I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at RAND (Cambridge, England) in Jun 2023
Interview
Post shortlisting of the CV, first round was a "competency round" which was a chit-chat with a research leader about my previous experiences, and how my goals align with RAND's. Also there was conversation about experiences with technical aspects of research, both in quant and qual. The next "technical round", lasted for an hour with a research task and a project management taks (both presented on the spot). The research task gave 15 mins or so to generate ideas for a brainstorming session based on a client brief. The focus was on overall research related thinking rather than domain expertise. So questions about what might be RQs, what key concepts would you have to look into, what might be the ways of collecting data etc. The conversation mimicked a brainstorming session and allowed space to think out loud, ask follow up questions, refine your ideas etc. The project management task was for 10 mins and had two situations (eg. there are internal delays in project so what do you do) and allowed for a discussion based space. One could think out loud and present the ideas "off the top of their head". The last conversation was with HR to discuss HR related issue such as salary, start dates etc.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Round 1: previous experiences of research, with specific methods, why RAND, Round 2: brainstorming based on a client brief discussing possible RQs, methods, (mimicked an actual brainstorm where the interviewer also asked follow up questions and clarifying questions instead of just assuming things), project management task (internal delays have happened so what do you do)
Everyone I met (online) was very friendly and kind (and I met a lot of people). But then I went through three or four rounds only for them to ghost me, which felt a bit rubbish, although I could guess what I was lacking so I didn't need the feedback so much as courtesy and acknowledgement of my time.
2 interviews, first was a security screen because the position requires Fitness, a type of clearance that gives you permission to access government documents.
Second interview is a traditional behavioral interview, similar to interviews for other jobs.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What is the extent to which you've utilized Excel?
I applied online. I interviewed at RAND in May 2024
Interview
Disorganised interview scheduling process followed by a 1h screening interview where they slipped in a brainstorming question to solve and redesign a process. Was ghosted afterwards. Not worth it for 30k a year y'all.