Smithsonian Interview Questions
Updated Mar 7, 2023
- Administrative
- Arts & Design
- Business
- Consulting
- Customer Services & Support
- Education
- Engineering
- Finance & Accounting
- Healthcare
- Human Resources
- Information Technology
- Legal
- Marketing
- Media & Communications
- Military & Protective Services
- Operations
- Other
- Product & Project Management
- Research & Science
- Retail & Food Services
- Sales
- Skilled Labor & Manufacturing
- Transportation
- Worldwide
- China - All Cities
- - Zhejiang
- United States - All Cities
- - District of Columbia
- - Washington, DC
- - Washington, DC
- - Chantilly, VA
- - Suitland, MD
- - Arlington, VA
- - Kensington, MD
- - Manassas, VA
- - District Heights, MD
- - Sterling, VA
- - Rockville, MD
- - Herndon, VA
- - Shepherdstown, WV
- - Fort Washington, MD
- - Falls Church, VA
- - Chevy Chase, MD
- - Front Royal, VA
- - Landover, MD
- - Virginia
- - Massachusetts
- - Boston, MA
- - Cambridge, MA
- - Worcester, MA
- - Worcester, MA
- - Maryland
- - Baltimore, MD
- - Columbia, MD
- - Catonsville, MD
- - Annapolis, MD
- - Edgewater, MD
- - New York State
- - New York City, NY
- - New York, NY
- - Florida
- - Miami-Fort Lauderdale, FL
- - West Palm Beach, FL
- - Miami, FL
- - Orlando, FL
- - Oviedo, FL
- - Tampa, FL
- - Tampa, FL
- - California
- - San Francisco, CA
- - Berkeley, CA
- - Wisconsin
- - Wausau, WI
- - Wisconsin Rapids, WI
- - Louisiana
- - Ruston, LA
- - Ruston, LA
- - Illinois
- - Chicago, IL
- - Chicago, IL
- - West Virginia
- - Michigan
- - Ann Arbor, MI
- - Ann Arbor, MI
- - Texas
- - North Carolina
- - Raleigh-Durham, NC
- - Raleigh, NC
- - Burlington, NC
- - Burlington, NC
- - Arizona
- - Tucson, AZ
- - Tucson, AZ
- - Minnesota
- - St. Cloud, MN
- - Saint Cloud, MN
- United Kingdom - All Cities
- - England
- - London, United Kingdom
- - London, England
- - Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom
- - Washington, England
- Panama - All Cities
- - Panamá
- - Panama City, Panama
- - Panama City
- - Gamboa
- - Panamá
- - Colón
- India - All Cities
- - Tamil Nadu
- Canada - All Cities
- - Ontario
- - Toronto, ON, Canada
- - Toronto, ON
- Uganda - All Cities
- United Arab Emirates - All Cities
- - Dubai
- - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
- - Dubai
- All Candidates
- Received Offer Only
- Popular
- Most Recent
- Oldest First
- Easiest
- Most Difficult
Interviews at Smithsonian
Interviews for Top Jobs at Smithsonian
- Intern (15)
- Internship (6)
- Retail Sales Associate (4)
- Explainer (3)
- Retail Associate (2)
- Museum Police Officer (2)
- Research Fellow (2)
- Major Gifts Officer (2)
- Coordinator (2)
- Museum Specialist (1)
- Program Coordinator (1)
- Marketing Manager (1)
- Volunteer Guest Services (1)
- Education (1)
- Museum Technician (1)
- Sales Associate (1)
- Education Aide (1)
- OFEO (1)
- Media (1)
- Director (1)
- Cash Accountant (1)
- Content Development & Strategy (1)
- Engineer (1)
- Production Coordinator (1)
- Development Intern (1)
- Air and Space Video Production (1)
- Chief of Engineering (1)
- Volunteer Coordinator (1)
- Training Officer (1)
- Analyst (1)
Anonymous Employee
I interviewed at Smithsonian
Phone interview then meeting others in the team. Interviews were on phone and Zoom. Then a background check which took 10 days. Very flexible process for me and it was quite smooth overall.
