LSU Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed with the Network Operations Team. They first reached out by email for an initial 15-minute phone screen. I was then invited for a second-round virtual interview with a panel. I thought the interview went well, but I was ghosted after the interview without any opportunity for feedback. The interviewers seemed disinterested and most of the panel did not even have their cameras on.

I sent in my application online. There was a Teams interview screen, and then I had an in-person interview. The in-person interview included typical behavioral questions and questions about networking terminology and basic cybersecurity. They also only shared the pay range of ~$50K during the in-person interview. After that, they didn't contact me for about half a year, then they asked if I was still interested in the same job. I said no because I had learned the salary was very low.

The process can also vary depending on the company's practices and protocol, and may include screening, first, second, and third interviews, and then a decision. Here are some tips for the interview process: Research the company, read the job description carefully, try out the company's product or service, learn about the interviewers, find out the interview type and prepare accordingly, identify your selling points for this job, be ready to tell the interviewer about yourself.

So for a Ph.D. student here at LSU, you gotta first send in all your stuff like grades, recommendation letters, why you wanna come here, and maybe a writing sample or research idea. After they look at that, they'll probably call you in for an interview, maybe online or if you can visit. You'll chat about what you wanna research, your school history, and what you wanna do later. They'll wanna know about your past research and how it fits with what we do here, and what you can bring to the department. You'll likely meet with professors, potential advisors, and current students. They're checking if you're a good fit all around. Questions can be about your technical knowledge, how you think, how you solve problems, and if you get the big picture of the field. Sometimes you can sit in on talks or classes to see how engaged you are and how you communicate. It's all about seeing if you're smart enough for the program and if you'll do well here. They want people who are really motivated to research, know what they wanna do, and can work by themselves or with others.