Technical Interview Checklist
- Review the exact equipment named in the job posting.
- Prepare one motor fault, one electrical fault, one mechanical fault, and one automation fault from your real experience.
- Practice explaining live-dead-live voltage verification and lockout/tagout in the language used at your site.
- Review reading of schematics: supply, protective device, control chain, PLC I/O, relay/contactor, field device, return.
- Know how you would separate command, power, actuator, and mechanical-load faults.
- Review common sensor types and PNP/NPN basics.
- Review motor starters, overloads, contactors, phase loss, and VFD fault context.
- Prepare to describe how you document a breakdown and verify the repair.
Behavioral Interview Checklist
- Prepare a difficult breakdown story.
- Prepare a mistake-and-learning story.
- Prepare a conflict or disagreement story.
- Prepare a preventive improvement story.
- Prepare a time you asked for help or escalated.
- Prepare a production-pressure story where you maintained safety.
- Use Situation-Task-Action-Result, but keep each story under two minutes unless asked for detail.
Questions to Ask the Employer
- Which assets cause the most downtime?
- How much of the job is reactive versus planned maintenance?
- What PLC, drive, robot, CNC, or process-control platforms are most common?
- How is training handled for unfamiliar equipment?
- How many technicians are on each shift?
- How are call-outs and overtime handled?
- Is there an up-to-date CMMS and drawing/documentation system?
- What are the expectations for the first 30, 60, and 90 days?
- How are safety-system changes and PLC modifications controlled?
- What major reliability or modernization projects are planned?
30-Day Preparation Plan
- Days 1-3: Read the job posting line by line and list every technology you may be asked about.
- Days 4-7: Review electrical fundamentals, schematics, 24 V DC controls, motor starters, and meter use.
- Days 8-10: Review motors, mechanical power transmission, bearings, lubrication, alignment, and pumps.
- Days 11-13: Review pneumatics and hydraulics, especially pressure, flow, valves, cylinders, and stored energy.
- Days 14-17: Review PLC inputs/outputs, permissives, alarms, communication basics, analog signals, and backup/change control.
- Days 18-20: Review VFDs, sensor types, encoders, and common drive fault categories.
- Days 21-23: Practice safety questions and explain lockout/tagout out loud without reading.
- Days 24-26: Build six real STAR stories and practice them until they sound conversational.
- Days 27-28: Do a mock technical interview. Force yourself to explain measurements and next steps, not just name possible causes.
- Day 29: Review rapid-fire questions and the employer research.
- Day 30: Light review only. Prepare clothes, travel, documents, references, and questions for the interviewer.