Lieberman Research Group Research Interview Questions
& Process

I got referred for this role and ended up interviewing with 3 people, including the hiring manager and some research directors. They mainly asked about my background in research and data analysis. It felt like they weren't really prepped, though, as they hadn't looked at my resume. Something odd happened after the interviews: they emailed asking if I'd taken anything from their office. I hadn't, but I still sent a thank-you note. Two weeks later, I followed up, but heard nothing back. The whole hiring process felt unprofessional.

I sent in my application online around mid-May. A few days later, I got an email to set up a phone interview. During that call, the HR director asked me to quickly talk about my experience related to the job description and my availability. A few days after that, I got an invite for a 3-hour in-person interview, which I scheduled with the HR director via email. She was super helpful, even suggesting some potential interviewers for me to look up online. When I arrived, the main interviewer was really friendly and welcoming. Then we got to the test part. The interviewer explained the test very casually and clearly. I had an hour to find errors in a PowerPoint report (grammar, logic, data graphics, etc.) and then create a slide using the same format, including graphs and titles. This test was supposed to mimic the actual job duties. After the test, there were several more interview rounds. The number of rounds and interviewers can change depending on who's available. The first round was with the partners, Mitchel and Karl, who have been there for ages. They made me feel comfortable with some small talk and asked about my PowerPoint test performance, my resume experience, and my specific skills for the role, while also trying to gauge my personality (work ethic, teamwork, etc.). The next round had three people from my potential team, including the manager. They were younger and more direct, asking common questions like why I chose this field (to see my commitment), my short-term goals (to see if I'd stick around), and my school plans (availability wasn't a big deal, but they wanted to know if I'd stay after graduating). They weren't as smooth as the partners, but it seemed like a learning experience for them too. Then I interviewed with senior people from other departments I'd be working near. Their questions were also pretty standard, with some being open-ended like 'tell me about yourself,' so it was important to highlight things that would spark their interest. They were all very polite and offered hospitality. After the 3-hour block, we parted ways. A few days later, HR called with an offer for a research assistant position (since I was graduating), which is similar to an intern role with a 90-day trial. Once I accepted, HR sent over paperwork for background checks, a drug test, and other agreements. If you don't get an offer, they usually send a polite email thanking you and encouraging you to look for other roles.

The interview process took about 3 hours. First, I did an exercise to check my grammar and attention to detail. Then, I met with different teams and partners at the company. It was a really good experience overall. Everyone on the teams was super nice. I realized from the interviews that I really wanted to work at a company with such a great culture. It was cool to meet the different teams and see who I might be working with. The teams also made it clear they don't expect interns to do menial tasks like fetching coffee. This has been true, and my experience so far has been awesome. After the interviews were done for the day, they asked for my references. Once my references checked out, I got the job offer.