Interviewing at Mass Electric can be an exciting yet nerve-wracking process. The utility company is known for its thorough, behavior-based interviews aimed at assessing if you have the technical skills and the “soft skills” needed to thrive in the role.
Going in prepared with an understanding of some of the common Mass Electric interview questions you’re likely to encounter can help calm those pre-interview jitters. In this article we’ll highlight examples of popular Mass Electric interview questions provide tips on how to give winning responses, and set you on the path to interview success.
Common Mass Electric Interview Questions and How to Answer Them
Let’s look at some of the most frequently asked Mass Electric interview questions and how you can craft compelling responses:
Tell Me About Yourself
This common opening interview question allows you to set the tone and frame your background in a way that underscores why you’re an excellent fit Focus on highlighting relevant accomplishments and skills vs giving a chronological walkthrough of your resume,
- Provide a high-level overview of your years of experience, such as “I have over 7 years of experience managing large-scale electric transmission and distribution projects.”
- Share 1-2 career accomplishments or skills that make you an ideal candidate, like “Most recently, I led cross-functional teams in the $15M delivery of a substation expansion project, completing the initiative on-time and $500k under budget.”
- Close by expressing interest and enthusiasm for the role. For example, “I’m excited by the opportunity to bring my project management and leadership experience to Mass Electric’s major infrastructure upgrades planned over the next 5 years.”
Why Do You Want to Work at Mass Electric?
Hiring managers want to gauge your passion for the company and the position. Do your homework before the interview to identify specifics that excite you.
- Share your admiration for their industry leadership, growth, company culture, or investment in emerging technologies like smart grids. Back up claims with evidence.
- If you have relevant contacts or experiences with Mass Electric, describe your positive impressions from those interactions.
- Close by reiterating your alignment with their mission and how the role matches your skills, values, and interests. Avoid generic answers.
What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
Don’t simply rattle off a list of strengths and weaknesses. Tailor your response to highlight traits that would make you successful in the role.
- Pick 1-2 strengths relevant to the position like technical knowledge, collaboration, project management, etc. Provide specific examples of applying these strengths.
- For weaknesses, choose non-fatal traits that you’ve taken steps to improve on, like public speaking. Share the improvement tactics you’ve employed.
- Emphasize that you’re constantly striving to learn and grow. Companies value self-aware team players.
Why Should We Hire You?
Summarize why you’re the ideal candidate. This is your chance to connect all the dots for the interviewer.
- Restate the most important qualifications and experiences you bring to the table. Match these directly to the role requirements.
- Share what sets you apart from other applicants, like specialized training, leadership roles, industry awards, etc.
- Conclude by expressing enthusiasm for the position and repeating your core strengths. End on a strong note.
Describe Your Experience with Project Management
For position-specific questions, use real examples to demonstrate the extent of your skills and capabilities. Be detailed yet concise in your response.
- Provide an overview of your years of experience managing complex utility or engineering projects.
- Use the STAR interview technique:
- Situation – Briefly set up the circumstances. Ex: “As project manager on a $20M substation & transmission line build…”
- Task – Describe your role and objectives. Ex: “My role was overseeing cross-functional teams to complete the project under budget in an accelerated timeframe…”
- Action – Share what steps you took. Ex: “I developed detailed project plans, facilitated regular status meetings, oversaw quality control, managed change orders…”
- Result – Close with the outcomes achieved. Ex: “The project was completed 3 weeks early saving $250k. Safety and quality goals were also exceeded by 5%.”
- Have quantified results and specific examples ready.
How Do You Handle a Difficult Team Member?
Behavioral questions allow you to demonstrate important soft skills like leadership, communication, and conflict resolution.
- Stay calm and professional when describing the difficult person. Ex: “I once managed an engineer who was brilliant technically but struggled to collaborate cross-functionally.”
- Share how you addressed the situation constructively. Ex: “I had open conversations to understand their perspective. I worked to identify tasks better suited to their strengths.”
- Emphasize your focus on finding solutions, supporting team cohesion, and achievement of shared goals.
- Close with the outcome: Ex: “As a result, the engineer became more willing to collaborate and productivity improved significantly.”
Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?
Hiring managers want to gauge your career goals and interest in growing with the company long-term.
- If interested in leadership roles, express your aspiration to take on more responsibility over time. Ex: “My goal is to gain experience across different parts of the business and work toward an operations leadership role.”
- However, avoid seeming overeager or entitled to rapid promotion. Ex: “While I’m open to leadership opportunities that arise, my focus now is on soaking up knowledge and delivering value in this role.”
- Show you’re excited by the future direction of the industry and company. Ex: “I’m eager to be part of the transformation that Mass Electric is driving in modernizing power infrastructure.”
Additional Tips for Acing the Mass Electric Interview
Beyond preparing responses to common questions, here are some overarching best practices to keep in mind:
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Research the company – Study their website, press releases, glassdoor, and news articles to gain knowledge on their mission, values, goals, challenges, and company culture. Use what you learn to craft informed responses.
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Practice aloud – Actually verbalizing your answers out loud is key. Enlist a friend to conduct a mock interview. Tape yourself and review it to refine your delivery.
