I had interviewed with them before and the hiring managers liked what I had to offer, but they didn't think I was the perfect fit for the specific position. A couple of months later, another department called me and offered an interview for a different position, to which the 1st manager recommended me. I went in, 1st interview seemed to go well. They're extremely bureaucratic and mundane, but "nice" to deal with overall. It basically consisted of a series of 1:1 interviews, with the usual interview questions.

They called me back some days later and scheduled a second interview. This one was awful! As an entry level (recent grad) engineer, I have never had to go to 2 detailed interviews for the same position before. Most employers interviewed me on the phone, then in person, then made an offer. Panasonic dragged me twice through 4 hour interviews for the same position.

Anyway, this second interview consisted of a simple aptitude test in which they basically asked me to do what I would be doing on a daily basis once hired. Although it wasn't difficult, it was unfair. Without any training or exposure to their line of work, or any "real" work as a recent grad, they expected me to do what someone in that job does on a daily basis after training and whatnot. The 1st test consisted of cross-matching one of their products to a competitor's product. It took me a bit of time to complete this, as they provided me with an incomplete specs packet for their product - which I later pointed out.

The 2nd test was a hands on test. An engineer showed me how to test an electric part for faults/damage, then asked me to repeat the procedure. Following him was very difficult as I was nervous and thinking about the results of my 1st test, so needless to say, when it was time for me to demonstrate I had forgotten half of the steps!

After this second test, the hiring manager and his supervisor sat down with me and asked me to analyze a complex schematic of parts that I know nothing about, because they're special to Panasonic. Again, a task that requires extensive training! And again, I don't think I answered correctly, especially after being so exhausted by the entire process beforehand. They let me know a week or so later that they're not interested. So a total of 2 interviews, meeting 4 people in each one, doing stuff I'm not supposed to know how to do = total waste of time.

This was the worst interview process I have ever had! I was interviewed by top global defense contractors, one of which I now work for, and none of them were even NEAR that gruesome! The people at Panasonic may be nice, but they might also be a little insane. An interview for a recent grad's engineering position should never be this awful. I wouldn't have minded if they had tested me on things related to subjects I studied in school, including extensive analysis of complex systems, but testing me on tasks that only trained engineers working in that specific organization know is just unfair.

There's no way I would've agreed to working for them had they made an offer. They are exceedingly demanding and routine. Not an ideal place to work if you're a recent graduate looking for an innovative and positively challenging organization.

Tell me about yourself.

What is your dream job?

Would it be better if this division of Panasonic was led by an American or a Japanese person?