I applied online. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Feb 2015
Interview
Submission of cover letter and resume for the position
Brief interview with the Professor focusing on the basic stuff - past experiences, skill sets in my case programming experience, experience interacting with students in a teaching/ mentor capacity, interest in particular course and relevance to career path, reading up and familiarity with the course syllabus would be useful
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Do you have any prior experience working with undergrad students in the capacity of a tutor?
I applied online. I interviewed at Columbia University (New York, NY) in Oct 2013
Interview
First stage: Phone interview with HR, which includes a salary screen. I didn't fit in their range and they told me so and told me what the ceiling for the position is. We agreed to proceed.
Second stage: An interview with HR and the head of the research team (1/2 hr), followed by a 1/2 hr with an associate director. The HR and head of the team created a good impression on me. They asked general questions about my current work and said little about what skills are needed for the position. That made it tough to show them that I have the skills needed.
The associate director was a little strange. He was newly promoted and had no interviewing skills. Appeared unable to describe the company culture and his management style.
The time limits of both parts of the interview were enforced strictly; they actually cut me off to say we are out of time.
There was zero follow-up on their part, although they promised they will be in touch in "a couple of weeks." After a while, the HR person wrote to me that "we are still recruiting." No closure.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Frankly, the most unexpected part was how little they asked me.