Smiths Medical Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was pretty long, over 3.5 hours, and all in one room after a quick walk-around. Most of the time, the questions were friendly, but near the end, one guy insisted I verbally code a notepad editor, including data structures. He criticized my ideas as I went, which I found really frustrating and not how real software development works. It felt like he was trying to test my response to pressure, but it was too much and made me reconsider the job. He seemed arrogant and confrontational.

It took a while to get through the application and interview process at Smiths Medical, about 3 months from the first HR phone call to getting the offer. First, I had an HR phone screening, then a phone interview with the hiring manager and a senior co-worker. After that, I had an in-person interview with the hiring manager and some other co-workers. Finally, I interviewed with the hiring manager's director, who is the one that actually makes the hiring decisions.

The interview process is pretty standard Q&A, they don't really care about the STAR method. You'll talk to the direct supervisor and the department manager. If you're open to working different shifts, you might have to meet with another supervisor. Some of the interviewers might not know the job that well, so just showing up with a good attitude is really important.

The HR team seemed a bit lost and uncoordinated. Over a couple of weeks, I was shuffled between different recruiters. Someone from Smiths Group took over the benefits review responsibilities, but I never received the details, and they never actually scheduled the interview that a third-party recruiter had emailed me about.