So, I figure we have a decent number of Quality Engineers on this site and I wanted to see if you all could offer some pointers on interviewing for a QE position. What types of questions are likely to be asked, what areas should be reviewed prior to the interview, should statistics be the primary concern? What quality tools are most likely to be discussed? What attributes do you believe are most important in the applicant?

I would appreciate the feedback, I realize there are job interview threads here that are very good resources, however, I'm asking specific to the Quality Engineer position. Thanks :D

The most frequent type of question is "What tools can you use?" Or "Describe how you solved a problem using X." Of course all the generic interview questions will be asked.

I've been on both sides of this desk.
Geoff Withnell

So, I figure we have a decent number of Quality Engineers on this site and I wanted to see if you all could offer some pointers on interviewing for a QE position. What types of questions are likely to be asked, what areas should be reviewed prior to the interview, should statistics be the primary concern? What quality tools are most likely to be discussed? What attributes do you believe are most important in the applicant?
Thanks :D
Quite frankly, if you get to the interview stage, the prospective employer is already pretty well satisfied with your credentials as a Quality Engineer. His primary concern will focus on whether your skills and knowledge will help satisfy his needs. Therefore, the more you know about his business and the possible application of Quality Engineer tools to the processes involved, the more likely you are to present yourself as the "go to" guy to satisfy his needs.

I don't think you need a house to fall on you to realize a QE [especially an ASQ-certified QE] is expected to know "when and what" statistical method to apply to a particular problem, but an interviewer is unlikely to ask you to stop in the middle of an interview to go out and collect data and compute results. He IS likely, however, to describe a particular problem the organization is experiencing with a process and ask how you would tackle the situation to resolve it and might even ask about such esoteric things as "Design of Experiments." You won't have a clue about that unless and until you do a little background research on the organization BEFORE the interview.

Without doubt the most important "attributes (subjective opinion, not facts) any new hire needs to make clear are "people skills" in using the Quality tools. You must work to drive home the impression you can work and play well with peers, bosses, and subordinates and, most especially, be capable of transferring skills and knowledge to subordinates..

I agree with Wes. If you've made it to the interview your half way there and your credentials have probably been verified already. I have found in most of the interviews I've been on that the key really is people skills. In about 30 interviews now I have yet to be asked about stats or anything to do with "Quality Engineering".
You don't say whether or not this is for the company you are already working for or a new company. If it's the company you're already working for try to think of a touchy situation that you were involved in and how you handled it then and would handle it now. Be calm and honest in your answers and assessments.
FWIW I have turned down every job offer I've had in the last 2 years. (all but one company offered) I'm looking for the right company to work for and interesting (to me) work to do. My stopping points have been in how the company handles my questions to them and some of their reactions to my even asking questions at all. If you can't establish a good rapport at the interview you probably don't want to work there anyway.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you.

lessee - if I was interviewing a QE for my current place of employment I'd want to know specifics about experience with capability analysis, FMEA, FAI to find out if the canididate is capable of doing this on his/her own.
I'd also want to know about project management experience and skills - tell me about some projects you've run and where you succeeded or not.
Also as Wes said - if a candidate made it this far I'm satisfied with the written credentials and possibly a phone interview. I would be focusing on the person and whether he/she'd be a good fit in my organization as I we talked.

One that I've heard asked quite frequently is, how is your GD&T knowledge? An example of a problem solve also seems to be a hot topic. Gage R&R is another. How do you handle a difficult customer? I'm just firing them off as I go.

It all depends on the company and the role, I had one phone interview for a job in NC that was pretty in depth but nothing to mind boggling. Then when they brought me down for a face to face interview I basically chit chatted with the VP of Supplier Quality, VP of Metals, and VP of Chemicals. It was probably the most relaxing interview I've ever had despite being 6 hours long. Two of the three corporate jobs were this way, the other was so structured that I lost interest. Basically they just read a list of questions given to them and filled in my answers.

I've also had interviews where the phone interview was not very in depth, then the face to face was pretty thorough with just the Quality Manager.

FWIW I have turned down every job offer I've had in the last 2 years. (all but one company offered) I'm looking for the right company to work for and interesting (to me) work to do. My stopping points have been in how the company handles my questions to them and some of their reactions to my even asking questions at all. If you can't establish a good rapport at the interview you probably don't want to work there anyway..

Very interesting! Good for you.

I wonder, did any of these companies seek your feedback on why you turned down the offer? My guess is probably not, if you could tell they were that bad in the inteview, chances are they wouldn't be aware enough to try to learn and improve from what should be a pretty serious warning signal.

In one interview long ago when the Plant Manager asked if I had any questions I said "It's month end, you haven't made target, my inspectors just found the shipment out of spec, what kind of conversation are we going to have?"

He almost came across the desk at me! Beet red, purple and spitting! I feared for my life.

Stunningly they actually made me an offer. The HR person (who was in the room) could not understand why I politely declined.

