CERN Systems Engineer Interview Questions
& Process
Real candidates share what happened, how many rounds they had,
and how the experience turned out.
Based on 5 interview experiences · FREE TO READ
Candidate interview experiences
First-hand accounts from people who interviewed at CERN.
CERN
Systems Engineer
Mid Difficult Neutral experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Onsite Panel Presentation
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral Presentation
The first step was a video interview where I had to answer 3 questions by recording myself, with about 90 seconds for each. After about 10 days, I got an invite to CERN for the next stage. This involved a technical test in the morning with 30 written questions, followed by a Board Interview. The afternoon was spent meeting people from the group and chatting informally about the job and my background.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Questions on Linux, Web, and Java
- Questions focusing on behavior and service management
CERN
System Engineer
Entry Average Positive experience No offer 6 rounds
Interview process
Recruiter call Take home Presentation Technical screen Group
Interview formats
Behavioral Technical Presentation Other
For the Junior Fellow role, I just had a standard phone call, mostly to inform me about my new tasks and ask a few questions about my experience. For the staff position, the process was quite different, refer to the HR site (video interview with Sonru, written exam, presentation, skills interview, meeting with colleagues, etc.).
Confirmed questions1 question
- Tell me about yourself, why do you think you are a good fit?
CERN
Control Systems Engineer
Mid Difficult Neutral experience No offer 2 rounds
Interview process
Technical screen Recruiter call Onsite
Interview formats
Technical Behavioral
There was 1 recorded video interview with technical questions: 15 sets of questions to answer within 1 to 2 minutes each, with 30 seconds to 1 minute of preparation time. Then, there was 1 live video interview with the jury, split into 2 parts: technical and HR.
Confirmed questions2 questions
- Can you explain what P and I mean in a PID controller?
- Given the options of current-based, optical-based, or voltage-based carriers, how would you design a wired low-power communication link between two controllers over a long distance, and why would you rank them in that order?
CERN Systems Engineer Interview Questions
Quoted word for word from CERN interview reports.
“What are the standards to ensure protection against radiation?”
Read reports →“Can you explain what P and I mean in a PID controller?”
Read reports →“Given the options of current-based, optical-based, or voltage-based carriers, how would you design a wired low-power communication link between two controllers over a long distance, and why would you rank them in that order?”
Read reports →“Questions on Linux, Web, and Java”
Read reports →“Questions focusing on behavior and service management”
Read report →Formats, difficulty and experience
Across all 5 CERN interview reports.