August 3rd 2023
Employers that are great at interviewing often bag the best candidates to fill their open positions. By using the right engineering interview techniques, you can assess a person’s skills, abilities and fit for your company culture. And (perhaps most importantly in this age of engineering skills shortages!) get them excited about working for you.
This blog post covers our top 5 engineering interview techniques for employers.
So whether you’re a new employer or a seasoned pro, read on to learn more about how to conduct a successful engineering interview.
Prepare
You wouldn’t expect a candidate to turn up to an interview unprepared, so make sure you’re ready too. Set up the video meeting link or arrive in the interview room early.
For online interviews, test your equipment and join the video call on time. It doesn’t look good if you’re late.
Before you speak to the interviewee, re-read their CV and any extra information they’ve sent. View their LinkedIn profile too and note down any questions about their work history.
Break the ice first
Break the ice before you dive in with the formal interview questions. Showing your human side will help the candidate relax into the conversation, and you too!
Start by asking how they are and go from there. The more approachable you can be, the better chance you have to get the information you need out of them.
Going ‘off script’ will also give you a better idea of the person’s cultural fit with your team and wider business.
Ask behavioural interview questions
Behavioural questions help you delve deeper into a candidate’s skills and abilities. Ask about their past experiences, so you can see how they’d handle specific situations at work.
For example, you could ask them about a time they’ve taken a risk, what they considered, and what the outcome was. You could also get them to tell you about a time they’ve used a technical skill to test out their experience.
These types of questions help you understand if the person has the relevant skills for the role. Along with if they’ll fit in with your company and values.
Use emotional intelligence assessments
Using emotional intelligence assessments in a job interview can provide valuable insights into a candidate’s ability to understand and manage their emotions and how they interact with others, which is extremely important when working on large scale projects and when managing a team.
Emotional intelligence has an impact on individual and team success, particularly in roles that involve interpersonal interactions, leadership, and decision making.
Need help with engineering interview techniques?
We’ve witnesses countless interviews and help our clients prepare every day, so feel free to get in touch!