Sandia National Laboratories Researcher Interview Questions
& Process

Met someone at a conference and had a skype call with 3 people before applying. Applied and heard back within a week. They paid for my travel from Europe to Livermore for a full-day onsite interview. It started at 9 am and ended at 6 pm. Had a 1.5 hr lunch with other postdocs to discuss living and working there. Ended with dinner with the employer and team. I gave a 45 min presentation on my PhD and research, followed by questions from over 10 team members. Then, I had about 10 one-on-one interviews, each lasting 30 mins, with team members discussing my experience and skills. One person asked HR-related questions about deadlines and teamwork. We also had a site tour of the experimental facility. Before all this, I met with HR for general info. Everyone was friendly, suggesting a good work environment. Got a positive response a month later, but the position was cancelled due to funding issues before an official offer.

I applied for the position in February, but it was put on hold because of internal issues. It then reopened, and my potential supervisor asked me to reapply. I did, and we scheduled a phone interview where we discussed work ethics, the project's nature and goals, my lab contributions, and salary. I sent a thank-you email and waited two weeks. About a month later, I was set to fly in for an on-site interview. This involved giving a seminar and meeting with 11 people from various departments.

It was long but really went into detail. First, I talked with the manager for an hour about technical stuff and how I handle things. Then, there was a 3-hour session where I gave a 45-minute presentation and then answered questions. After that, they spent about half an hour showing me what they do and I could ask them questions.