Columbia University Irving Medical Center Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process was lengthy, spanning the entire summer. It involved four rounds, with two of them being in-person. Despite completing the final round, I was completely ghosted. I didn't receive any rejection explanation or feedback, even after following up. It was a very unprofessional way to end a long process and felt disrespectful of the time interviewees put into preparing and attending. Because of this experience, I wouldn't apply again myself or suggest others apply.

The interview and interviewer were pleasant. I could tell the interviewer was stressed about filling the role. The conversation was about 30 minutes. I also wasn't aware it was an official interview, as the email had stated it was 'a short introductory interview.' The interviewer told me I'd hear back in the next week, and even after I followed up, I never heard back.

Took forever, like months and months, with the hiring team being really flaky and unprofessional. I had a bunch of interviews with them, then heard nothing for 6-7 weeks. They finally got back to me asking for 3 references, saying they liked me and wanted to proceed. All three of my references got a call from them, and then... silence again for another 4 weeks. Finally got a cookie-cutter rejection email. Such a waste of my time and my references' time.

A few weeks after applying online, I was emailed by an Admin Assistant to set up an onsite interview. I was surprised they didn't want a phone screen, but figured it was Columbia University and okay. We set a date and I got the day's schedule. The onsite was about 4-5 hours, mostly 1-on-1s with people I'd interact with, starting with the hiring manager. There was a group panel (2 on 1), and I met with directors and HR at the end. The hiring manager and I grabbed lunch with a couple of the team. The interviews were casual chats about my experience, their job, and the role. Most people asked about my resume to test experience/knowledge. Nothing was too technically hard. The HR lady was the toughest part, grilling me on motivation and behavioral questions (teamwork, why leaving my job, etc.). She noticed my discomfort and tried to ease it. A week later, I had a follow-up call with the hiring manager and data scientist. They were interested and the HM clarified the role, which helped me decide it wasn't a good fit for my interests. Then the Admin Assistant asked for three reference letters, but I withdrew my application. It was pretty smooth overall, and people were nice and knowledgeable. Two negatives: HR wouldn't discuss salary, and they wanted recommendation letters, which felt overkill for a staff position.