TSMC Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

I went through 3 panel interviews, a phone interview, and an HR interview. The interviews were with my potential direct manager, senior engineers on the team, and my manager's manager. The focus was mainly on behavioral aspects and fundamental semiconductor manufacturing processes.

I had one video interview with a team member, then another with their boss. Neither seemed to have read my resume. They had me go over my resume and asked me about my past experiences. They really wanted to know if I understood the technical background and theory behind the projects I'd worked on. Both interviewers really stressed that this job would include overtime more than twice a week, and also some weekend and night shifts. They asked me a lot about how I felt about that and how loyal I'd be.

The interview was online and did not start with self-introductions. The supervisor began by explaining their work. They mentioned that CMP is relatively non-toxic and that 18A is an advanced manufacturing process with simpler equipment. This department only involves rotating day and night shifts, unlike the previous role which had many night shifts. The supervisor then shared that their source of accomplishment comes from challenging new technologies in new plants. After this, they reviewed information and asked questions about military service, community activities, roles in programs, difficulties encountered, and how to handle unsolvable problems. They also asked about difficulties encountered during thesis research. Because the supervisor's camera was off, there were pauses after some answers, likely while they looked up information to formulate more questions. The supervisor seemed like a straightforward person. Other questions included why I chose TSMC, what other students are doing, if any students are in TSMC equipment, and future career plans for the next 3-5 years.