Bechtel Marine Propulsion Interview Questions
& Process

I put in my application online and heard back from them via voicemail about two weeks later. I called them back around 3:30 PM, about 20 minutes after they left the message, and they said they were closing for the day but would set up an interview for me. We set up a phone screen, but they were 10 minutes late, so I called them to start the interview. The phone screen had the manager and two senior engineers. Then I had an in-person interview. A staff engineer gave me a ride to the facility. I had to go through a bunch of security stuff to even get on-site. Once inside, I was taken to a small room and told not to leave without an escort. I interviewed with three different managers, one after another, and each interview lasted about 30 to 45 minutes. After the interviews, the group manager and a senior engineer took me to lunch in the cafeteria. Following lunch, two senior engineers interviewed me again, this time in the cafeteria. I didn't hear back for about a month. The only way I knew I was still in the running was because my references were contacted. After all that, the manager interviewed me again to go over some of my past work experience. Two weeks after that, they sent me a background check to complete. It took about 4 months from my initial phone screen until I got the offer.

Overall this was a very laid back interview. You will interview with anywhere from 1-5 managers depending on how many jobs are available at the time. As others mentioned, you get your own hotel room and the managers come to you for a 40 min interview. This process is fast and furious as 40 min is not nearly enough time, so make sure you can sell yourself quickly. About half of the interview consists of the manager letting the candidate know about the team focus area and daily duties (which is awesome). At the end of each interview session you will be prompted with a technical question in order to test your ability to problem solve under pressure. I was extremely happy with the process and was very impressed with the way that they portrayed the company.

I had a phone interview. Then I was invited for an onsite interview. The onsite interview itself had a few parts. First, I checked in with security, then HR gave a presentation. After that, I met with two different teams for interviews. Finally, I went back through HR and security to leave. The whole thing lasted about 3.5 hours. They mentioned it would take a few weeks to make a decision after the interview. If I were offered the job, the background check process would then take about 3-4 months.

This interview process was really well organized. Since the job involves specific work, the interviews aren't at the company office. Instead, they happen at a nearby hotel. First, there's a general introduction to the company. Then, candidates go through a security process, which includes getting fingerprints taken. After that, you head to your scheduled interview room at the hotel. It's a really smart operational approach for interviews!