I applied in the beginning of February, 2017. About 3 weeks after applying I received an email from a recruiter asking to set up a phone screening interview to determine if I was to be invited to a hiring event scheduled for the end of the next month. The screening was set up for a couple days later. The interview was with a senior engineer and was to last 30-45 minutes, but ended up lasting about an hour as it felt more like a conversation than an interview. I was asked mainly about myself as well as some hypothetical behavioral questions and items on my resume. At the end of the screening I was given an opportunity to ask questions and was told a recommendation would be put forward for me to attend the hiring event.
A week later I received an email from another recruiter officially inviting me to the hiring event. It was to be a 2 day event, and I was asked if I was available for those days as I was required to attend both. I was also asked to send a copy of my unofficial transcript to confirm my GPA was above 3.0. A couple days after confirming my availability and GPA I received a call from the recruiter. He explained a general schedule for the event as well as the interview process and how to set up travel arrangements. After the call I received 2 emails, one further explaining the event and travel and a second with a more detailed employment application. Travel was billed directly to Raytheon and included 2 nights at the hotel that the event would take place, round trip plane tickets, and a car rental. Other items such as meals, gas, parking, and checked baggage fees were eligible for reimbursement if they met certain criteria.
I arrived a day ahead of time in order to settle in before the event, and was given the opportunity to check-in with Raytheon security that evening in order to skip the lines the next day. Security check-in was required for the tours that were scheduled for the next day. I also picked up a preliminary schedule for my interviews. I was surprised to find I had another interview scheduled in addition to the one I had been invited for (I'm still not sure how that happened).
The first day of the event consisted of security check-in and the opportunity to talk to employees, local realtors, employee resource groups, and the benefits and relocation teams. This was followed by a lunch where the VP of Engineering spoke. After the VP, a panel of engineers at varying career stages answered questions from the 250+ attendees. There was a mix of those seeking internships and co-ops as well as full-time employment. Right after were the tours, split into small groups based on the department that had invited us for an interview. We stopped at 2 locations before meeting everyone at the "culture room" where we could learn more about employee learning programs, resource groups, etc. Our tour guides, who were Raytheon employees, told us that if you made it to the event there was a position open for you IF you were able to prove you are a fit for the company. In other words, you weren't competing with the people around you for a handful of spots, but rather trying to show what you could offer Raytheon. We returned to the hotel and shortly after had a networking "dinner" (heavy hors d'oeuvres) where we could talk to our interviewers or talk to other departments to try to get more interviews. You could have up to 5 total.
The day of the interviews there was a mandatory early breakfast. You didn't have to eat, but there was some information given. New interview schedules were handed out. They explained that everyone would receive a "yes" or "no" email by the end of the day. If you interviewed with multiple departments and had more than one interested in giving an offer, you would be allowed to pick between them but would only received a single "financial offer". The offer would arrive within 3 weeks. The interviews themselves were pretty straight forward. You had a panel interview with 2-3 engineers/hiring managers/HR reps that lasted about 45 minutes. There were some unexpected substitutions, but at least 1 of the interviewers I had spoken to the night before were still on my panel for both of my interviews. Both interviews were entirely behavioral, although I had spoken to some other candidates that had had more technical interviews with different departments. There were no "what's your greatest strength/weakness" type questions, thankfully. I felt very at ease during the interviews because I had gotten to know my interviewers at the networking dinner, and everyone was very friendly. The only problem I had with the event was that late check-out was not available due to the volume of candidates leaving on the same day, and I had to check-out in between my interviews, which was a little stressful. Thankfully the hotel held my bags during my last interview.
I received my "yes" email a few hours after the event ended, and an official written offer was emailed a little over a week later.
