h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Monday afternoon I will be interviewing at Intel again for a different position. While this one is a contract position,and can only last one year, I will be given chances to join the "regulars" as each week progresses and the openings show up (if they do at all).

Wish me luck.

Yay! I'll definitely be thinking about you on Monday!


Mikey

I'm wondering whether or not they will be using the same list of questions that I had before? The one with such questions as which of my past bosses I didn't like and why? Or the one about pick a time in the past when I failed and tell them what I did about it?

I hate these type of questions.

Or their so called "team questions" they love team work but so few companies use the concept of teamwork that it is hard to compare them with anyone else, or companies claim to know all about teamwork and yet dont really use it for any of their work related activities.

I firmly believe in personal responsibility not teamwork but that wont get me hired, so I am forced into inventing something on the spot that makes sense. Do you know a way around this?

I would expect relatively similar questions, with some new ones specific to that job or supervisor. A company as big as Intel probably has the interview process pretty standardized.

For a question about what you disliked about a boss, I've tried to go in these directions before:

* I found it difficult when I had a supervisor who was often frustrated at not having the resources he needed to complete a project on time. This was really challenging for the whole group. I dealt with this by 1) trying to share whatever creative ides I could come up with for managing our limited resources, and 2) reminding myself that everyone has difficult moments, and not to take comments too personally.

or...

* I was once on a team where we had a new supervisor come in who had a very different management style than I was accustomed to. In a lot of ways, he seemed more like a football coach than what I was used to in a manager. I knew that I needed to adapt to his style, though, so I worked to focus more on the message he was communicating, rather than his style of getting the message across.

In both of the above, I take responsibility for part of the conflict myself, which is really what they're looking for.

For times when you failed, they're looking to hear that:
1) you take responsibility for your mistakes, and don't blame others or external factors
2) you're willing to bring a problem to your supervisor's attention as soon as its recognized, even if its a problem you've caused and it might make you look bad
3) you're willing to ask others for help in correcting the problem and making sure it doesn't recur.

For teamwork, I definitely think it's possible to answer in a way that interlocks the ideas of personal responsibility and teamwork. What you do *not* want to say is anything that gives the impression that you believe team-oriented projects you've been on in the past have failed because someone else wasn't holding up their end. Instead, focus on how while it's important for everyone to take ownership of their tasks in a team setting, its also important to reexamine how things are going periodically, to see if tasks need to be shared or redistributed - the end goal is not making sure everyone does "their share" of the work, but the completion of the project.

Does this help any?

Yes they will help a lot.

Intel of course is the second largest employer in all of Oregon next to the state of Oregon so there is always many people at a time that are attempting to be employed there, and their schedule famous for driving people nuts 3 and 1/2 day work weeks. Three 12 hours and one six hours. Thankfully this opportunity will not be that schedule this one is the ordinary 5 days 8 hours even, so I will be driving about 60 miles each way to work.

It is for an "evironmental technician" which means I will be doing the vibration testing, handling the burn-in room and tempurature forcing (hot and cold). There are always variations in the processes and if there is one thing I am best at it is finding the something that is interesting at just about everything. In many ways a boring assignment, not challenging mentally but it pays well and just the idea of working at Intel overcomes most of that.

Your suggestions have led my imagination into thinking about situations that fit the categories and I hope that I will have a better time of it this time.

Monday comes soon enough

Glad I could help some. Hope the interview goes well!


Mikey

It seems that I am wanted yeah yeah. I received an invitation for an interview with FLIR here in Beaverton next Thursday, it would mean a shorter drive but still a drive of about 40 miles each way but they both pay well.

This one will have a skills test as part of the interview, mechanical aptitude and a "video/oscilloscope test" whatever that is, also. I have recently passed an electronics test with GE so that should not be horrible. I have forgotten much of my electronics over the years but I have retained enough to pass one of these tests. The other two tests though I can only guess what they may be

The job at FLIR is not a contract position but directly with the company a so called "permanent job" and therefore more desirable to me. The pay ranges overlap so I will be comfortable with either but the other considerations will be the deciding factor.

Wish me luck.

I had to take a mechanical aptitude test once for a contract agency. It was more about generic puzzle solving and fine motor skills than actually knowing how to do specific things.

I'd guess that the other test might have something to do with eye-hand coordination involving moving objects, but who knows?

Good luck with both of them!


Mikey

Thanks for everything

Tom Kent
[email protected]

How did the interview go?

Well the first interview went well. It was not what I had come to think of an typical Intel interview at all (fortunately).

The drive is 65 miles each way! and horrible traffic on the way home.

This job would probably be a great snore, not a challenge. On the other hand it would pay very well, and the opportunity to advance into something more interesting, there is a drop dead, dead line (1year). Meaning if I cannot find some other position within Intel by that time I will be forced to leave and not return for 6 months.

