Georgia Tech Research Institute Research Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process for the Electronic Systems lab (ELSYS) was initially quite difficult. The main recruiter is retired, leading to slow email responses. I had a personal referral which helped move things along, as my online submission went nowhere until I contacted someone directly. After weeks of emailing, I received a surprising email one Monday morning asking me to come in that same day for an interview, as they had forgotten to notify me earlier. I managed to get ready and make it on time. The interview itself was a full day, involving discussions with department heads and senior engineers, including lunch with the division chief and other senior staff. After more interviews, I was informed about a week later that I was not selected. This was disappointing, especially since one engineer thought I was a good fit. I asked for feedback but received no reply. If you're very interested in GTRI, I recommend finding an internal contact. Otherwise, it might not be worth the effort.

I talked to a few employees and managers on the phone, then had a 1-hour technical review. I totally misunderstood the task, thinking it was way harder than it actually was, and only figured it out 5 minutes before the interviewer called. I had this half-finished program for a much more complex problem, but I went through it with the interviewer anyway. He was super helpful and walked me through it, seeing I was on the right track. Then we discussed the simpler, actual problem. Honestly, by the book, it was a mess-up, but he focused on what mattered for the job, and I got the offer.

So, for the interview, they had me do a presentation about some research ideas. The team seemed really nice and friendly, but then... nothing. They totally ghosted me. I even followed up a month later asking if I was still being considered, and still no response. It was super unprofessional.