Salas O'Brien Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview process involved meeting with the commissioning lead and HR. They clearly stated their expectations: 12-hour days, 6 days a week, with no paid overtime, justifying it as a 'learning opportunity' and offering meal expensing. When I asked about unpaid overtime, they cited legal exemption. Most engineering firms I've spoken with offer paid overtime or time-in-lieu. This role seemed exploitative, likely to attract desperate candidates due to horrific working conditions. It reflects poorly on the company to expect 72-hour weeks without compensation, essentially hiring one person for two roles, given a standard 37.5-hour work week. I decided to withdraw my application.

I interviewed for a commissioning agent position in Quebec. The company expects 12-hour workdays, 6 days a week. They asked if I owned a car for client site visits, but didn't mention a company car or assistance. It's not an hourly role, suggesting long hours without overtime pay. They say they're employee-owned, but private equity recently invested. The HR person and interviewing manager were in the same session. I ended the interview after 15 minutes due to potential labor law violations for such a role in Quebec. It seems like a miserable place to work.

It was a pretty chill interview process. I had a couple of chats with some of the team members, which made it feel really low-key. An HR person was coordinating everything, and I had two calls with the same people involved in the interviews.