Ambient

I have a second interview with Barrett Technology next Wednesday, how cool is that! www.Barrett.com They did not have a fully assembled arm when I went, as they have been shipping them out as soon as they are made. They were really cool guys, very enthusiastic.

Anyone else have some cool interview stories? Post em here!

dknguyen

Interviewer: "If you were 1cm tall and stuck inside a giant blender that was about to turn on, what would you do?"

Candidate A: "I'd lie down flat so the blades wouldn't get me."

Candidate B: "I'd run up and down back and forth against the side of the walls of the blender until it fell over and then run out.

Candidate C: "I would stand up and let it chop off my head and kill me because I'd never get laid again."

The interviewer liked Candidate C's answer the most.

Ambient

That's great lol. I got asked: "Why are manhole covers round?" I managed to list 10 reasons that he liked.

Nigel Goodwin

I don't suppose "don't ask such stupid questions" would go down too well?.

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Ambient

lol no. Try to come up with 10 reasons though. It's not easy when you are nervous. The easiest is: It's easier to roll 300lb of iron than carry it.

Thunderchild

my greatest well worst interview was where the guy admitted he got me down only cause I speak italian but of course he expected me to be able to do the advertised job as well which he already knew I was not capable off in my opinion

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quixotron

What kind of engineering questions are those?

Probably the most unique and interesting job interviews I got was with:

Ball Aerospace and Technoliges Corporation

Northrop Gruman Newports News

I was asked about my credentials and reasons for wanting to work for said company. I replied for BATC, that their aerospace and electronics programs were some of the most unique and mind-boggling! BATC, if anyone is familar with the hubble space telescope, designed the optics system COSTAR, to correct the aberration issues with Hubble's optical lens. BATC also designed the DEEP IMPACT project for comet research. Their recruiting station totally stood out at Purdue's Job Fair!

As for Northrop, I was asked my credentials. I found out Newport News is one of the only two places on this planet that manufactures nuclear submarines. On top of that, they were also one of the few aircraft carrier builders, they were working on the USS George H W Bush, the last nimitz class aircraft carrier.

I worked as an RF Engineer for BATC's Phased Array Program. I turned down the offer for Northrop and currently I am working as an RFID Engineer for Lexmark International-lots of cool stuff in Lexmark too.

So yeah I had the benefit of working on government/military programs and for the civilian sector. Both have sharp contrasts and similarities. I had many other job interviews and positions, but the above two really caught my interest.

dknguyen

They're not. THey're questions that you can't prepare for so that the interviewer can observe your thinking process and not just the facts you can spit out. Of course, there's the more traditional ones like if you had you had 3 balls that looked identical and two weighed this much and the third had some unknown weight, how would you figure out the weight of the unknown ball using a scale (or something like that).

Plus...how often can you get a seriously thought-out response to a question like that?

quixotron

Those are mighty unorthodox questions to ask. Usually, I get two interviews from the same company: one from HR-they'll dig my human personality and social issues. and Two, from the guy I am mostly likely to work with-manager or mentor-they'd pick my brain on what hardware,software and theory I know.

Boeing asked me if a satellite was being attacked by jaming signals from a hostile enemy, what would be one thing to do? I was going to suggest EM shielding, frequency shifting/filtering but I realized a power limiter would be more precise to avoid electronics damage-the hardware would shut down if it sensed a current overload.

Raytheon asked me how did I feel about working on missle systems that might be used to kill people. I responded, weapons are also made for defense, such as the minuteman. But weapons in and of themselves are pieces of inert technology w/o any agenda. It is the individuals who control the means who are at responsibility. And god willing, we elect the ones who feel are best suited to care for the situation.

My boss at lexmark asked me about my hobbies and interests. Another engineer whom I worked with and interviewed me, asked me what facets of engineering I find dislikeful. I responded I enjoy design engineering very much. However, I would be willing to work on another project or discipline anytime-such as systems and test integration, which is a fancy name for writing/revising lab reports and grammar checking. I would see it as an opportunity to hone my skills and close the gaps on my weaknesses as well as learning something new.

Lockheed asked me strictly about my course and lab work concerning, radar cross section and budget links.

rubber balls and manhole covers are truly bizarre and irrelevant questions, imho. Are they trying to dig your subconscious mind? I thought that was usually taken care of by the background and security checks?

In my experience, I never had anyone question me like that. HR and true engineers are very busy people and don't have the time to monkey around with irrelevancies.

They need a MAN who's going to get the job DONE! They don't care about my favorite colors or who I think is going to win the superbowl. They'e in the business to make money and they need a guy who's gonna deliver. and in my case, there are desperate demands for american RF engineer grads, so the BS is kept at an absolute minimum.

