I applied in-person. The process took 2 months. I interviewed at BKF Engineers (Redwood City, CA)
Interview
I originally came into contact with the HR Rep through a career fair. After our brief discussion he seemed interested in me and let me know he'd contact me for an interview. Even though he jot down something on the back of my resume, I didn't take any chances and sent him a follow-up e-mail letting him know I was excited for that interview.
I received a call about two weeks later for me to come into the HQ and learn more about BKF. During this first interview I sat with the HR Rep and another HR Coordinator where initially we went through my resume. While going through each item on my resume, they would both ask me fairly easy questions about my experience and what I managed to gain from them. Afterwards, I listened to a brief blurb about the work BFK does (I say brief because I had prepared for this interview and they understood I had a fairly good idea of their services). This interview lasted a little under an hour.
Again, about two weeks later I received a call from the HR Rep asking me to come into the office the following day for an interview with an engineer. I was also told to be prepared to discuss Pavement Design. For this interview I sat with the HR Rep and a Project Manager in a conference room. We began by going over certain items on my resume which the PM asked me about. He was very nice and made me feel comfortable during the entire process. After going over the superficial, the technical part of the interview began. He placed a large topography map on the table and began asking analysis-type questions about the site. These were fairly easy questions to answer, however, when I did not know the answer he was very good about asking the question in a different way so as to help me answer it. After having the PM judge my analysis skills we moved on to design. He asked general questions about pavement and highway design by using the same topography map. These questions were a little more difficult since my experience with design is limited, but the questions were not impossible to answer. I found that reading the AASHTO Highway Design Manuel really helped me out here (hint hint). This interview lasted three hours.
~ ~ ~
In the end I was not extended an offer from BFK. After the technical interview I simply didn't hear back from them anymore. Also, I should mention in all the times I met with them, a salary was never discussed (which is probably a good thing if you want to hold that card close to your chest).
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
The engineer showed me a topography map and asked me to map the trajectory a drop of water would take. The unexpected question I was asked was why that drop of water traveled in such a way.
HR reaches out to schedule interview with team. 1 hour meeting with team. 5 people including HR person. 2 in first 30 mins, then 2 interviewers in last 30 mins.
I applied online. The process took 3 months. I interviewed at BKF Engineers (Sacramento, CA)
Interview
Did a phone screen with the recruiter after applying for a position online. A few days later, we set up a day/time for a Skype interview. I wait on Skype for nearly an hour and he never shows up. Later he emails me saying he tried to start the call but it wouldn't connect. I reply right away suggesting we troubleshoot the problem or try something else (I can't do anything except respond through their online messaging portal). I don't hear a word from him again for the rest of the day.
After a week of silence and more follow up messages from me, we reschedule the Skype interview. He talks about the position in very generic terms (not even a specific office location) and says they are currently evaluating their hiring needs. I continued to follow up once a week or so with no reply. After three weeks of that, he replies and says little more than "there are no updates." After three months of not knowing where I stand one way or the other, I gave up.
They recruit for positions that don't exist and seem to just want to collect a stack of resumes. A complete waste of candidates' time that reflects poorly on what seemed like a good company.
Civil Engineer I applicants have rated the interview process at BKF Engineers with 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty) and assessed their interview experience as 50% positive. To compare, the company-average is 64% positive. This is according to Glassdoor user ratings.
Candidates applying for Civil Engineer I roles take an average of 52 days to get hired, when considering 5 user submitted interviews for this role. To compare, the hiring process at BKF Engineers overall takes an average of 24 days.
Common stages of the interview process at BKF Engineers as a Civil Engineer I according to 5 Glassdoor interviews include:
Group panel interview: 25%
Phone interview: 25%
IQ intelligence test: 13%
Personality test: 13%
Presentation: 13%
One on one interview: 13%
Here are the most commonly searched roles for interview reports -