Power, Utilities & Energy Hiring Process Help

Power, utilities, and energy companies have a multi-step hiring process that consists of the following: an online application, a phone interview, assessment tests, and an in-person interview.

1. Online Application: Fill out an online application form in which you list your work history and state your motivation for applying for the listed position.
2. Phone interview: The phone interview is usually with a recruiter who will ask you questions about your employment history and career goals. The purpose of the interview is to determine if you possess the basic qualifications necessary for the job for which you are applying. Alternatively, you may have an online video recording interview instead of a phone interview. This interview format allows you to prepare answers for five or six questions and record answers to each question. 
3. Pre-Employment Tests: If you pass the phone or video interview, you will be e-mailed a link to a pre-employment assessment test. The test that you will have to take varies depending on the position for which you are applying. Job-specific tests are detailed below.
4. Face-to-Face Interview: If you score high on your pre-employment testing, relative to other candidates, you will be asked to attend a face-to-face interview. This interview may be one-on-one, or it may be a panel interview. Usually, you will be interviewed by a Human Resources manager as well as a manager from the department to which you are applying. Expect to encounter behavioral and situational questions which you should answer in the S.T.A.R. format (situation, task, action, result). You should also brush up on safety rules if you are applying for a field role, as well as questions relating to your technical and mechanical knowledge. The face-to-face interview may take from one to four hours.

Engineering: For positions such as materials engineer, you will need to take a test which evaluates your numerical and spatial reasoning skills.

Operator: For jobs which involve planning and scheduling, you will take a test which evaluates your knowledge of mechanical principles and your ability to interpret information in the form of graphs and tables.

Clerical Positions: If you are seeking a clerical position such as meter reader, you will take a test which assesses your clerical skills.

Financial Analyst: For finance positions, you may be asked to take a Microsoft Excel test—a 40-minute test which requires you to perform actions such as using functions, formatting and editing cells, and creating charts and graphs.

Customer Service Representative: If you are applying for a customer service position, you will probably take a situational judgment test or undergo CSR Response Testing. Both tests involve demonstrating good customer service skills and problem-solving abilities by presenting you with hypothetical workplace scenarios involving customers. You must choose the best course of action out of five or six given options. 

Some companies require all candidates to take a personality test in addition to their profession-specific test.

Click on one of the companies below to learn more about their hiring process and gain access to our exclusive practice material.