Illumina puts all of their candidates through a rigorous interview process which is a culmination of several phone interviews followed by a short in person interview and a full day of individual interviews.
For the most part the interviewers were very professional although there were a couple that seemed they hated their job or at least this part of it. I was asked the same questions over and over and only had one break scheduled which was during a panel lunch with 3 employees.. meaning no time to eat or break.
A common theme for all positions at Illumina is no work life balance. Several of the interviewers said their spouse gave up on them years ago and they work way past the expected hours. I have also talked to several past Illumina employees since the interviews and they had the same experience.
After all the interviews and time I spent with Illumina it came down to two candidates, myself and another. Illumina's official response to me:
"Thank you for taking the time to speak with us in regards to the opportunity at Illumina, Inc. At this time, we have decided to continue pursuing other applicants. We invite you to visit our website regularly at www.illumina.com and apply to other positions that may interest you and match with your qualifications."
I emailed the hiring manager and asked for some details about my interview and thanked him for the opportunity and no response at all. Overall I was very disappointed about the interview process and overall health of the company.
By the time I got this email I was no longer interested in the company. When you take your base rate and divide it by the amount of extra hours you would be working it makes Illumina a low paying grind, no thank you.