Screening Questions for engineer 4

[controlnovice]

Giving a phone interview (being the interviewer) to a prospective process engineer with 5-10 years experience, what would be your 5 screening questions?

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This is normally the space where people post something insightful.

 

[21121956]

Hello everybody:

Even when all the questions on the posts are good ones, I wonder, how can you analyse the responses? Suppose that someone answers "... my hobby is to work in my garden" and another one says ".. my hobby is to work in the engine of my automobile". Added to the rest of answers given in the interview, which one (of these two) is better qualified to get the job.

 

[MadMango]

You'd have to ask follow-up questions. Both of your examples require some degree of technical knowledge, hands-on work, troubleshooting and repair/replacement. All good things in a candidate.

"Art without engineering is dreaming; Engineering without art is calculating."

Have you read faq731-376 to make the best use of these Forums?

 

[PJones]

I always ask "What's half of two-thirds?" If it takes them more than 30 seconds to recover and answer, we move on to the next candidate.

 

[EngJW]

In reference to what year you graduated high school, yes, I have been asked several times and I will name names: Cummins in Columbus, IN. The people who interviewed me told me I was what they were looking for and I had every confidence I fit the job, but someone higher up that I never talked to turned me down. The head hunter inferred they were looking for someone just a few years out of college.

Usually it is the head hunters who ask the question. The company can deny it. Anyone over 50 probably knows that age discrimination really exists.

But I'm off the topic. Sorry.

 

[monkeydog]

Someone right out of school normally does not know they cannot abuse you. The old guy will tell them to put it where the sun does not shine.

 

[ctopher]

I was asked by a hiring engineering manager at a small company to do a GD&T test.

Some of the questions didn't much make sense, so I failed per the manager's specs.

He said he couldn't hire me because I wasn't qualified. I asked him if he knew the answers. He didn't, I was hired.

It's just a game. It's how you make them react or believe that could make or break an interview.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[HgTX]

Is there any good way to handle illegal questions about age, marital status, etc.?

Hg

Eng-Tips policies: faq731-376

 

[ctopher]

"I can only discuss personal information to your HR department".
I was hired once for saying this. It showed that I understood ethics.

Chris
SolidWorks/PDMWorks 08 3.1
AutoCAD 08
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion

 

[mdavis1]

the hardest question in my experience is "tell me about yourself" it is very open ended and seems easy but it is actually a tough question to have a good concise answer to. and there will be "beauty pagent" questions in there but you still need to have good answers to them.

i would suggest looking on the web to find common interview questions and then make up answers to them so you have a good response and are not stuttering your answer out in the interview.

 

[Drumchaser]

Q: "What's your biggest fault?"
A: "I am a raging alcoholic with aggression issues."

Q: "How can you help this company?"
A: "By letting you know about all the dead weight you have lounging in the cubes."

Q: "Would you mind participating in a job simulation?"
A: " No, not unless the pay is simulated."

Q: "Do you work well with others?"
A: "Sure as long as they always bow to my mental prowess."

Q: "When can you start?
A: "As soon as the Illinois AG pardons me."
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sorry, veered off the OP a tad.

 

[cry22]

Only one small question:

"Everyone has had some difficulties at some point in their carreer, tell me about a major problem you had at work with your former employer, co-worker or technical problem that you had to deal with, and how did you solve it?"

Don't be surprised if most candidates hang up on you.

 

[BJC]

EngJW
It is not a good question. Most HR departments would not allow you to ask it.
It's the same as asking "how old are you". Whatch out for the old fart you don't hire. there is a lawyer under every rock.

 

[ykee]

cry22: most of the interviews I've had, have been of this sort, I think they are called behavioural interviews. I do like them, because they give me a chance to talk about previous experience & I think they provide the interviewers with a little more practical evidence than other more abstract questions.

 

[Pipeline1972]

Q: are you enjoying our phone conversation?

If she/he says yes, she/he is a liar and a butt kisser.


Process - Piping
ing - EiT

 

[nicolef]

I like to ask "Tell me about a time where you failed at an assignment/project/task. What happened and why?"
This does several things for me.
1. If they blurt out some horrific situation, then you know to keep looking. I had one candidate go into detail about an argument with a former employer/supervisor and how he ended up getting fired because he couldn't accept the management's decision. He also gave great details of the verbal exchange between the parties, including the profanity. This is not the first impression you want to leave.
2. If they tell you they've never failed, they are not completely truthful or they're oblivious to the outcomes of their work.
3. If they don't follow up with what they learned from the situation or they only blame someone else, they do not have the maturity I look for. I typically give a chance for the candidate to make the follow up statement on their own first. Then I'll ask if they learned anything or have changed their approach from this experience. More often than not, the candidate does not have a response.
4. I appreciate a response when they state they did not have a 'failure' but the outcome was less than desired or did not meet their expectations. This shows some maturity and development, not every situation turns out the way we anticipate, but the key is learning from it.

Candidates prepare to give examples that show their good work, particularly experienced candidates. I know that I've learned most of my practical lessons the more difficult way, I would expect the same from others