Engineering Questions 5

[MartPigFace]

Can anyone come up with some decent questions to ask potential employees (to sort the wheat from the chaff!)
Doesn't have to be too complex, just need to check who's able to think!
This would be in the automotive field, in R&D with materials testing possibilities.

 

[NormPeterson]

Matthew - your approach sounds much like that used by the engineering group leader who interviewed me some years ago for a piping stress analysis position. He sketched on a notepad a simplified problem typical of what the position would encounter, gave a very brief introduction with an objective, and requested a conceptual solution. In my case, it was a 3-D piping arrangement to be supported seismically. Assuming that no space conflict issues exist, where would you place dynamic restraints? (For the record, I passed the little quiz and was hired.)

I think it sums up as "I'll stipulate to the information that's contained in your resume. Now show me how you think".

Norm

 

[plasgears]

Let the peers that the candidate may be working with guide you with questions. The new guy should have some knowledge of the specialty in question and the language of that specialty. Otherwise he is a fish out of water and possibly unqualified.

 

[Maui]

Hand them a surface ground steel bar less than 1" in diameter, and about 3" long with ends machined squarely. Have two micrometers sitting on the table - one that measures to the nearest 0.001" and the other to the nearest 0.0001". Also have a pair of vernier calipers there too - the mechanical type, not the digital display. Ask the candidate to measure the diameter to the nearest 0.0001", and the length to the nearest 0.005". Observe what they do, and evaluate the quality of their answers. Do they know how to use micrometers? Do they understand what the tolerance on a set of vernier calipers actually is? This will tell you a great deal about their training.

Maui

 

[arto]

Maui -
What about us aging interviewees that can't see verniers anymore?

 

[Maui]

Arto, that's what bifocals are for!

Maui

 

[DRWeig]

Friends,

There's a parallel thread731-118856 that is dealing with ridiculous interview questions, whereas this thread is looking for good ones in earnest. I have to post mine in both places. It was ridiculous when it was asked of me, but it might be a good one for someone interviewing where a good feel for heat transfer is core:

"If I give you a piping-hot cup of coffee and a chilled container of cream, and you want the mixture to be as hot as possible 15 minutes from now when you will have a chance to take your first sip, should you mix them now or later, just before you sip?"

Good on ya,

Old Dave

 

[arto]

That's WITH the bifocals - I feel like I have Cookie-Monster eyeballs when I'm trying to read the lined-up lines. -Gotta get a dial indicator.


My best interview questions were the time I had "Scoutmaster" listed on the bottom of my Mech. Eng'r. resume, under community service. All we did was talk about campouts & scout stuff - cooking eggs in paper cups, etc.-through multiple interviewers.

The first guy introduced me to the next guy- "He's a scoutmaster" - it repeated all down the line.

I got down to the end, sitting with them all together with the Engrg VP & said "don't you want to ask me any engineering questions?" they said "naw - you know all that stuff" - & they hired me!

So - I guess the moral of the story is to include your hobbies on the resume, so they have something interesting to talk about & don't just ask you about eigenvectors!
How about "tie me a bowline or a sheepshank?" ;-)

 

[GregLocock]

Unclesyd - even the electrical engineers at my uni would know what one of those were - we had a brilliant lab plotting and analysing the indicator diagram for a stationary gas engine, which had a hit and miss governor.

Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[metman]

"...in R&D with materials testing possibilities."

You likely would want to include some questions about dye penetrant, mag particle, x-ray, eddy current, macro and microscopic, metallographic tests, etc. When and why to use one or more of these tests?

Hand them a casting, a forging, a piece of hot rolled steel, cold finished steel. Ask some questions about how these parts were produced and what type of tests should be performed to qualify them.

 

[jmw]

And for questions not to ask... thread731-11856

JMW

http://www.ViscoAnalyser.com

 

[pennpoint]

MikeHalloran
Sorry Mike, the star is posted now (17 Mar 05).
I got draged away right at the moment I was to throw the star at you. When I came back to this forum I had oldhimers.
Could'nt remember a thing.
Great post being made by all.

Regards

 

[stanier]

Sheel hire 400 graduates and by the end of the year they are down to 100.

You could hire three trainees on a three month probation and tell them only one gets the job.

I once knew of a human resources manager who kept his labrador under the desk. If the dog wagged its tail he hired the person. He was happy with his success rate. Canine instinct beats the hell out of one off tests. Isnt that what school, college and university is supposed to sort out?

What you are looking for is innovation, determination and inventiveness. You dont get that from tests. get them to doodle and then explain the doodle it will be just as haphazard as all your tests.

 

[GregLocock]

And your point is?

I worked for a company that offered jobs to grown-ups, not kids. After moving half way across the country, after three months they sacked a significant %age

A few years later I went to work for someone else, moving half way round the world. Guess what, they sacked/terminated/retired 40% over the next 18 months.





Cheers

Greg Locock

Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips.

 

[metman]

stanier said,

"What you are looking for is innovation, determination and inventiveness. You dont get that from tests. get them to doodle and then explain the doodle it will be just as haphazard as all your tests."

Just the other day I was reading a blurb by a world recognized LEADER about management. He was touting another famous management consultant. He talked about this very thing and means for ferreting out whether or not the applicant has these attributes that mean more than knowing details about the job, not that knowhow and education are not important also. Now I can't find the article. I am afraid I've caught pennpoint's oldhimers. Maybe it will come to mind and I'll post a few comments after rereading.

 

[debodine]

metman:

I wish you success in the treatment of your oldhimers, because now you have me very interested in reading the article you mention!

 

[vonbad]

Just my thoughts, I think some questions regarding the basics are important. Any other questions are really for getting someone to think under pressure (stress). The answer of "I don't know" is never acceptable.

DRWeig, I like this
"If I give you a piping-hot cup of coffee... before you sip?"

Although, I have to admit that I have have been the interviewee more than the interviewer.

Two Questions: First where do I find the hiring manager with the a lab?

Second; anyone in the Charlotte area hiring an electrical engineer with to much mechancial & sales experience?

 

[MikeHalloran]

For me, "I don't know" is a perfectly acceptable answer. I might then inquire how the candidate might go about finding the answer, in order to probe the way (s)he thinks and learns.

An educated guess would be okay if identified as such, but I would not hire a candidate who would synthesize an answer from nothing. B.S. artists are not in short supply.








Mike Halloran
NOT speaking for
DeAngelo Marine Exhaust Inc.
Ft. Lauderdale, FL, USA

 

[metman]

I worked for a metallurgist while in school who said that a good answer is, "I don't know but I can find out."

 

[vonbad]

What I meant with the "I don't know" statement was left as that alone with nothing to follow it up. metman nailed it on the head. For me that response shows first that the person is not going make a WAG and also displays a drive to determine the correct answer and/or response.

 

[49078]

Hello everyone, I was wondering if we could put a bit of a different spin on this question? What sort of things do interviewers look for from the candidate?

I'm still an immature engineer and hope to have many more interviews in the future.

I'm always wondered about the border between cocky and confident, good non-academic experience to bring up, how casual or professional to appear,etc.

I'd appreciate any thoughts at all.

Cheers everyone