Brooks Automation Software Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I had a 30-minute phone screening. Mostly questions about my resume, projects, skills, and some theory. No coding problems, just straightforward. Learned a lot too.

Had an initial HR phone screen, then two 30-minute chats with Software Engineers about CS stuff, followed by a 1-hour interview with a Senior Software Engineer. Oh, and one interview got rescheduled because the interviewer totally forgot about it.

The job ad and description for the PC Programmer role were appealing but brief. I got an invite for the first interview quickly, but the second one was a bit delayed due to holidays. My scheduled interview had to be postponed last minute because of a business trip. Both interviews happened in the reception area, by an open staircase, because the office is really cramped. This job required 4-6 international trips a year, each lasting 2-4 weeks, sometimes on short notice. During these trips to Asia and America, 60-hour work weeks are normal, potentially reaching 80 hours. 15 of those hours are covered by salary, the rest are paid extra. The position was initially for 2 years because they wanted to be sure the new hire could handle the workload and travel. This fixed term wasn't in the ad. I couldn't see my workspace during the first interview for security reasons. In the second one, I was led through the employee kitchen (which doubled as a meeting room) to a very small office in the development department. To make space for me, another employee would have to move. They're planning renovations by the end of 2016 to create a 15-person open-plan office for development. The salary would've been okay for a standard 40-hour week. The work itself was really interesting and would have been a dream job, but the conditions were too poor, so I decided not to take it after thinking it over. After I declined, they offered to remove the fixed term and give me an open-ended contract. Believing that both the applicant and the company introduce themselves, I stuck to my decision. The position is now advertised again, exactly as it was for me, and still without mentioning the fixed term.