I worked at Abbott Vascular for 11 years. It's a great company to work for. The teams are based on departments that support different areas of business. In IT, there are different departments that support Infrastructure, IT Security, Application Development, etc.. Some departments are run by the local Vascular leadership team and some departments are managed out of the corporate office based in Chicago.
Over the last 11 years, the interview process has changed with the times, however, there are some basics that Abbott follows. Abbott uses temporary/contract agencies to hire many of its staff. If hired through a contracting agency, that agency will do the background check, preliminary interview, and try to find a candidate that is a good fit for the job. The agency then approaches the hiring manager with who they think is a good candidate, and that hiring manager will interview that potential candidate. The hiring manager at Vascular will ask questions based on the "STAR" format. Go to Wikipedia and look up STAR interview for more details. Basically, the hiring manager is asking questions about your previous work experience and how you handled different situations, as a way of forecasting how you would handle similar situations while working for Abbott. Typically there are a few hiring managers that will ask the candidate questions in the STAR format. After the interview those managers will meet and review your answers. The managers aren't just looking for how you answered the questions, but also for consistency. Be truthful in the way you answer the questions... Its no fun when a candidate is asked a question and the hiring managers don't have the same answer when they meet to review how you answered your questions. It can take a few days for the managers to meet, review the candidate, and then get back to HR with the recommendation, so just be patient to hear back.
Abbott also hires candidates directly. Those candidates have usually been selected through the HR database. These jobs are more focused opportunities for professionals (I.e. Chemists, Directors, etc.). As a side note, if you know someone who works at Vascular, they have the ability to submit your resume "internally". An "internally" submitted resume uses the same HR system that "external" candidates use, however, an "internally" submitted resume can be routed directly to the hiring manager by use of the taleo HR tool.
When I worked at Abbott, I hired dozens of contractors, and a few fulltime employees. The STAR format really seemed to work well for my particular organization at Abbott Vascular. Although it can be a lengthy and tiresome process, the STAR format seems to be a good way of getting to the important "stuff" of who will make a good candidate. Good luck in your search!
