Standard, nothing out of the ordinary. I applied for the position and I came in for an interview and a few of their members interviewed me. I think I had about 3 or 4 people, It was over 10 years ago.

The experience was pretty disorganized and disappointing. I was notified by email once that the interview schedule changed and provided with a new schedule, and then on interview day people came in to meet with me in a completely different order and someone new was added. Then there was confusion over what position I was applying to. There were two positions available, and I was probably slightly more qualified for one but more interested in the other...however the job descriptions were so vague it was hard to tell. Both were just outside my area of expertise anyway. So I spent the day apologizing and explaining and re-explaining that I was more interested in the other position. The director even mentioned a new position that would incorporate my expertise with their needs. So it was pretty unclear what they were looking for. Additionally, I was eager to get a look around at the labs, where I might be spending a good portion of my time. But when I asked, they said I couldn't because things were under construction and they wouldn't show me around. So either they have no labs and are currently not getting any research done, or the labs are something they are not proud of. Most importantly, it didn't seem like HR and the hiring manager were on the same page in terms of whether they were looking for a someone with a specific set of skills or a talented scientist that could easily take on new skills. The job description was quite vague and open-ended leading one to believe they were more interested in the latter. And I made a clear effort in the preliminary phone interviews where my expertise lay (related, but not exactly the background they were looking for) and that I'd be open to taking on new challenges and learning my way around quickly. It seemed like everyone was in agreement. However, during the interview it was made clear that they were in fact looking for a distinct research background. The hiring manager proceeded to ask technical questions as if it were a pop quiz in an area that I confessed to having familiarity, but not expertise. It was a waste of everyone's time and a very frustrating day. The interviewers were all very nice and understanding and it seems like it might be a nice place to work? But if the hiring manager doesn't sit down with HR to figure out what they want, I might not be the last one running for the hills. Lesson learned. That will be the last time I apply to a job with too vague a description.