[indieFan]

My interview lasted around 3 hours. I talked with 4 different people throughout the course of the interview. The first part of the interview was with two people. Then I was passed off to someone else who passed me off to another person after interviewing me. Many of the questions asked were very similar because of the resume, but there were quite a few that differed depending on what the role of the person was (i.e., team lead, group manager, etc.)

One strategy of multiple interviews rather than a group interview might be that to see how you interact with each person. You might give off a good vibe to one person and not to another. (That's just a theory of mine.) Since I was being considered for two different positions, the interviewers were able to get together and discuss which position I should be in based on these various perceptions.

An individual interview also allows you to get more personal than a group interview would, and vice versa since you can gauge the reaction better. I found myself talking about my Senior Design class differently with the first two people than I did with the last person.

As for what was accomplished, by the end of my interview, I had been shown the possible labs I would be working in and where my "office" (read: large cubicle) would be if I got the job. I had also been given a salary range that they were thinking of (the topic of which had been brought up by one of the interviewers). And, most importantly, the people interviewing me had an idea of where they thought I would fit in to the company.

And, although it may have been foolish, that was my first and only interview. I accepted the job offer.

indieFan