Weir ESCO Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was straightforward and to the point. The manager showed me some drawings and asked me to describe the production processes for those parts. It wasn't many steps and moved quickly. During the interview, they already told me the scope of work, salary offer, and benefits.

I was contacted by the hiring manager, who is a Lead Environmental Engineer, through email to set up a phone interview. The call happened the next day and lasted around 30 minutes. It was a really friendly chat, and the questions felt fair and relevant. He even asked about the kind of management style and work environment I like, which I thought was a good indicator. After that, his boss reached out, mentioning he'd already talked with the Lead Environmental Engineer about my resume. Our conversation was pretty similar, and I felt good about the job. The following week, I sent a thank you email reaffirming my interest. The hiring manager replied quickly and called the next morning to schedule an in-person panel interview. It took days to set up, which felt pretty unreasonable, especially since I'd only get a few days' notice and live across the country. Once scheduled, I got an interview itinerary, and they sorted out my travel. The in-person interview spanned the whole day, with individual meetings with various company folks. The meetings were professional overall. The questions were fair, though I felt there weren't enough technical questions for an engineering role. What really threw me off was their repeated comments about not hiring 'tree huggers' and that sustainability isn't their main focus, despite it being in their values. The EHS team's stance on environmental nonprofits was also clear. This made me feel uneasy. The day wrapped up with dinner and a lot of wine, which felt a bit odd. Things seemed positive, and I was told I'd hear back in a couple of days. After two days, I followed up with a thank you to the Lead Environmental Engineer, but got no response, which was strange given his prompt replies before. The next day, his boss sent a standard rejection email, saying another candidate was chosen. I found this a bit of a cop-out, especially since the boss had talked about tackling awkward situations directly. I was disappointed the Lead Environmental Engineer didn't send the rejection himself. Even more disappointing was seeing the job reposted the next day; I wondered if they even found the right fit. I emailed back expressing my disappointment and asking for feedback on my application, though I doubt they'll provide it, given their talk about 'managerial courage'.

The job posting was on my university's job board. Someone from HR called me a few days after I applied via email. She wanted to schedule an interview right away, but I asked for a different day because I wasn't ready. The initial phone interview had general questions like why I chose ESCO and what I knew about the role. After that, the HR person said the site manager would call me in four days for another phone interview. Since I'm not a native English speaker and knew a phone interview would highlight my language disadvantage, I decided to go to the plant and meet the plant manager directly on that day. The manager was okay with this. He asked general questions such as 'describe yourself' and 'what are your weakness and strength?', plus some technical questions about metallurgy. I admitted I needed to review metallurgy concepts, and he understood. He then explained the Process Engineer role and gave me a plant tour. The interview was generally easy. I felt good about it, but I didn't think I'd get the offer because I mentioned I'm not a Canadian citizen, and he indirectly indicated they preferred Canadian citizens. The Nisku plant used to be independent before ESCO acquired it. Most of the employees are Indian men, and I didn't see any women working there during the tour, which might be a consideration for female candidates.

I went through 3 phone interviews and 2 in-person interviews, totaling about 4 hours over two separate days. The technical part was pretty straightforward, focusing on current industry knowledge rather than textbook facts or obscure problems, which was nice. Everyone I met was really friendly, and I felt I would have been a good fit. I actually think I might have wasted their time because one of the interviewers said they wanted to offer me the job, so I felt pretty well-received. The main issue was the offer process itself, which is why I declined the position. They made a verbal offer on Wednesday afternoon with the details. When I asked about the base salary, I was reminded that I had agreed to 'the discussed amount,' which wasn't what was actually discussed. Plus, I had to accept by Thursday afternoon, less than 24 hours later. I explained that I needed to talk to my current boss before deciding and was given until the following Monday at noon, or the offer would be rescinded. I emailed them saying I couldn't decide by noon and that the compensation wasn't as agreed upon. They thanked me for letting them know. Honestly, leaving a job shouldn't be rushed, and a welcoming attitude makes a big difference when you're considering a big move. I wouldn't just abandon my current role without notice or a proper knowledge transfer.