I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) in Mar 2016
Interview
The interview involved a one-hour talk followed by a series of two-on-one discussions. These discussions mostly focused on the content of my talk and on possible projects that I could work on while at the lab. I found the process to be somewhat exhausting but extremely informative. The researchers were engaging, and it gave me the impression that Livermore would be a great place to work.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Most of the questions involved specifics regarding my previous research and on how I could apply that research to lab-related topics.
Thank you for your feedback; we are glad that you found the interview informative. It is a great place to work and hopefully you will keep us in mind in the future.
Other Postdoctoral Researcher Interview Reviews for Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
I interviewed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA)
Interview
I applied online. I had a chat via webex with one staff scientist. It was a phonescreening and showig my work related to the position. Rejected through. The whole process took 4 weeks.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 6 weeks. I interviewed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) in Mar 2023
Interview
It was a whole day interview including a 1-hr seminar session, multiple panel meetings, lunch, and lab tour. It is kinda like a mini-version for TTAP interview. The lab covered my flight, transport and lodging, very thoughtful!
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is your ultimate goal for scientific research? What is your passion? What do you expect to gain from this position?
I applied online. I interviewed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (Livermore, CA) in May 2022
Interview
1) Section manager reached out to conduct a 30-min screening Zoom call with one other staff scientist to go over my resume. Said the interview went well and we'd be in touch.
2) Waited ~4 weeks to get a confirmation for an on-site interview. Scheduled the on-site interview 3 weeks in advanced.
3) Before the on-site interview, a "pre-interview" was conducted via another Zoom call with an additional 4 staff scientists, debriefing me about the projects that are going on in the lab, and which ones would interest me. ~1 hr call, nothing difficult, just a conversation.
4) On-site interview was a 45 min presentation + 15 min questions (basically my PhD defense slides). After the presentation was the actual interview where all the scientists (15+ people in the room at the same time) asked you basic interview questions. Afterwards I toured the facility of where I would be working. The entire process started at 7:30 am and ended at 4:00 pm. At the end, the section manager said I had the position and to expect an offer some time in the coming week.
5) Waited another week for an (unofficial) offer.
Total process took ~4 months from submitting the application to getting an offer. Overall, nice experience. Majority of the people were professional, but some of the older staff can come off as aggressive when asking questions.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
For the presentation, basic questions about your research and slides; not many technical questions, more or less clarifications on your projects. The main interview took place after the presentation where they asked soft skill questions.
1) How do you handle working with a difficult coworker?
2) Have you ever been faced with a situation where you had to make a decision without all the immediate information?
3) What is your approach to solving a problem?
4) Describe a time where you had a disagreement with your advisor.
5) How do you prioritize projects and your work flow?