Oklahoma State University Interview Questions
& Process

We have about three rounds of interviews. The first round is a phone call to talk about the job. Then you'll have a second interview on Zoom where we'll ask you some basic questions. The last interview is in person and includes a presentation.

After submitting my application, I heard back from them over a month later and decided to move forward. The initial interview was a great experience; it really felt like a good IT department culture. Most questions were about how I handle situations and interact with people. They gave me the questions ahead of time, but it felt like a rapid-fire Q&A rather than a conversation. The panel asked me about 25 questions total, and I liked their responses to my own questions. I prepared answers for all their questions and gave them handouts, which they seemed to appreciate. Following that, I had two back-to-back interviews: one with senior staff about my technical background, and then with management and the IT director. The whole thing felt a bit too long, especially with some panel interviews having over a dozen people. Still, their work culture seems better than most places. Once it was all done, they offered me a salary of 40k, which was at the very low end of the range. This would be fine for an entry-level role, but it felt insulting for a Level 3 IT position. I tried to follow up, thinking maybe there was a mistake, but got no reply. So, I quickly accepted a much better offer elsewhere. The low salary offer was the dealbreaker. I mostly enjoyed the interview process, but I have to prioritize my career, and the salary was just too low to accept.

I reached out to my current PI, who taught the food microbiology class I took as an undergrad, to see if I could join his lab as a master's student. He initially declined but then discussed his future research plans for master's students. He was really enthusiastic about his work and explained the research concepts clearly. He was understanding when I mentioned needing financial assistance and having no prior lab experience. Thankfully, he accepted me into his lab with sponsorship.

You gotta take a class first, then you have to make a project and present it to about 15 people in groups of 3. While you're presenting, everyone else in the class will be presenting too, so you gotta be engaging to get noticed. If they like it, they'll have you interview with two supervisors who will ask about your people skills and how you'll engage others.