2026 Interview Cycle

[may_ind]

update my second round with the MDA was also about a panel of 10! i feel like i did really well, the host did say towards the end that they'd love to keep me in the loop so im crossing my fingers that that's a good sign. i will say, they never asked me anything about my experience and it was somewhat technical. anyways my #2 & #3 SFs also contacted me so by next week I'll have a total of 4 interviews so far. very anxious!

would you mind sharing which MDA? would it happen to be huntsville by chance?

[polyglot]

hey gitmogged, do you mind sharing some stats and what prior work you did with the DoD and whether you feel like that helped you in getting interviews?

[gitmogged]

would you mind sharing which MDA? would it happen to be huntsville by chance?

yes the MDA in huntsville!

[Guest]

I just did an interview with the MDA yesterday, there was quite a few people and the tone seemed very casual. Don't think I did super well as I was quite nervous. In any case, they mostly talked about the work they do, asked some basic behavioral interview questions, and then we discussed Huntsville and what its like living there. They also left time for questions. All in all, the interview was pretty relaxed and all the people on the call were very nice. All in all it was a pretty cool experience but as mentioned I don't think I did very well so I doubt they'll be reaching out to me again.

[RF_Life]

@gitmogged

I interviewed with Redstone Arsenal and it went great. My panel was small with 3 interviewers. Their concerns is that I am too early in EE Degree (freshman) and that I have no research experience. I like to build antennas and test how they perform on different frequencies which helped my resume (no internship experience). Which of your projects did the MDA ask about most? Any advice is appreciated!

[Guest]

Congrats, gitmogged! I had an interview two weeks ago for my #1 SF. They mentioned some deadline about last Friday but did not tell me what it was for, although I imagine it must be some kind of evaluaiton about me. To yours or anyone else's knowledge, are multiple rounds of interviews required? Obviously it's a good sign, but should I be worried that I haven't heard anything back from the SF despite the award notification not being until April?

[gitmogged]

hey gitmogged, do you mind sharing some stats and what prior work you did with the DoD and whether you feel like that helped you in getting interviews?

hi, i shared a bit earlier on stats but i did not work for the DoD. i interned for NASA Marshall. i would say it definitely helped along with my other prev experiences incl. leadership roles. i learned a lot about the industry and how to effectively communicate as an engineer. won some awards, done talks, been on a podcast and some articles, little publicity here and there. i've gotten to work on some pretty cool projects and had to present in front of many important industry ppl, and i still get imposter syndrome!

but i've done what i can while taking mostly part-time sems (and a gap to intern) and working multiple jobs to keep myself afloat, not something i included in my essay but just a note. it hasn't been easy, it's taken a lot of hard work and sacrifices. i think i mentioned the slightest bit about my immigrant/low-income family background and hardship in my essay, but other than that it was very experience, passion, and purpose based.

don't sell yourself short, most of you are already ahead of the game!