Interview Ethics question.... 1

[bradpa77]

I have an interview next week with a new company. I am a mechanical engineer that deals with design and stress analysis or machine parts. I create a lot of 3-dimensional drawings and designs using Pro/E and ANSYS. I would like to bring some printouts of my work from my current company to show off my specific skills at the interview. I really don't want to have to ask permission from my current employer to bring the drawings to the interview because I don't want them to know that I am doing a job search. The new company is not a competitor of ours. The new job is actually a whole different industry altogether, so it's not like I will be providing a competing company with sensitive information that could be detrimental to my current company.

Is it unethical or possibly even illegal to bring these types of documents to an interview???

What if I bring brochures that are available to our customers that show our product lines and capabilities? They would show components that I would typically work on. Since these brochures are available to the public, would they be considered intellectual property?

 

[bvanhiel]

I'll echo what others have said: pictures of products that are on the market are good, drawings and other proprietary info are bad.

I had a ~10 page portfolio of products I had worked on that consisted of renderings of products that were on the market. I would use the opportunity to make sure the interviewer know that the most recent stuff was not included due to confidentiality concerns.

-b

 

[plasgears]

During a recent interview I exhibited a number of Work Instructions that I generated. The interviewers were critical about showing so-called company documents. I reminded them that they were rather generic and textbook information.
Perhaps the best thing to do is bring yourself, and exhibit your style with a sketch pad and pen. Hardware samples could be a selling point to demonstrate your line of experience. I never had criticism about hardware.

 

[philipoakley]

Here in the UK, it is now an expectation that at the professional engineer peer review interview (Chartered and Incorporated Engineer categories), the candidate would have available a 'portfolio of evidence' to back up their 'claim' of competence.

I normally advise that, for the interview, this should be stuff that will 'illuminate' the discussion, e.g. example photgraphs, diagrams, extracts of reports, of work done and jobs worked. Just like a job interview, it is the candidate, not the paperwork, that is being assessed!

You can continuously maintain such a portfolio by getting "witness statements" (someone who saw you do it ;-) ), validated copies of report extracts, etc. It becomes a normal part of working with your employer in having something to show. By starting early (from college onward) the employer will be able to help select allowable extracts.

By changing the portfolio's emphasis from being an occasional job hunt task to a full time professional activity (part of career management), you can get a greater benefit.

The web site

http://www.pd-how2.org/,

while framed for new starts, is equally valid for all stages of one's continuous professional development. e.g.

http://www.pd-how2.org/4_2.htm

For those interest in the UK approach to registration

http://www.engc.org.uk/documents/CEng_IEng_Standard.pdf

Philip