I applied online. I interviewed at CNA Corporation (Arlington, VA) in Jan 2023
Interview
There was an initial screening call. After, there was a 30-minute technical call. The last step was an onsite 4-hour long interview. The first part of the onsite interview was speaking with the directors of research for 45 minutes, which was then followed by a 30 to 45-minute presentation. The presentation can be a candidate's thesis, class project, etc., as long as it's work within data science—my PhD thesis is in theoretical math, so they were perfectly happy with me presenting on a class project instead—be prepared to answer some pretty probing questions. The penultimate part is to go out for lunch with a current employee, followed by a 30-minute meeting with the VP. As a candidate, I felt I was given a fair chance to show who I am and what I can do. Everyone I interacted with, via email or in person, was kind, professional, and very helpful. This was by far my best interview process. I had my answer ready the day they gave me an offer.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
For the technical part, they asked me specific questions about my project and the tools I used (e.g., k-means clustering, multiclass logistic regression). Other than that, I was asked why I was interested in CNA, how I would communicate technical topics to a non-technical etc. If you are truly interested in working at CNA, you have aptitude for quantitative work, and can communicate effectively and respectfully, you should be fine.
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at CNA Corporation (Arlington, VA) in Oct 2025
Interview
Phone interview with HR, then a primary phone interview with a program manage, and lastly a full day interviews with seminar talk, analytical review, and one-on-one interviews in the afternoon.
Whole day, many interview panels but everyone was super friendly and there was not a lot of tough questions asked. They will ask about your research. They are concerned with quantitative experience.
We are glad you had a positive experience. We appreciate you sharing your feedback and look to improving and streamlining our processes for a better candidate experience.
I applied online. The process took 4 weeks. I interviewed at CNA Corporation (Arlington, VA) in Mar 2025
Interview
The first interview was a 30-minute phone call with the recruiter. The second round included a one-day onsite visit to Arlington, VA. It was a busy day, including seven interviews with division and program leaders and a 40-minute presentation, followed by a social with more of the team members at a restaurant/bar down the street. I expected the day to be very draining, but the team members were all super welcoming and encouraging. It felt like a very supportive environment and though I didn't know much about the company before the visit, I fell in love with the culture and people during the day-long visit.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us about a time when you disagreed with your team members or colleagues and how you dealt with/worked through that situation.