Los Alamos National Laboratory Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

Went through an online interview and then an onsite visit. Had to give a talk and tour the facilities. There were group and individual meetings. They asked fair questions and were professional. The process was fair. The follow-up talks were quick.

I had an online video interview with the whole team I'd be joining. I gave a 15-minute presentation about why I'm a good fit, covering my thesis, skills, and how I'd contribute. It was super friendly, felt like chatting with friends about Physics. Then, I had an in-person interview which included a lab tour and a look at current projects.

It was a slow, drawn-out process that ended with them totally ghosting me. A recruiter reached out, and the job sounded cool, so I started the interviews. It took a month to get to the first phone interview with the team lead and the group on a conference call. Another month went by. Then I had a second conference-style phone interview with about 6 people. Another month passed. A month later, I was invited to fly to Los Alamos for a full day, in-person interview. I had to give a presentation to 15-25 people, which I spent a lot of time preparing and sent over beforehand. I flew to Albuquerque and drove the 100 miles to the interview the next day. It was a full day, from 8:45 am to 5 pm, which was exhausting. I gave my presentation in the afternoon. The interview questions were fair, but the panel format is tough. I drove back to the hotel and flew home the next day. They said they'd decide in about a month, maybe sooner. I sent follow-up thank you emails and waited. Months have gone by, and I've heard nothing. Absolutely nothing. After all that time, travel, preparation for the presentation, phone interviews, and in-person interviews, they could have at least told me the position was filled. Something. Any communication would have been appreciated. It's disappointing how they handled it. You shouldn't treat people like that.