MKS Instruments Interview Questions
& Process

Had a quick chat with the recruiter to confirm details and get more info on the role. The recruiter was really nice and let me send an updated resume to the hiring manager, which was cool. Then, I interviewed with the hiring manager. It was a very behavioral and chill conversation. I talked about my projects and what I'm good at. They asked me a lot of questions.

I went through about three interviews in the span of a week, each about half an hour long. They were good chats, mostly about my past work and any tough situations I'd handled. I didn't hear back for a couple of weeks, and even after I followed up via email, I got nothing. Then I saw on Workday that my application status had changed from 'In Progress' to 'Not Selected.' It would have been nice to get an email about the decision, especially after putting in all that interview and follow-up time.

I started with a recruiter screen, and the recruiter was quite friendly and informative about the position. Next, I was set to interview with the VP of Infrastructure. Although we had some trouble scheduling the meeting, the conversation itself was very productive. I was told the VP would follow up by the end of the week after they reviewed other candidates. However, I never heard back. I tried contacting the recruiter multiple times without any response. I also reached out to the hiring manager directly, but she didn't reply either. I understand if other candidates were a better fit, but being ignored is frustrating. A simple notification that you're moving forward with others would suffice. But to promise a follow-up and then not respond to several emails is really poor form. Please show a basic level of consideration, MKS.

I got referred by someone I knew who knew I did optomechanical engineering, but my current job is more mechanical with tons of document control. I first chatted with HR, but she was super vague about the job title and level. I thought I was applying for a senior opto-mechanical role, but she seemed to be pushing me towards a different kind of job. Then I had a phone screen with an engineer who was enthusiastic but didn't seem to know much about the technical side of the role. About six weeks later, another HR person reached out to set up an interview with the hiring manager. This manager called me late from his car, and it was hard to hear him. He seemed keen on hiring me but questioned my interest in opto-mechanical roles when they apparently needed people in other areas. I stressed that this specific aspect was my main reason for applying.