When going to an Interview in the automotive career what are some key things to know or have with me to insure to get the job/position

Be sure you have experience with each of the job descriptions bullet points.

Joshua,

The other responses hit the key points. The thing I like to remind jobseekers is that the ultimate purpose of business is to make money. Every employee can help the company to either make, or at least, not lose, money. (save money). Ways to save money come through improved efficiencies, accident prevention, proper documentation. SAFETY is extremely important. Don't go overboard with it, but try to work it in to your responses. Attendance (absenteeism) costs money too. Failure to comply with laws and regulations (pouring gasoline down the drain???) can get the company some pretty huge fines. Other issues can result in accidents and lawsuits. Put the wrong kind of fluid in the brake reservoir resulting in brake failure, for example. Attention to detail/focusing on the job at hand. They will be happy to have someone who can work without being glued to their phone!

A lot depends on who is doing the interview. First line supervisors want to know that you can do the job, that you will show up (on-time), and get along with the rest of the team. They may not be thinking as much about the $$$ as the next level up would be. With interviews, you sort of have to play it by ear, taking your cues from the questions asked, body language, reaction to your responses, etc.

Good luck!

Kim

Hi Joshua-

I'm not quite sure what you're referring to when you say "automotive career", as it can be very broad. There are jobs available in manufacturing, service, sales, design, etc. Regardless, I'll speak to what my experience was.

I was recruited to work for a major European OEM on a technology service they were operating. During the interview, they wanted to know the following (these can be broadly applied to many jobs in many industries):

• What knowledge does the candidate have of the company, product, or service?
• What kind of career goals does the candidate have, and how will they develop in their role?
• What motivates the candidate?
• What sort of cultural values does the candidate have?
• How will the candidate use their work experience in their current role?
• How does the candidate deal with ambiguity, challenges in their workplace, or conflict?

As I mentioned, these are some examples of questions I was assessed on. The experience I've had is not limited to my experience in the automotive industry; indeed, these are very common questions for most professional roles.