I applied online. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Medtronic (Littleton, MA) in Feb 2010
Interview
Dedicated HR group handled initial communication and conducted initial phone interview. It was followed by onsite interview. Needed continuous followup for communication.
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Medtronic (Santa Rosa, CA) in Sep 2010
Interview
Brief and undirected interview. Surprisingly, this interview as actually "led" by someone in CA, and not HR in MN, which is traditionally the case. She called later than the appointed time and simply asked, "Why you want to work for Medtronic?" after starter small talk. She seemed shocked when I told her I wasn't American and was absolutely clueless about visas/procedures required. Said she'd get back to me in Nov (2 months post-interview) because she had to look into the visas and things; never did.
The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Medtronic in May 2011
Interview
Medtronic's hiring staff contacted me very promptly and after reviewing my credentials and their needs offered to interview me on site within a week. The planning for the interview day went well and I had 1:1 and group interviews with peers, superiors, and subordinates that were long enough for me to learn about the job and for me to learn about me. They had some standard questions about how to handle difficult people and situations but there were no surprises. On the downside, they never showed me around the facility. After the interview which I felt went well, I heard nothing for 2+ weeks and knew that I had a very small likelihood of getting the job as no one contacted any of my references so it was no surprise when the rejection call came.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
What would you do if you had a subordinate who was not pulling their weight on the project?