- In your last performance review what were two areas for improvement
Anonymous Interview Candidate
I interviewed at Smithsonian
It was a pretty straightforward process. There were three rounds of interviews with various leads in the department. The interviews were 30 minutes each. I was asked typical questions like "Why do you want to work here?" and "What are your strengths and weaknesses?"
Anonymous Employee
I interviewed at Smithsonian
The interview process is a multi-stage process for hiring new employees. The interview process typically includes the following steps: writing a job description, posting a job, scheduling interviews, conducting preliminary interviews, conducting in-person interviews, following up with candidates and making a hire.
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years
Anonymous Employee
I interviewed at Smithsonian
Only has one call over Teams with direct manager and manager above the direct manager. Call lasted about an hour and it was more of a conversation about their needs and what they are looking for as well as what I am looking for in the position.
- Why do you want to work for Smithsonian?
Anonymous Interview Candidate in Washington, DC
I applied online. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Smithsonian (Washington, DC) in May 2022
It was pretty self-explanatory - I was selected to take a virtual interview on the Microsoft Teams app. I was asked questions about my experience and how it is relevant to the job. While I wouldn't say the questions were super generic, they weren't anything that wasn't to be expected in an interview for a retail position.
- What was your best/worst customer service experience ever?
- Describe a time when things changed at your job and it was challenging for you. It could be something as big as a policy change or something smaller.
- Describe a stressful situation at work and how you handled it.
Anonymous Interview Candidate
I interviewed at Smithsonian
Really great, superb. They were supportive throughout the process and clearly wanted you to answer the questions to the best of your ability. It was tricky but ultimately they wanted tou to do well
- Why do you want to work here
Anonymous Interview Candidate
I applied through other source. I interviewed at Smithsonian
Very friendly interviewer. This was a research internship at the national air and space museum, and the interviewer was very interested in knowing what research areas I was passionate about. Also a discussion on my previous experience. Not overly technical.
Anonymous Interview Candidate
I interviewed at Smithsonian
It can take a long time to process as a federal institution, but the interview process is fairly straightforward once you do hear back. Sometimes you won't hear back for awhile and then you have an interview scheduled, so be ready to be flexible.
- What skills and experience do you bring to this position
Anonymous Employee in Washington, DC
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at Smithsonian (Washington, DC) in Oct 2021
Had a single video interview with about 15 questions asked (around 4 of them were technical questions). Interviewer was very nice and helped me out when I didn't know the answer to one of the technical questions.
- Tell me about a time you had to manage a workplace conflict.
Anonymous Employee
I interviewed at Smithsonian
It was a good inteview overall. There were clear objectives, a clear timeline and the expectations were very clear from the beginning. They communicated the further steps in a timely manner.
- I don't remember, it was a long time ago.
Smithsonian Interviews FAQs
Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at Smithsonian as 78.0% positive with a difficulty rating score of 2.46 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty). Candidates interviewing for Explainer and Intern rated their interviews as the hardest, whereas interviews for Internship and Retail Sales Associate roles were rated as the easiest.
The hiring process at Smithsonian takes an average of 37 days when considering 88 user submitted interviews across all job titles. Candidates applying for Retail Associate had the quickest hiring process (on average 14 days), whereas Intern roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 50 days).
Common stages of the interview process at Smithsonian according to 88 Glassdoor interviews include:
Phone Interview: 24.82%
One on One Interview: 17.73%
Background Check: 14.89%
Group Panel Interview: 14.89%
Drug Test: 10.64%
Presentation: 7.09%
Skills Test: 5.67%
IQ Intelligence Test: 2.13%
Personality Test: 1.42%
Other: 0.71%
Popular Careers with Smithsonian Job Seekers
Work at Smithsonian? Share Your Experiences
