Summary
A 6-year NLP PhD student at the University of Washington describes the reality of applying for Research Scientist and Member of Technical Staff roles. After 57 interviews across 11 companies, plus 46 recruiter calls and 16 post-offer chats, the author concludes that the job search is far more demanding than expected. The process requires technical preparation across multiple interview types, strategic timing, dedicated study as a full-time job, and navigating intense negotiation and emotional strain. Key takeaways include the necessity of internal referrals, the importance of building interview-specific muscle memory (e.g., implementing a transformer from scratch repeatedly), and the realization that a PhD does not prepare one for salary negotiation.
Key Points
- Interviewing at 11 companies involved 57 technical/behavioral interviews, 46 recruiter calls, and 16 post-offer conversations.
- “Ghosted” means the recruiter never informed the candidate of the outcome; “withdrawn” means the candidate politely declined after receiving other offers.
- Common wisdom: use a few companies for practice, then time processes to receive offers concurrently for negotiation leverage.
- Internal referrals—through networking at conferences, collaborating widely, or reconnecting with old contacts—are often essential to get the first interview.
- Interview types: ML coding, general coding, technical discussion, research discussion, behavioral, math, and a job talk.
- Preparation included watching Stanford CS336 lectures, taking detailed notes, deep-diving concepts with blogs/papers/AI assistants, and implementing a transformer from scratch repeatedly.
- Each interview benefits from a dedicated 3-day cram session; sleep before interviews is critical.
- Recording notes after each interview helps future studying and builds confidence as a researcher.
- Negotiation is difficult and unlike studying: recruiters have more knowledge and market power; initial offers always leave room.
- The emotional toll was significant: stress, social comparison, and feeling miserable for months; the author encourages cherishing the PhD’s freedom.