretty chill. They asked me about 3-4 things related to my coursework and my availability for the summer. Apparently, my background put me in the top 5 candidates.

I had two interviews. They asked if I was interested in interviewing for another role as well during the first interview. I said yes. I was asked a range of questions from each interviewer. The second interview was more focused on my availability.

It was a pretty conversational interview, with about 8 to 10 questions covering behavioral scenarios, role-specific challenges, and general problem-solving. They'll ask follow-up questions to get more detail on your examples, so be ready to talk more about your past experiences. Also, watch out for time, it goes fast and it's easy to rush your answers. The vibe was professional but chill, which helped, but being concise and focused really made a difference.

I've been trying to get a job here for 8 years since graduating, which is pretty disappointing given that even my alma mater, CSUN, seems hesitant to hire its own alumni, not to mention the general job market difficulties. I've only been granted interviews twice, and each time, it took a hefty 60 days from the job posting's initial review date to schedule the interview. The delay in their response is frankly disrespectful. You might find yourself holding off on other job opportunities if you prioritize good government benefits and are eagerly awaiting their interview request. The interviewers tended to ask very generic, boilerplate questions, as if they just Googled them. Personally, I perform better with questions that allow me to highlight my abilities and are more open-ended, like 'Why should I hire you?' or 'What skills do you bring to the table?', rather than closed-ended ones such as 'How do you deal with difficult customers?' or 'Do you know x technology?'. I have my CCENT certification, but I haven't managed a network in over three years. I was asked some technical networking questions that really stumped me, and I didn't do well. Overall, CSUN seems to be quite picky for roles that genuinely require practical, hands-on skills, especially considering this position only requires 6 months of experience. However, California's job market is notoriously tough and competitive, and as long as there are eager young individuals like myself willing to work for $30k-$35k, CSUN will likely maintain an attitude that you're somehow indebted to them.