OpenAI: The Exhausting Journey of 57 Interviews for a New Hire

A Professional Journey Full of Challenges

Alisa Liu recently joined OpenAI as a researcher, but her path to get there was anything but straightforward. In a blog post, she revealed that she went through 57 interviews across 11 different companies. This job search, which she describes as exhausting, ultimately led to her hiring by the creator of ChatGPT.

Liu shared her feelings, stating that this period of job hunting left her "stressed and miserable," impacting other aspects of her daily life. Despite these difficulties, she managed to land a coveted position in the field of artificial intelligence.

Sharing to Better Prepare

On the platform X, Liu described her job search as "really difficult but also super rewarding." She expressed a desire to make this process less opaque for future candidates. At the end of her six-year PhD in natural language processing at the University of Washington, she embarked on the search for research scientist and technical staff positions in the AI sector.

Networking and Emotional Management

Even before officially starting her job search, Liu engaged in numerous informal networking conversations. She also participated in 46 recruiter calls and 16 post-offer discussions. She described the emotional complexity of this period, explaining that it was challenging to navigate an environment where every small decision could have a significant impact.

"Honestly, I was stressed, miserable, and I wasn't functioning in other parts of my life for several months," she confided. She encouraged those going through similar experiences to not feel alone.

Tips for Success

Although Liu did not respond to inquiries from Business Insider, a spokesperson for OpenAI confirmed her hiring. In her article, she offered several tips for those looking to break into the field of AI:

• Don't overexert yourself by doing too many practice interviews.
• Strategically plan the interview schedule.
• Use your professional network to get recommendations.

She emphasized the importance of working well during the PhD and cultivating strong professional relationships to facilitate access to opportunities.

The Importance of Technical Skills

Liu clarified that while research experience is an asset, companies are increasingly focused on assessing candidates' technical skills and knowledge. Her interviews covered a wide range of topics, from coding questions in machine learning to technical discussions on concepts like 5D parallelism and positional encoding.

Other interviews included research discussions, behavioral questions, and mathematical assessments, ranging from "fun logic puzzles to serious mathematical derivations." She recommends reviewing areas such as probability, linear algebra, and calculus.

Preparation and Negotiation

Liu stressed the importance of preparing for interviews, while also highlighting that a good night's sleep is essential before an interview. She also mentioned that receiving job offers comes with its own set of challenges, particularly in terms of negotiation.

"The truth is that negotiating is hard. Nothing in our PhD prepared us for that," she wrote, adding that a few weeks of effort in this area can have a significant long-term impact.