Applied online w/out a referral while finishing up my PhD.
Head of hiring group called out of the blue for a 20 minute interview about my experience.
Flew up to KT for a 30 minute presentation and 5 one-on-ones. Some of the 1-on-1s were pretty casual, some were more technical in nature.
Was told they were going to make an offer but then had to fly up again to interview with the group VP. VP was late and the 1 hour interview turned into 30 minutes.
Then got the offer and accepted it w/out any negotiation.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I had worked with some plasma chambers in grad school. They asked me the frequency at which the chamber operated, but I didn't know the answer. Totally ok to say I don't know.
it was easy and friendly and it took like 1 hour. we talked about the job and my background. also we discussed future opportunities. what would be next role, and we also talked about my chances of getting accepted.
I applied through a recruiter. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at KLA (Milpitas, CA) in Jun 2024
Interview
Easy, I expected more technical questions having read some of the reviews for research scientist interview process at KLA, but I had almost no technical questions asked besides questions about my PhD research, the very small details like electrical characteristics of the equipment, etc.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about your PhD work, then questions were derived from the specific elements of what I mentioned.
I applied online. I interviewed at KLA (Ann Arbor, MI) in Nov 2023
Interview
The interview process was surprising and unpleasant. I was prepared for a technical interview with some HR-style questions (personality/STAR). I joined a Zoom call with two employees (a team lead and their superior). At the start of the interview I was informed "These 30 minutes are for you, tell us anything you think we should know about you as a candidate for this job." I began by talking about myself and my background, as well as my PhD research. After about 10 minutes I stopped to ask if they had any questions about my research or background, or wanted to follow-up on anything. They repeated "these 30 minutes are for you to tell us about yourself." There was no clarifications, no questions. After another 10 minutes of talking about my research and skills (technical and leadership) I again asked if they had questions. Again they repeated that this time was for me. After about 27 minutes of me talking without any questions or follow-up from them, they stopped me and asked "Is there a difference between science and engineering?" I gave my best answer, then they concluded the interview and said I would hear from them either way in the next two weeks. I never heard from them. About two months later the candidate portal showed that I had been rejected. It was a terrible experience. If I knew they wanted me to talk for 30 minutes straight I would've have prepared slides.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Q: These 30 minutes are for you, tell us anything you think we should know about you as a candidate for this job.