Sat down with the employer over coffee to discuss the details of the job requirement and a formal confirmation that I had satisfied the requirements to safely work in a lab.
I applied through university. The process took 1 week. I interviewed at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (New York, NY) in Mar 2015
Interview
There was only one interview over Skype. Three of the researchers took turns to ask me questions. They explained the project they are pursuing. I was asked about my past project that I listed on my resume and my programming capabilities. Some background knowledge about environmental engineering was tested and how I would be suitable to contribute to the project based on my past experience.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell us about your past projects and database query capabilities.
They post the position on columbia career center website, and the description was not so in details. Basically, u submit your resume and they will give you a call back, the guy interviewed me (actually became my manager later) was really nice and talktive.