The interview process started with a technical screening that went over some of the basic principles related to the position. It lasted about 45 minutes. Questions were either asking to explain a concept or how you would design something.
The interview process was one of the most intensive compared to other comparable positions that have extended offers to me. In addition to standard 15-30 minute phone calls follwoed by an hour virtual interview with a few current employees, I had an all-day interview that required writing a reserch paper and preparing an hour slideshow presentation. This was followed by numerous breakout sessions with very specific and a very broad range of technical questions. Most could be answered in a few seconds on Google or with a textbook, yet they were in fields studied decades ago rather than what the current position entailed. THe current position closely resembled my professional experience. At the end, it was a whirlwind of an interview process and weeks leading up to it, and I left wondering what position they were even looking for and if they knew themselves.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
I was asked to draw freebody diagrams of cantilever beams.
I applied online. The process took 5 weeks. I interviewed at Blue Origin in Jun 2020
Interview
30 minute HR phone screen: Basic STARR-type questions, seems like a quick screen to make sure you’re actually interested and competent.
30 minute hiring manager technical phone screen: not super technical in my case, mostly questions relating to what I was interested, looking for in this new position, and liked/disliked about my current position.
Final interview: 1hr presentation and one-on-ones with each panel member. Presentation was a ~30minute detailed look at my previous experience and a ~30minute technical deep dive into a project/topic of my choice. Very few questions during the presentation itself, but several questions came up relating to the presentation during the 1-1s. One-on-ones themselves were very technical. A couple consisted of walking the interviewers through my thought process as I “designed” and “analyzed” a number of parts. Others were just technical questions related to classes I had taken and work experience.
Overall, the process was super smooth, although somewhat dragged out (took ~1.5 months for the whole process). The final interview took a lot of preparation, more than I’ve ever had to prepare for previous interviews, but totally worth it.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
List the failure modes for a specific part/assembly and how you’d mitigate them through analysis