So you’ve been following my advice right and now you need to know what to expect from a recruiter call. You have an award winning resume, cover letter, Linkedin profile, and have submitted lots (hundreds) of job applications. At this point, if you’ve done everything correctly, if you’ve submitted around 100 job applications, you should expect some recruiters calling you about the position. If not, your resume is not written very well and does not cover the key words that it needs.
Knowing what to expect from a recruiter call will get rid of any anxiety you may have.
February 29, 2024What you need to know beforehand:
Questions you should expect:
Tell me about yourself.
This is the big one that we all need to be ready for. You should always have an elevator pitch about yourself ready. This will make you more confident with who you are and you have a better understanding of yourself. It’s a win-win to always be ready for this question. It even applies in socializing and dating too, which will improve your life . Funny enough, interviewing is a very interchangeable skill so you need to be good at it.
Example:
“I currently work as a manufacturing engineer where I produce build plans for electromechanical weapons systems. As a manufacturing engineer, I like to say that I’m the bridge between design engineering and an actual finished part. This means I’m responsible for everything in between such as tooling, packaging, and supporting machining of designs.
I have also been a product design engineer for the past few years prior to my experience as a manufacturing engineer. As a product design engineer, I designed Vertical Turbine Pumps for industries such as Oil&Gas, Aerospace, Power, Refineries, Industrial, and so on.
Having both design and manufacturing engineering experience gives me a great understanding of engineering as a whole.”
Tell me about what you do on a day to day basis.
The recruiter will want to make sure you know what you’re talking about, and that you’re not a load of baloney. Briefly mention your day-to-day tasks. If you get stuck – simply recall what you do on a day to day basis, and this should be good.
Example:
“I’m responsible for building the Engineering Development Unit for our product. This encompasses tasks such as ensuring all manufacturing plans are ready, all parts/tooling/packaging are available, and being the manufacturing representative in meetings. I will constantly update status on where we are at, where we need help on, and what we need to further progress in the build of our engineering development unit.”
Where do you see yourself in five years?
This gives the recruiter, and potentially the hiring manager, an overview of where you plan to be. Ideally, companies want you for the long run. They don’t want to on-board a candidate, only for them to leave shortly after. Unfortunately, this is getting very common, especially in 2021-2022. Many people are leaving their employers for better opportunities – whether it is a higher salary, work from home, or fulfillment. The COVID-19 pandemic has really shed light on work-life balance. It’s important for both employees and employers to have an understanding of employee’s career trajectory.
Example:
“I see myself as a well-rounded engineer with a strong background in design, manufacturing, and testing so that I can understand the full picture of a product. I plan to further contribute to the advancement of engineering through my understanding of all disciplines.”
A good answer, especially if you’re interviewing with a big company. With big companies, there are definitely many opportunities to jump around from division to division.
This answer ultimately depends on you and where you want to take your career.
What to do before a recruiter call:
Do some research about the company.
You shouldn’t expect to have an in depth understanding, but at least understand what the company does, how they make money, an idea of their financials, and what products or services they sell. Having this mindset also helps you get rid of tunnel vision. It’s too easy to get way too focused in a task, especially as a design engineer. You then forget the big picture because you’re so focused on that little task.
Understand the job requirements and make sure you fill those skill sets.
If a recruiter reaches out to you on Linkedin, they will be sending you a job description.
Questions you should ask:
An interview is an opportunity for an employer to interview you, but also for you to interview them. This means that you also need to determine is this the right fit for you.
Is there long term opportunity for me at the company?
Make sure that there’s plenty of opportunity for you to grow at the company. You need to be in an environment where you can develop relevant skills. You also want to make sure you’re going to have a job for a few years at the company and that they’re not bankrupt or struggling.
How’s the work-life balance outlook?
Make sure this is defined. You don’t want to be taking an offer at a company, making a bit more money, but working 50-60 hours per week, while getting paid for only 40 hours. This is pretty common in the industry.
Why should I leave my current opportunity for this?
I really like asking this question – it gives you the “power”, if you will. You are the prize. This means that the company should be grateful that they’re given the opportunity to interview you. This is the mindset you need to be confident in interviews. Of course, confidence doesn’t come over night. However, slowly start shifting your mindset to be more confident if you haven’t. It will lead to you projecting yourself better and it will trickle down to other aspects of your life.
This also sets the tone that the employer will need to incentivize the offer for you to switch companies. In short – this will mean more money for you.
These questions should cover it regarding what to expect from a recruiter call – good luck to you in your job search and may you make more money.
About the author
Kazuyoshi Fujimoto, PE
Founder | Engineering Career Coach | Principal Mechanical Engineer
Kazu oversees all of ultmeche’s engineering services. He provides consulting such as resume reviews, rewrites, mock interviews, and all services career related. Additionally, Kazu performs consulting work regarding Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense. Kazu is licensed as a professional engineer in the state of California and has 9+ years of experience in Oil & Gas, Automotive, and Aerospace & Defense.