Quote:
Originally Posted by Ultramaroon
A qualified engineering candidate would immediately recognize the question as a test for the grasp of a couple basic thermodynamic principles. Folks that have the courage to banter, especially with authority, are also my biggest stars. I'm a sucker for irreverence but in a professional setting, context and tact are equally important.
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I have been thinking this topic over since it started and have determined I am going to use this question in future interviews for engineering candidates.
The good part is that there really is no one "right" answer but several possible replies that would give me great insight in how their brain works.
1) "Ummmm" followed by several seconds of silence then some random guess - Thanks for coming we will be in touch if we wish to proceed.
2) "I don't know the answer since there is not enough data about the heat produced vs the cooling effect. I would need more info to be able to say for sure what the impact would be" - Perfect for a product engineer where the tolerances are very low and data and specifications leave no room for assumptions.
3) "If we make some basic and relatively safe assumptions on the amount of heat created vs the cooling effect it is likely that the room will stay the same" - The ideal statement for a process engineer where many of the elements are known or can very safely be assumed. It leaves more room to be creative and thinking "outside the box" than the data driven product tasks.
4) "I would say it would stay the same but need to take some measurements and confirm my thoughts before I commit to a firm answer" - This mix of the other two would be the best of both worlds and would probably take my first vote as the successful candidate if I was looking to fill a general or plant services type engineering position (my assembly plants have engineers as the "maintenance" department).
All in all it would not be their grasp of basic thermodynamic principles that I am interested in learning (they have an engineering degree I expect them to have a good grasp on the principles) but more how they approach a task or project. I have made a couple of very serious errors in placing engineers in positions because I misjudged their approach to things but have never screwed up picking one for their actual knowledge.
I know I joke about the engineer stereotype sometimes but the reality is that I have only met a handful that were even a little bit good at banter and interaction. The ones that were good at it also the very best all round engineers I have ever worked with. Not sure if it is a schooling thing but I don't think that it is coincidence that most of those were guys that went into engineering later in life and not straight from high school to college. Again I realize it is a stereotype but most of the recent graduates or interns we bring in have the personality and sense of humour of a wet rock!