I agree with Wes. If you've made it to the interview your half way there and your credentials have probably been verified already. I have found in most of the interviews I've been on that the key really is people skills. In about 30 interviews now I have yet to be asked about stats or anything to do with "Quality Engineering".
You don't say whether or not this is for the company you are already working for or a new company. If it's the company you're already working for try to think of a touchy situation that you were involved in and how you handled it then and would handle it now. Be calm and honest in your answers and assessments.
FWIW I have turned down every job offer I've had in the last 2 years. (all but one company offered) I'm looking for the right company to work for and interesting (to me) work to do. My stopping points have been in how the company handles my questions to them and some of their reactions to my even asking questions at all. If you can't establish a good rapport at the interview you probably don't want to work there anyway.
Good luck. Let us know how it turns out for you.I probably have a different take on your experience. Several questions occur to me.
Why did you wait until the offer to tell the company you weren't going to accept? (What was the time lag between end of interview and job offer? Was there a lingering question in your mind whether you would accept?)
Did you draw any conclusions about changing your "pre-interview" research to try to avoid the time wasting interview? (Do you have any clues or hints to pass on to the rest of us?)
Was there any question in your mind whether the poor interview experience was systemic throughout the organization or limited to one individual? (Were there any good experiences during the time you spent with the companies you turned down that came close to offsetting the bad ones at a particular company? Would a higher salary offer have nudged you into accepting? [i.e. Does everyone REALLY have a price?])
Have you unilaterally changed your interview process to put some of your "knockout questions" up front so you can make the process more efficient for both you and the company doing the interviewing?
What can WE learn from your experience?

In one interview long ago when the Plant Manager asked if I had any questions I said "It's month end, you haven't made target, my inspectors just found the shipment out of spec, what kind of conversation are we going to have?"

He almost came across the desk at me! Beet red, purple and spitting! I feared for my life.

Stunningly they actually made me an offer. The HR person (who was in the room) could not understand why I politely declined.

Very interesting as well - and good for you too!

Very interesting! Good for you.

I wonder, did any of these companies seek your feedback on why you turned down the offer? My guess is probably not, if you could tell they were that bad in the inteview, chances are they wouldn't be aware enough to try to learn and improve from what should be a pretty serious warning signal.


I probably have a different take on your experience. Several questions occur to me.
Why did you wait until the offer to tell the company you weren't going to accept? (What was the time lag between end of interview and job offer? Was there a lingering question in your mind whether you would accept?)
Did you draw any conclusions about changing your "pre-interview" research to try to avoid the time wasting interview? (Do you have any clues or hints to pass on to the rest of us?)
Was there any question in your mind whether the poor interview experience was systemic throughout the organization or limited to one individual? (Were there any good experiences during the time you spent with the companies you turned down that came close to offsetting the bad ones at a particular company? Would a higher salary offer have nudged you into accepting? [i.e. Does everyone REALLY have a price?])
Have you unilaterally changed your interview process to put some of your "knockout questions" up front so you can make the process more efficient for both you and the company doing the interviewing?
What can WE learn from your experience?

Not all of the offers were conveyed before my withdrawal. After turning down 2 different positions with one company (they interviewed me twice and offered the second position after I declined there first offer, Their Sr. QE resigned the day of my second interview) They did ask why I had turned them down. Knowing the Sr. QE was resigning before the first round of interviews gave me a little insight to the fact that the company was more talk about quality than action. My reply to them was that I didn't feel their commitment to me would be any higher than there commitment to quality. They are now out of business.

What I have learned through the process is that researching the companies that I apply to is crucial to finding the right position. My goals have also changed along the way. I have changed the way I research companies that I apply for and have firmed my resolve to work only in industries that meet my personal goals such as "environmentally responsible, forward thinking, quality oriented, medium to large product and a factory that gives me the opportunity to roam." In no case was my decision based on monetary compensation.


In one case the decision to reject the offer came after 4 rounds of interviews. I was not given the opportunity to see the factory or my work space until the end of the last interview. When I found that the employees were working in an overheated crowded environment I was appalled. When I found out that the employees had to purchase their own fans for their workbenches I withdrew from the process. If the company had cared that little about the employees work environment how were they going to handle the training programs, ergonomic issues and etc, that would have made a better product with more productive employees? Their spending $250 dollars on a pair of wall mounted oscillating fans would have changed my mind. Sometimes it is the little things that give you the big picture.

What can be learned. Know thine own self first. I made many discoveries along this path, not all of them good, not all of them bad. Mostly I learned about myself. I met interesting people along the way and still talk with several of them.

BTW I am still with the company that I was interviewing from, have been promoted twice and am still leaving in the future. I like what I do and who I do it for. What I don't like is working in an industry whose future is uncertain and probably won't be around through the end of my working life. It's hard watching a dinosaur die.

Very interesting! Good for you.

I wonder, did any of these companies seek your feedback on why you turned down the offer? My guess is probably not, if you could tell they were that bad in the inteview, chances are they wouldn't be aware enough to try to learn and improve from what should be a pretty serious warning signal.

In one interview long ago when the Plant Manager asked if I had any questions I said "It's month end, you haven't made target, my inspectors just found the shipment out of spec, what kind of conversation are we going to have?"

He almost came across the desk at me! Beet red, purple and spitting! I feared for my life.

Stunningly they actually made me an offer. The HR person (who was in the room) could not understand why I politely declined.

Curiously enough, I used the same scenario as a Quality Manager when interviewing Quality Engineers. I asked how they would handle it. The answer I was looking for was "That depends. Part history, criticality of the defect, etc." Any flat dogmatic answer, or any answer which would involve falsifying records (which includes shipping as conforming without some sort of customer notification) was reason for rejecting the candidate.


BTW, as regards the initial question, I strongly feel that a Quality Engineer is first and formost an Engineer, and therefore my first concerns are technical. People skills are important, but I would rather have a QE with great stat skills, and modest people skills, than the reverse. It's my job as the QMgr to sell this stuff. It's the QE's job to get it right.

Geoff Withnell