I applied in-person. The process took 4 months. I interviewed at Institute for Defense Analyses (Alexandria, VA)
Interview
Applied online initially after conversation with a campus recruiter. Was contacted for an initial HR phone interview about a month later which was then followed by a technical phone interview conducted by a research staff member. Following the phone interviews, I flew out to interview in person. Due to weather, I had to reschedule to the next day. IDA went to great lengths to rebook my travel and hotel and reschedule my interviews at the last minute. Props to them.
The in person interview consisted of a research presentation along with a technical panel interview, HR talk, 1:1s with staff, lunch, and a meeting with the division director. I would say the atmosphere was conversational rather than trying to trip me up. The staff mainly wanted to learn about my background and interests and answer any questions I had about work at IDA. Similar to Google, it's much more about how you think than what knowledge you are carrying around with you at the moment.
I applied online. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at Institute for Defense Analyses (Washington, DC) in Aug 2024
Interview
Three rounds of interviews. The first was with the hiring manager, next with two teammates, third is an onsite with the whole company. The third round had some case questions
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
What would make you a good candidate for this role?
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Institute for Defense Analyses (Alexandria, VA) in Oct 2023
Interview
This interview was the HR screening interview for a research analyst role. There were no job specific questions. The main objective seems to verify that you would be a good fit for the company. Questions were mainly about what I like to do. They also explained a lot about the role, the organization's culture. Also, they asked for salary range and then gave me the salary range they are aiming for (way off the Glassdoor estimate).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us what you know about us? What are you looking for in a role? What did you enjoy most about your previous role? What was something you got criticism on in your last role? What is your salary range?