If I were asked those questions, I'd hang up the phone or take back my resume.

I apologize if I came off brash. It just shocked me if someone asked me those questions. I guess it depends on what you do for a living as well as your personality.

btw, dknguyen, you're cute( if that's you). I'll post my pics when I can get my hands on a digital camera.

Ambient

They are a test of creativity I guess. But they did go over EE topics as well. I am right out of college, and the position was a little higher level than I could get into right away. But they liked me and want me to do some technician work for them, and possibly some worldwide traveling. I will have the second interview with the other owner, wish me luck!

Thunderchild

hehe good luckif I know employers they want great people on paper and don't care how willing you are to learn

__________________
I AM the exeption that disproves the rule in many ways but the rules still apply (unfortunately)

my site:www.simons-photography.com
http://rushdenrotaract.org.uk
see also
http://www.bigstockphoto.com/account...fid=m2URATYch5
http://www.redbubble.com/people/simonsphotography

quixotron

Good luck. And if you will, allow me to impart onto you some advice.

1: Since you're new. Don't make any demands! Alot of newbie recruits put demands on their applications and interview, and they usually get passed on for someone else. You are entry level and don't know $hi+ compared to the senior engineers. So be humble. On questions such as desired salary, put standard prevaling wage. Willing to relocate? Yes. When will you be available? Immediately. Make yourself totally available at their convenience and don't put any restrictions on your application. like you demand managerial positions and an office with a bay window.

2: If you want to make yourself marketable in a wide variety of positions, take courses in several areas. I've talked to head hunters and practicing engineers and they told me that a wide resume makes you more easily to train and select from. You can pick a niche, but that might limit you to a certain area.

3: join clubs, organizations and volunteer. you'll build recommendations and you'll stay ahead of the game. for example, if i want the latest theories on certain microwave devices, I access IEEE journals and articles. cutting edge technology at your finger tips as well as the united states patent office.

4: kiss your bosses @$$. work extra hard for him, stay late at work to please someone if they ask or want it and do whatever they tell you to do with a smile.

read "rise of the vulcans". its a tale of how to be and remain successful. if you follow your superior's orders to the "T" and maybe exceed them from time to time, you will build a reputation of reliability. Dick Cheney did this throughout the reublican party, and now he's VP with lots of politcal clout and $$$$$. too bad his health isn't up to par. but yeah. I did this in the short amount of time I have been working ( 2 years) and I have always gotten the assignments I wanted, asked to consult on projects and it keeps my name and ersonality in my superior's mind. they're gonna give the job to the best man, becoz any screw ups of the subordinate's comes right back in the superior's face! so he wants people he can count on and not fail.

5: Are you a religous man? Pray to the lord, love him above all else, keep his commandments and minister the gospel. ask anything of him(thats within his guidelines) and he will give it to you. This is the most important advice I can give you.

And make sure you dress NICE!!!! SHAVE!!! Lose some weight!!!! Just look good. and then when you get the job you can start wearing jeans and T-shirts.

Hank Fletcher

Quixotron's advice is great for anyone who wants to work for a living, just bear in mind that it's an ethos that will never make you a millionaire. The subordinate will always be subjugated, they just go hand in hand.

Roff

I'll tell you my personal experience with hiring on as a technician. I have a good friend who was fresh out of college with an EE degree. He really wanted to work for the company I was working for, but the only opening they had was for a technician - at technician's pay. He took it, thinking they would promote him as soon as an opening arose. Well,after a year or so, an engineering position opened up, and he applied for it. They offered it to him, but a salary that was only slightly more than he was currently making. "Oh, we could never give anyone a 25% raise!" He quit. I told the company managers that if another guy walked in, with his resume, they would look at it and say, "My God! This guy has the exact experience we need!" And they would be happy to pay him an engineer's salary. It fell on deaf ears.
Be careful what you step into. It may be a hole that is very difficult to get out of, even if you leave the company.

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Ron

Ambient

Thanks guys. Lots of great advice. I will be doing some praying for sure. Half of it will be for just getting there without getting killed. People in my state suck at driving.

Hopefully I don't get stuck in it, but I was planning on starting my own company at one point anyways. At the moment I will take the first job that comes my way lol. My grades were not stellar, as I was more of a hands on type of learner in a not so hands-on school. I got nervous and would forget things that I knew in a test. In the lab I was the guy people came to for help. Before a test, I went to them lol. Hopefully I will have better luck than your buddy, Roff. This is a small company (9-10), so I shouldn't have a problem with people ignoring my value like in a large company.