Emailed faculty with resume and transcript. Then had an in person meeting with them to discuss their work and if it was a good fit. If you receive multiple replies you can pick the group that is right for you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What do you hope to gain as a member of the group?
Talked to the head of the lab for a while. Basically, he wanted someone with relevant coursework to understand the fundamentals behind the most common techniques we used. I met that basic qualification, so it was a pretty short interview.
I applied online. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) in Sep 2014
Interview
Applied through the Cornell Student Job listings.
Got an email offering an interview to come into the lab director's office hours.
Very informal and easy-going. All behavioral questions as I was a freshman at the time.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Walk me through your resume?
Why an interest in (focus of lab)?