<p>Hey guys I have an phone interview for a ChemE (Specifically Process Engineering) at a company that is out of state. Do you guys know what kind of question they might expect to ask? Also typically (if they like my interview) do they call me in for a plant tour or what? What can I expect in a plant tour?</p>
<p>I’m a CpE so I don’t personally know about ChemE interviews. But my interviews have usually been split into two parts: Personal and Technical</p>
<p>In the personal interview it will be very generic questions.
- Describe your strengths/weaknesses
- Do you work well in teams
- What was your most/least favorite class</p>
<p>The in technical interview it was some pop quiz type stuff where they assess your potential</p>
<p>Beware the speaker phone interview. It is often hard to distinguish the different voices and remember all the names and interests. Try not to be too verbose since you won’t be able to gauge from facial expressions at the other end if you’ve gone on too long. Keep answers as simple and direct as possible but don’t be abrupt or curt and don’t get impatient if silences (“pregnant pauses”) last several seconds. Usually phone interviews are just for screening you (out). But have questions prepared so it shows you’ve been thinking about the position. Take notes as you go. At the end, state your interest (high) and ask what their timeline is and next steps. Ask for a plant tour. Good luck.</p>
<p>I had a phone interview for a biotech process development position (which, after a day long in-person interview, I did not get) so maybe my experience is relevant. First they asked me a few personal questions like where I was from, what I did at my previous position, what I’m looking for in a job, where do I want to take my career, etc. Then they moved on to more of your standard interview questions like “How well do you work in a team?”, “What is your biggest weakness?”, etc. Finally, they asked me a few technical questions pertaining to how some biotech manufacturing processes work and some advance biology questions. Your version of these questions will probably focus more on the theory behind whatever process is performed by the company that is interviewing you.</p>
<p>My advice: Prep for your interview by studying any technical concepts that you might be asked about. Also, look for a website that has a list of typical interview questions and think about answers for them. Most importantly, sound interested and make sure you create a list of questions you want to ask the interviewer.</p>
<p>Bonus: If you get an interview itinerary and there is a PhD on the list, find out if they are active in any research. Look up a few of their current papers on PubMed or another database and ask them a couple questions about their work.</p>
<p>I’m only a sophomore… Should I still expect intense technical questions? This will be my first internship.</p>
<p>I interviewed with 9 different companies in my sophomore year when I was looking for a co-op (a more prolonged internship basically). One was a phone interview and all the others were in person. I’m a mechanical engineering major so I can’t speak specifically to what ChemE majors get asked but I mostly got general questions about why I am doing engineering (specifically mechanical engineering), why I want to work for the company, my strengths, weaknesses, etc… </p>
<p>I did NOT get very many technical questions at all and I think this is mainly due to the fact that I was a sophomore at the time and they didn’t expect me to have much technical knowledge.</p>
<p>I had quite a few companies that would open the interview with the statement “tell me about yourself”. There were also those that told me to tell them about a time where I displayed some desirable characteristic (creativity, work ethic, teamwork, leadership, whatever…). </p>
<p>I’d say to just think out answers to general questions such as the ones I just listed, look over your past and look for good (short) stories to illustrate “hire-worthy characteristics” in case they ask for them, and make sure you have thoughtful, relevant questions to ask them when they give you a chance. Asking good questions shows you’ve done your research about the company and are genuinely interested in working for them. </p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>The structure and content of phone interviews can be totally random. It can be a simple conversation about your resume. Maybe the interviewer just wants to see how literate you are in english. They can also ask technical type questions related to your major. I’ve had one where I was asked brain teasers. Be ready for anything.</p>
<p>Be sure to also know enough about the company to have one or two intelligent qx to ask the interviewer. Especially if they end with “do you have any questions for us?” “No” is not a good answer :).</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>How long after the screening should I hear back?</p>
<p>Completely impossible to know.</p>
<p>It is not a bad idea to follow up an interview with an emailed or snail-mailed Thank you note, emphasizing your strong interest in the job.</p>
<p>If you have not heard after, say, a week… you can check back. Just don’t pester.</p>
<p>It is also a very good idea to ask, at the end of the interview, when they expect to make a decision, or what the next step is in the process. That gives you some idea of when you might hear.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
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<p>It depends on the company and their interview methodology. Usually, they simply ask you about your past. They will want examples about times you’ve worked in difficult teams, times you’ve had to set and achieve a goal, times you’ve had to work through a difficult problem, etc. They will basically just try to figure out how you approach problems and issues.</p>
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<p>Most companies used to do all of their second round interviews on-site. Not so much anymore with the economy. There’s about a 50/50 that you’ll get a site tour.</p>
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<p>You rarely get technical questions in an interview. Your college and your GPA are your technical credentials.</p>
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<p>It totally depends on the company. I used to always interview on Fridays and had a goal to always get back to the person by Monday. But this was because if you were a good candidate, I’d find you a place.</p>
<p>On the other hand, some companies have a policy of interviewing X candidates for each position (where x is anywhere from 2 to 8). If you’re the last person interviewed, you’ll hear back quickly. If you’re the first person, it will take longer for you to hear back. Usually when this is the case, they’ll tell you and say “We expect to make a decision by January 21.”</p>
<p>And then there are other companies that classify people into their 1st choice, 2nd choice, etc. The 1st choice gets the offer immediately and the 2nd choice hears nothing. If the 1st choice accepts, the 2nd choice is turned down. If the 1st choice declines, they call the 2nd choice and offer the job to that person, and so on. So the 2nd and 3rd choices might not hear back for a while. You’ll know this is the case if you receive an “exploding” offer, which is when they say “We need to hear back by next week otherwise we will offer the position to someone else.” If you get a call a week later and they say that, you know you were probably the 2nd choice.</p>
<p>In general, send thank you notes right after the interview. If you haven’t heard back in a a week, follow up.</p>
<p>Remember the technical questions for an internship interview will be about theory and potential. I had an interview for a Java gui job where the tech guy asked me if I understand how many-core, multithreading and cache hit/miss works. They won’t expect you to know a lot about what an entry-level position would do, but they expect you to have enough background to teach it to you in 90 days.</p>