Taro Logo

Engineer Interview Experience - United States

May 1, 2021
Positive ExperienceGot Offer

Process

GM's Career site is very user-friendly. I recommend looking for jobs on the Career website instead of Workday, since it is a lot easier to navigate.

Applying to positions on Workday was a good experience too. Once you submit your first application, you can reuse it for all other applications in the future. There is no option to submit a cover letter, so that's even more time saved.

If your application is approved, the next step is a GM recruiter reaching out via email to set up a phone screen. It's just a 15-20 minute phone call where they go over the hiring process and a few things on your resume. Very casual.

The recruiter should send you a link for a HireVue next. I completed around 10 phone screens and did not receive a HireVue for only 2 of them (if you don't get one, that means you are no longer considered for that position).

For HireVue, you submit video answers for 3-5 questions. You get 2 tries; 30-60 seconds to prep after the question is revealed the first time, but unlimited time before the second try. For me, all the questions were behavioral (reading other reviews, this seems to be the case unless the position involves coding). If you are going to do a bunch of HireVues, buy a decent webcam + mic, have a lamp or light source directly aimed at your face for good lighting.

Now you wait, 2-4 weeks before getting an email response. It will either be a rejection or you'll be asked to pick a time for a final round interview. The final round interview will be with 2 managers, lasting 60-90 minutes. Mostly on Microsoft Teams, but for some positions, in-person. The good thing is they ask the same behavioral questions as what you see in HireVues, and yes, you can basically give the same answer again. Just treat them as HireVues with real people, have 2-3 questions for the interviewers, and you'll be good.

Wait another 1-2 weeks to find out if you are rejected or an offer is extended. If you accept, it's standard HR stuff afterwards. Just know if you're negotiating, they won't budge on PTO, so focus on salary. The best case I've heard is someone getting the extra 5 days of PTO right away instead of after 1 year of service. But it's not a big deal anyways because the next PTO bump is at 10 years of service. No drug test unless you work in manufacturing or do vehicle testing.

On Workday, under "Candidate Home," you can see the status of each of your applications. They change before recruiters act, so you can kinda tell what's gonna happen.

  • "Review": They are looking at your initial application.
  • "Screen": You are getting a phone screen; you are also at this status even after submitting the HireVue. Basically, the hiring manager is reviewing your HireVue.
  • "Interview": You are getting a final round interview.
  • "In Process": You are going to get an offer. You can also get "Not Selected" after all 4 of the stages above.

How to Prep for HireVues and Final Round Interviews: Look at the questions I provided; they are all very similar. Prepare 6-7 work/school situations that you can spin depending on the exact behavioral question. The key is to have each situation be able to fit multiple questions by making slight adjustments.

FOLLOW the STAR format and adjust your answer accordingly to fit the question. Try to keep your answers between 1.5-2.5 minutes long. Make sure you have enough good answers, especially for the final round interviews where you can expect at least 5 behavioral questions.

Questions

Tell me about your experience and background. (This one pops up on every HireVue; basically, go over your resume and highlight your strengths that are related to the position).

Tell me about a time you had to solve a difficult problem.

Tell me about a time you had to do something inconvenient.

Tell me about a time you had a conflict or had to deal with a difficult coworker/teammate.

Tell me about a time that you had to make a quick decision without full information.

Describe a time that you resolved a complex problem with minimal data and guidance.

Tell me about a time you were asked to do something you had never done before. How did you react, and what did you learn?

Was this helpful?

Interview Statistics

The following metrics were computed from 45 interview experiences for the General Motors Engineer role in United States.

Success Rate

49%
Pass Rate

General Motors's interview process for their Engineer roles in the United States is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.

Experience Rating

Positive64%
Neutral24%
Negative11%

Candidates reported having very good feelings for General Motors's Engineer interview process in United States.

General Motors Work Experiences