Career Path > Nuclear Operator

So what should I expect during my interview.

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dagiffy:
I had my interview and POSS today. Since I flew from the west coast to NY it took me all day to get there. My flight was supposed to leave at 8 a.m. It was delayed until 10:30, which of course meant I'd miss my connection by wide margin in Wash DC. I told the ticket people, hey, I have a big test and an interview first thing tomorrow morning. I can't be pulling into town at 1 a.m. and get 3 hours sleep. Get me on another flight please. So they did. I ended up leaving at 11:30, stopped in O'Hare, delayed again because they couldn't find a crew for our plane. I ended up landing in Syracuse at 9 p.m., another 45 mins to get my rental, and another hour to drive the 50 miles to the hotel. I got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep after traveling 12 hours, getting to bed after midnight.

Lesson: if you are depending on air travel and you are going cross country, ask the HR to have you flown out two days before. They'll pay one night of hotel, but it's worth it if you have to pay the other night yourself so that you'll be rested and focused. The POSS started at 7:30 sharp, and I was pretty much toast from the day before. I couldn't get out of my own way on the first section, short math. I did pretty well on the next three sections, then the 5th was long math, and by this time I was in gear. So if I didn't make it, that first section is what got me.

The interview was conducted by 3 people. Their positions at this plant were called chief reactor operator, shift manager, and then there was an HR person. I got the following questions, and only these: why do you want this position? What training have you had that would apply to this position? Tell me about a time you were told by someone over you to do something that was against the rules. Tell me about a time that you were told to do something you didn't agree with, but wasn't against the rules. How did you go about that?

As soon as I answered the last question, they asked me if I had any for them. So I broke my legal pad out and asked about 7 questions, writing the answers down. I knew afterward I wouldn't remember what they said very clearly. When they had finished, I decided to risk asking them a final question: can I tell you why you should hire me? They said yes, and so I did. From this site I was far more ready than I would otherwise have been, and at the end I kind of had to create the opportunity to share what I did. The bright side is that next time I'll be much better at this.

This all took place on the 2nd. We were told they'd email us our POSS results by afternoon of the 3rd, and should know of their final decision in a week to 10 days. That's my first experience interviewing in the nuke industry and I have to say I've never experienced anything quite like it.

Fermi2:
Good Job, Good Advice.

Mike

Creeker:
I agree!  It's your first interview, and it can be downright intimidating sitting across from people you don't know, hoping your striking the right note, and trying not to wave your hands around while answering their questions.
I took the POSS test as a prereq for license class, and was pretty sure I did horrible on it, but passed! 
And, don't read anything into the way they respond to your questions.  It depends on the group.. When I was interviewing right before I left the Nav, I went to a job conference and one the players was Wal-Mart.  And the talk of the conference was the games those guys played...  Stone faced, frowns... (I was thinking... Are you serious?  You guys are Wal-Mart for heavens sake!) Some companies/interviewers do it for a reason, some just get their kicks...  When I interviewed for my I&C position at Wolf Creek, and the operator position at Turkey Point, they were much more interactive and responsive... But don't read too much into their response (or lack of response) to your answers.  It sounds like you were as prepared as you could be!

Bill

JustinHEMI05:
Excellent! Keep us posted!

Justin

heavymetal atom:
I was part of the same group of nine mile point NLO candidates as dagiffy.  I was interviewed by an HR rep, RO, and ex-SRO.  The questions I was asked were similar to the ones which dag listed but slightly different.  I had more situational questions, about 9 or 10, so I was glad that I already had some past experiences filed and organized up top in preparation for those.  After they had finished their questions I asked if we had enough time for me to ask some.  They said yes and I asked about 4 or 5 of my own.  After giving me some very good answers they went on to explain the position, it's upward mobility, the area, the company and it's emphases, etc.  In the end they explained a lot more than what my original questions covered, which was very nice.  I felt confident and relaxed during the interview and I think that they could tell.  I even cracked a few mild jokes to lighten the mood a bit.  Because of this I felt very good about how it went immediately afterward.  However, in retrospec I do realize some things that I could have done better.  One example is that I don't think I "tooted my own horn" as much as perhaps I should have.  I feel like anyone can talk a big a game, and it's often the people who are the most incompetent who talk the biggest.  I tend to prefer to let my personality, attitude, and character, color people's judgement of me, rather than what I say I can do or who I say I am.  However, that probably isn't the best approach for a 30 minute interview. 

I completely agree with dagiffy's sentiment that the experience was excellent and I'll be even more ready next time.  For those preparing to interview in the near future I would advise you to be ready to play yourself up, perhaps more than you're even used to.  If you're like me and prefer an indirect approach then come up with some past experiences and past successes which will demonstrate your ability, character, and potential for future success with their company.  That's what I plan on doing for next time anyways.               

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