If you’ve gotten this far, it must mean you have an interview lined up with GE and now you want to know: “What are some common GE interview questions?” First off, congratulations! Second, you came to the right place. Let’s get started.
How To Prepare For A GE Interview
So, how should you prepare for a GE interview? First off, it’s important to start early. You need to get to know the company, the group you’re interviewing for and the expectations for the role. Next, you need to understand the full process.
GE Interview Process
The GE interview process starts with an initial telephone screen conducted by a recruiter. After that, the interview process can take several different forms.
More technical roles (e.g., some engineering roles) will require a technical assessment, while roles in areas like HR will not. For those of you applying for strategy roles, expect to face a technical assessment and at least one case interview covering a GE business line.
Most, if not all, roles will require a hiring manager interview, which will mostly be focused on behavioral questions. Finally, the final round of interviews will consist of a selection of leaders from the organization in a group-on-one scenario. This interview is really to assess your executive presence and communication skills, as well as your likability (which, let’s be real, is a skill in and of itself).
Next, we dive into the different interview types that GE employs. In addition to this article, be sure to conduct detailed research on the specific role you’re recruiting for, as each role will be slightly different in terms of which interview types are used. The best way to do this? Networking within the business unit you’re applying for.
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GE Phone Interview
The GE phone interview will occur early in your recruiting process and will take place with a recruiter or a member of HR. You should think of this as a standard review of your qualifications and an opportunity for you and the recruiter to discuss expectations to ensure everyone is aligned. This is also an opportunity to ask any questions around logistics (e.g., timing of the process, expectations for when the job would start).
GE Behavioral Interview
The GE behavioral interview is meant to get a sense of the skills, habits, and experiences that you have developed to this point in your career. GE believes that your past behavior is the most likely indicator of your future performance.
In this interview style, expect questions that start with “Tell me about a time when…”. Some examples:
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- Tell me about a time when you faced an ethical dilemma and how you navigated it
- Tell me about a time when you worked with a difficult colleague – how did you address the situation?
- Tell me about a time when you made a professional mistake – how did you identify it and address it?
- Describe a time when you developed a long term relationship with a customer
- Tell me about a time when you worked with people from different parts of an organization or with different backgrounds and had to collaborate to accomplish a common goal
- Tell me about a time when you encountered a challenging project that required strong project management skills and how you ensured its success
When you receive these questions, the best way to answer is with a story. For the GE interview, we recommend preparing 12-15 stories ahead of time that can be flexed to answer any kind of behavioral question you’ll see.
Answering with a story connects your experience to the answer and is much more memorable to an interviewer who is interviewing multiple candidates in the same day.
Stay away from answers that pull from different experiences – you’ll come across as unfocused and difficult to follow. Keep your answer streamlined and focused on one scenario.
Finally, ensure you’re ready for multiple follow up questions per story. GE interviewers are known to dig deeper for more details about the story you’re sharing.
GE Technical Assessment
The objective of the GE technical assessment is simple – to determine if your technical capabilities meet the requirements of the job you are interviewing for.
In this interview type, you will be asked to complete a technical assessment that can be delivered in one of three ways:
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- In-person, conducted by a member of the team you are interviewing for (e.g., scenario-based test)
- Online, GMAT-style test
- Online, gamified test
The technical skills that are being tested for will vary by the role, but some common ones include:
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- Financial modeling
- Coding
- Data analysis
GE Interview Questions
In addition to the story-oriented questions we outlined earlier, some additional GE interview questions could include:
- How would you handle a conflict between team members during a high-stakes project?
- Describe your experience with Lean Six Sigma methodologies and how you’ve applied them to previous projects
Conclusion
Remember, the best way to prepare for GE interview questions is to practice out-loud!
Get with a partner (whether it’s a spouse, friend, or one of our expert coaches) and have them run you through the common questions we’ve outlined above.
Make sure you ask for feedback on your structure, delivery, and the depth of detail you’re communicating in each answer.
For the fastest prep in the shortest amount of time, work with one of our expert coaches today!
As always, we wish you the best of luck in your job search!
Additional Resources:
- Case Interview: Complete Prep Guide
- Consulting Resume: Complete Guide
- What are Behavioral Interviews?