EBME Forums Forums Management Professional Issues Tips for interviews

I regularly get asked for interview tips. I thought those of us who interview - or have been interviewed could post some tips here.

I always ask questions about ohms law. What is it? how do you calculate resistance? Why do we need to know ohms law?

The answers i am looking for should indicate that the applicant should be able to explain the relationship between voltage, resistance and current. Where they appear during normal work, fault finding, safety testing, and why this knowledge is important.

Believe it or not - I have interviewed graduates with recently completed degrees in Electronicswho could not answer these questions.



Please feel free to post your tips/interview questions.

Though I have not interviewed anyone, I still remember being asked to identify electronic components when I was being interviewed for my current job. Naturally I was able to identify them all correctly!

We only ask candidates to identify some electronic components but not their values. We also give them a wired 13amp plug and ask them to identify any problems with it. Practically, we ask them to desolder a couple of components.
If the candidates comes from an engineering background we don't feel that it's right to ask them technical questions.
Once registration is in place our interviews will be based on the 'personal qualities' of the candidate.
If someone is lacking in engineering skills, we can give them additional training but if someone hasn't got the right personal skills we'd be stuffed, as we are all a jolly lot down here in Taunton.

Cheers
Mark

While interviewing candidates for hospital positions we are keen on patient safety issues, electrical safety etc.

Mark,

I always place personal qualities as a very important criteria.

Are they well presented, clean, smart and friendly. Will they be a team player?

There is no I in Team! (...where have I heard that before?)

Luckily, there is still work around for resourceful people, those of independent spirit, "self-starters" able to work in isolation and without supervision, and still carry the job through to a successful conclusion.

Now, those are the jobs worth going for! How do you interview for those, I wonder (indeed, where do you find such people in the first place)?

I always like to ensure I put candidates under pressure by asking questions that are difficult to answer - or they can't answer (to see how they react under pressure).

I don't want waffle - I want candidates to say 'I don't know' or 'I am not sure, but i could find out' or 'I would ask someone more experienced'.

Hi Guys,

I put them through the mill. Show around the department with questions on the way. Cup of coffee, three practical tests and a written test paper. Certainly sorts the men from the boys.

It is amazing what you find they don't know. As you say graduates, two with a degree in Medical Engineering. I asked one as to what is the output of a defibrillator, he said 'a spike'.

Asked about an ECG monitor, he said we strap people to earth with the right leg wire. Barbarians I thought!

On the test paper an FET is drawn, amazing how many say that is a thermionic valve. Obviously never seen a circuit with an fet in it.

Jim

When he said "spike", perhaps he was referring to the coffee! When he was talking about strapping people down, he obviously thought you were talking about ECT, not ECG, Jim. And from what I've seen of the state of young people's spelling, when he saw "fet" he probably thought it was one of those things at the end of his legs.

I congratulate you on maintaining standards, Jim, and keeping the Barbarian(s) from the door, so to speak. Because, as we all know, once they sneak in, there's no getting rid of them!

It is also essential that their reference from their previous employer is not too damning.
It's worth asking at interview who is the person they best get on with and who is the worst, and why!!!! Some very interesting answers come out of that one.