If you're a graduate looking to get into manufacturing and need to get a feel for the kind of questions employers might ask at interview, then make sure you research these graduate manufacturing interview questions below. These questions and answers are taken from real graduate interviews, and compiled to give you an idea of what to expect and how to prepare your answers.
Example Manufacturing Interview Questions:
What do you thing about the future of the manufacturing industry in the UK?
This question is testing your contemporary industry knowledge. If you have prepared before the interview then you should be able to make some good points here. Try to keep a positive spin but be realistic about the prospects for manufacturing in the UK. Try and find some information of a government or EU grant that has been used to subsidize the manufacturing industry, but acknowledge the difficulties faced by the manufacturing industry caused by cheap labour abroad. Perhaps highlight a possible niche in artisan and high quality manufacturing in Britain.
What do you think is the most important factor in running an efficient factory?
This question is seeking to find out what you know about operations. Applicants who have experience should be able to come up with a good response to this one, if not a well prepped graduate should be able to adapt to this question. Typical answers to this question may include, good communication, clear objective, appropriate targets, good suppliers, skilled workforce. Try and tailor your response to fit in with the company you are applying with.
How would you deal with a difficult supplier?
This question is set up to test your communication skills. A good approach would be to first give an example of when a supplier might be difficult before saying how you will deal with it. Then give an example of when you have done this in the past to confirm the point, even if not with a supplier but an instance of conflict in the workplace which you resolved. Key aspects of good communication skills when in a difficult situation are to be firm, honest and empathetic but remain assertive.