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Come prepared with questions – Asking thoughtful questions shows your engagement. Inquire about growth opportunities, training programs, company objectives, or day-in-the-life insights.
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Watch your body language – Make steady eye contact, sit up straight, and avoid nervous tics like jiggling your leg. Project engaged confidence.
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Follow up promptly – Email the interviewer within 24 hours restating your interest in the role and appreciation for their time. Send a handwritten thank you note via postal mail a few days later.
Landing the Offer
Mass Electric is selective in their hiring, but coming prepared to demonstrate your skills, passion, and cultural fit can help you shine during the interview process. Use the strategies in this article to make a winning first impression at your upcoming Mass Electric interview. Best of luck with your candidacy!
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ARE YOU SCHEDULED FOR A PHONE OR VIDEO INTERVIEW?
A: Good question! The short answer is to do what makes you feel most comfortable, as long as it doesn’t get in the way of the interviewer hearing you or your ability to take good notes when needed. Speaking of making it difficult for the interviewer to hear you, please do NOT use a speaker phone. If you need to be hands-free, I suggest using your earbuds or headset. I almost never hold my phone to my ear these days, but if that’s okay with you, go ahead and do it.
– Andrea Hall, Military & Veterans
A: Please test your technology and network ahead of time, preferably the day before, and come to the interview from the same place you used to test and prepare. Please make sure that everything works for your interview if it needs a camera and microphone, Skype, or the internet. Do a dry run or two in advance with a friend to ensure everything is working. If your phone rings or you lose contact with the interviewer in some other way, don’t worry—just call them back.
– Tina Barnhart, Senior Recruiting Manager
A: I get this question a lot. Since most face-to-face interviews take place while sitting down, why would a phone interview be any different? My first thought is that you should do what makes you feel most comfortable. Some people are more comfortable if they are moving while having an important conversation. If so, make sure the interviewer can always hear you and don’t do anything else at the same time. If you’re going to be teleconferencing, make sure you sit up straight and that the interviewer can see your face. In addition, find a quiet location with the fewest amount of distractions. In case you don’t have your own home office, pick a place that looks clean and skilled. Don’t overcomplicate it though. This can be staged in your dining room, bedroom, or even an oversized closet space.
– Jeff Snyder, Senior Sourcing Manager
A: There are lots of stories and videos on social media about our new “coworkers” taking our lunches and interrupting our meetings. I think most interviewers will understand if something unexpected comes up, but if there are constant interruptions, noise, etc., If it’s getting in the way of you focusing or them hearing you, you might not be putting your best foot forward. Here is how I would handle it. When and where can you sit down and concentrate? Do your best to find a time and date. You should let everyone know ahead of time if you are at home that this space will be used for an interview and that it will be off-limits during that time. My last piece of advice would be to please avoid public places for interviews.
– Meschelle Wall, Applicant Tracking Service Specialist
A: We’ve all gotten so excited for a new opportunity that we’ve let our nervousness overtake us. The big thing is not to dwell on that. When that happened to me, there was a two-fold reaction. First was my reaction in real time during the interview. I took a few deep breaths and told her that my excitement and passion for the job made me anxious, which threw me off. Believe it or not, they thanked me for being honest and open, gave us an extra 20 minutes of time to talk again, and I was able to make up for what I did in that interview. Secondly, I reflected on the lessons learned, i. e. I realized what went wrong, accepted it, did some research, came up with some best practices, and used that information to prepare for my next interview. If you have an interview coming up you will get the best results if you prepare in advance.
– Nathan Cushing, Senior Project Manager – Senior Systems Engineer
A: Isn’t it great when you get rejected for a job but then feel really excited about the chance to get it? Plan to send a well-timed follow up. It’s best practice to send a follow-up email within 24 hours of an interview. Thank the interviewer(s) for their time and let them know you’re available if they have any more questions. Make sure to thank the person who set up the interview as well, if it wasn’t the interviewer(s). Point being, thank everyone for the actions they played in your interview.
– Eddie Shapley, Senior Recruiting Manager
Take a deep breath. We want your interview to go just as well as you do!
- Our interviews are based on behavior and include open-ended questions to find out about your technical skills, work experience, and personality.
- Learn about General Dynamics Mission Systems and what we do. Make sure you know our mission and vision.
- Take the time to learn about the job you are applying for. Be able to explain how you go above and beyond these requirements.
- Don’t forget to tell the hiring manager about your other skills. Don’t put yourself in a box; tell your interviewer this. Make the most of every chance you get to sell your skills and stand out.
- Bring examples of any (non-proprietary) work products, writing samples, etc. that you have.
- If you want a technical job as a software or systems engineer, you should be ready to answer technical questions. e. software development).
- Make sure you have questions ready to ask the person interviewing you.
- Turn your experience into stories. What did you do in the past have anything to do with what you can do for us?
- For veterans, have 7-9 “success stories” ready to show how your time in the military is relevant to a job in the business world.
- Be on time. It doesn’t matter if your interview is in person or online; give yourself a little extra time in case something goes wrong.
