ESD Interview Questions
& Process

I interviewed for an automation team role. It was a straightforward process. I spoke with two team members who have been with the company for 7 and 10+ years, which seemed like a good sign. The company talked a lot about how much people liked working there. In the end, it wasn't the right fit because I was pretty new to the industry and didn't grasp some key parts of the role, which was more senior. I felt the learning curve would be too steep. Since I was just exploring, it wasn't a big deal. I should note that this interview happened before ESD was bought by Stantec, a much larger company, so things might be different now.

The interview process was relaxed, thorough, and very informative. I got a tour of the office and then met with different groups of people. Some meetings were 1 on 1, and some were with groups of 2-3 people. Most of the interviews were conversations about my background, what I'm looking for, and to answer any questions I had. There was one session with tougher questions about past challenges and how I resolved them. The people were great, and I had a nice lunch with an SVP and a junior employee.

I was hired straight out of college. The first chat was with Michael Kern, who's in HR, so I don't think he really knows the right technical questions to ask. He's more into extracurriculars, like high GPAs, and wants you to seem personable. The second interview was brutal. You'll see about 5-10 VPs. I ran out of things to ask by the third VP and was totally wiped by the eighth. They did take us out for a nice lunch though. The VPs all care about different things, so you gotta be ready for anything.

The interview process was well-executed. The interviewers clearly understood their needs and formulated questions effectively to assess essential skills, both technical and interpersonal. Multiple individuals interviewed me sequentially, and the process moved quite quickly, leaving me wishing I had more time to ask my own questions.