Wolfspeed Research Scientist Interview Questions
& Process

I was contacted for a phone interview first and got the basic questions about my motivation and background experience. Then later, they invited me to NC for the formal interview. The main on-site interview included a 15-minute presentation and follow-up Q&A. They did not like candidates who ran over time for the presentation. After that, it immediately followed with one-on-one interviews with many managers and senior staff in different groups. They have many openings but are finding it hard to fill the spots. It took the whole day including lunch and dinner to go over the process. They treat the lunch and dinner as interview time, so don't take it easy on these events. The most mind-boggling part for me is that some interviewers were very arrogant. You could tell they've never worked at another company before and are afraid of new hires taking their spots. The worst is that these guys try not to meet you for the 30-minute slot; instead, they schedule follow-up phone interviews and keep dragging things out to show off. These individuals can't work with anyone but act like they're above everyone. Other than that, other posts have mentioned the interview questions.

Got contacted by HR right after they saw my PhD, then I had to fill out some eligibility paperwork. The next day, I was given a big questionnaire with about 25 questions that I had 3 days to complete. I sent it back in a day, and two days later, I got a call for a phone interview. This interview had a brain teaser, some science questions, and a chat with my potential boss. Three days after that, I was invited for an on-site interview, which took place a week later. During the on-site, I gave a 30-minute presentation about my PhD research. Then I met with 6-7 R&D group leaders for about 45 minutes each. They were tough during the interviews, making me question myself and asking about the details of my resume. They also reviewed my questionnaire answers. Their goal is to find the best fit who can handle the environment. I was impressed by the time they put into interviewing me. They really want to make the right hire. Lunch was a good time to ask about lifestyle and the area. It's a challenging process, but if you're good at what you do and want to be challenged, it's worth it.

I applied online and heard back from the hiring manager in a couple weeks. Then I had a phone screening with the hiring manager. After that, I had a skype interview with his team two weeks later where I had to present my doctoral research. Both interviews were weird, especially the phone screen. He was vague about what he wanted to know and phrased questions oddly. He asked questions like, "would option A or option B would be a better way to do this thing?" but it was neither and he was trying to trick me. He did this more than once, which I found rude. I was worried after reading reviews, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. The hiring manager wasn't as rude as some reviews said. It wasn't a good fit though, and I'm glad I didn't get an offer. A friend of mine got an offer but declined due to salary disagreements and the manager having a big ego.