This position would be at the Intel development labs and I would handle all of the temperature forcing for the facility. While there is a little bit of "testing" it is only a matter of checking/monitoring resistances over the temperature ranges and checking for a failure under these conditions. Not really troubleshooting in the traditional sense of the word

They seemed interested in me but I told them that I had another interview (with Flir) on Thursday and could not give them any accceptance until Friday. It is not unusual for there to be no "offer" during an agency interview since it will be Kelly engineering that will be hiring me not Intel. I'm just hoping that the Flir people can respond and make an offer, otherwise I will accept the Intel offer.

It feels good though to know that even if the Flir interview may not go well I have another job to fall back on. It reduces the pressure on me during that interview.

Flir is about 15 miles closer each way. I'm guessing that the traffic situation would be far better. It would be a direct assignment instead of working from an agency so there would not be the deadline issue (and benefits).

I'll let you know how the second one went Thursday night. They have this fancy testing during the interview process that I will find out about at that time.

Bye for now

I'm glad the interview went well, even if it's not the A+ perfect position. Hopefully the one Thursday will go just as well!

The agency that sent me to Intel was Kelly Engineering.

Choosing between a demanding position that I might get into by the scruff of the neck (and would be a stretch for me) versus an non-challenging assignment is a tough one for me. Intel has that ineffable thing "Potential" but not right away. Part of the decision is the time and expense of the driving. Both companies are in my top list of companies.

What would you do as a decision maker when faced with a potential employee who satisfied all the requirements but needed to know right away or they would go to another company? What I've seen is that companies tend to take weeks to make a decision like that. The actual person who will hire me may say they want me but it still may take a long time, whereas Intel could bring me on next Monday. Intel needs to know as early Friday as I can call them.

I could be happy either place even with the extra driving.

To me the election hardly holds a candle to this decision.

That other interview is today, right? Good luck!

Well you missed me I left before you sent the email oh well.

The Flir interview went very well, so well I could easily think that I got the job. But I've seen that too many times.

Unfortunately, I need to give an answer to Intel tomorrow and Flir cannot make hiring decisions in one day, period! My choice by a long shot would be Flir. What I intend to do is see if I can delay making a decision for a week and after the second interview at Flir, (if they choose not to hire me) then go to Intel. As of this moment I do not really have an "offer" from Intel. Tomorrow I will contact the agency that sent me there and ask if they want me. I left it with them that I had promised to interview at Flir so they knew what I was doing.

Without a guarantee from Flir (which they couldn't give me)I would be risking losing both jobs if I canceled Intel. I cannot afford to do that even if it means I lose the chance to work at Flir. What a dilemma.

So what I will do tomorrow will be first to ask if Intel made an offer. Second tell them that it will take two weeks for me to start and hope that Flir comes through. In the mean time I will have "agreed" to work at Intel so wouldn't it hurt my relationship with the agency if I back out at that late date? Wont they hate me? Can I get over it?

So how was your day?

Just this past winter, I had accepted a job, arranged for a start date, and started making moving arrangements when I was suddenly offered a better job. I took the better job, but boy did I hate making that phone call to the people at the first job -- who really were quite wonderful. In the end, no one hated me, but I did feel quite anxious about it all.

Hopefully the news will be good!

Well Mikey it seems that I didn't get the first one anyway. When I called this morning, they had decided to hire someone internally, go figure! This is of course frees me to pursue the one I really wanted in the first place. Early this morning I sent an email to the person I interviewed with thanking him for a wonderful time, and the chance to meet the people there. I hope that I will be included in the second round of interviews now that my schedule is cleared.

This seems like a repeat of previous attmepts though, I'm just caught in a time loop trying over and over to be hired and just keep getting the same results (with minor variations). Flir will talk to four people as part of the second tier interview process.

If I lose out on this one I willl be devastated.

Well this week will be hell. I wont know until Friday whether or not I made the second tier of interviews with Flir. Thursday is a holiday for them and they will be giving first interviews until Wednesday.

I already thanked the people at Flir for the opportunity of this first interview. Do you think that additional emails expressing my contnued interest would not be too much? I can send one each day if necesary. I dont want them to be able to forget me. Of course too much might be an irritation.

Daily would be an irritation, methinks. Weekly is ok, though, in cases where you have reason to believe you're still in the running but haven't heard back in awhile.

I'll keep hoping for this one!

Well I sent him an email before I got yours and although I recognized the fact that he was busy, I emphasized my better qualities, acknowledged the talent already there and hoped to join the team. This was not the "Thank you" I sent earlier, but a whole different one.

I will not send him another unless I am asked back for the second tier interview. I certainly hope I am called back.