Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I initially connected with JHU APL at a career fair where they took my info and had me apply online. Weeks later, they invited me for an on-site interview, covering my travel and lodging. The day started with HR discussing benefits, followed by a 1-on-1 with my potential supervisor about their work and some typical personality questions. Then, I met with different team members for their perspectives and had lunch with newer folks. I also toured a lab. About 1.5 months after the interview, they extended an offer. They were very patient while I considered other offers, communicating frequently via email and phone, and even his supervisor checked in. They clearly explained why they wanted me and how I'd fit, even providing a list. They were understanding about my need to choose the best option for my family and weren't pushy at all. It was a great experience, much better than my post-offer interactions elsewhere. After I accepted, my supervisor sent a nice email expressing excitement.

The entire interview process, from initial contact to the final interviews, felt quite lengthy. I spoke with several individuals one-on-one within the department. It wasn't clear to me why each person was interviewing me, and I received conflicting information about what the department actually does. I also realized the salary they offered was lower than I expected, though I did mention to HR that salary was negotiable. It's possible that their uncertainty about what they needed for the team, or their readiness to hire, contributed to the outcome. HR wasn't very responsive, even when scheduling the interview.

Started with a phone screen with the manager discussing the job, APL, and me. Then had another phone screen with HR, which felt a bit unnecessary, about why APL is a good choice. After that, there were four interviews with different groups of team members and leaders. These were mainly behavioral, get-to-know-you type interviews, with some technical elements. We talked about a project I did and its technical parts. The worst part was the lack of follow-up and not sticking to the timeline they promised. I had to reach out several times and eventually got an automated rejection. While the team members were nice, the HR side was pretty bad.