Simon Fraser University Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved two interviews and one assessment. It started with a phone call, followed by a video call with a committee. Initially, the video call was planned as an in-person meeting, but this was changed because the team was traveling. An in-person team meeting stage was also skipped.

The interview process for this role at Beedie School of Business involved 3 rounds. The first round was with a future colleague. The second round was with the Associate Director and Director, and it included a presentation on "Strategies to create and ensure the recruitment of a diverse, dynamic, and engaged FT MBA program". Both of these rounds went very well. The third round was a casual meet and greet with about 5 members of the team, where they asked casual questions like "Superpower" and "Politician". All 3 rounds went well and the panels were nice and made me feel comfortable. However, a few days after the last round, I got a one-line email saying they chose another candidate without any explanation. I asked for feedback from several people but haven't heard back.

So there were two stages, first a 30 min tech interview, then a 30 min behavioral interview. They were on different days. The tech interview, they wanted me to have a project ready to talk about. They might ask about code decisions and specific parts of the code, so I should be ready to explain my work super detailed. If I passed the tech round, the next day was the behavioral interview. This one was more about getting to know me. They asked stuff like, “Tell us a bit about yourself.” “Describe a time you managed a conflict in a school project or previous co-op.” “How did you handle a conflict in your part-time job?” (if applicable). “Where do you see yourself in five years?” These were to see my communication skills, how I handle conflict, and my career goals, pretty standard stuff.

This student librarian position involved way too many steps and took too much time for a temporary role paying $25/hr. There were several panel interviews, a presentation, and a timed reference test. While a long process might be expected for a permanent faculty library job, this wasn't it. It was surprising that senior library managers had the time to interview candidates so extensively for a temporary, low-paying student role. Given the time and effort involved right up to the final interview, I would have expected to at least be notified if I wasn't selected. This experience made me not want to work at SFU after I graduate.