Alcoa Interview Questions & Reviews
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Updated May 12, 2012 – Interview questions and reviews posted anonymously by interview candidates.
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Difficulty Rating [?] Based on 25 ratings 
“Average” Interview
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Interview Experience [?] Based on 25 ratings
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| 11–20 of 25 Alcoa Interviews | Sort by |
Database Developer at Alcoa
Posted Oct 25, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Sep 2011 in Fort Worth, TX (took 3 weeks)
it was long and drawn out. put you in a room and different managers would come and talk to you. and then they would talk some more. never really very comfortable with all the changing personalities. 2 hours of this could not get comfortable, just kept going on and on
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a Presentation and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Procurement at Alcoa
Posted Oct 21, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Neutral Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2011 (took a day)
Behavioral Interview
Competencies:
HIGH PERFORMANCE FOCUS (workload was heaviest, big obstacle to achieving goal, focus on achieving goal, communication unclear, significant accomplishment)
ANALYTICAL/STRATEGIC THINKING (situation where research/analytical thinking was necessary, difficult problem personally or on job, complicated problem in tight timeframe, confronted with unexpected problem at work)
DRIVE FOR CHANGE (creative idea, steps to control errors in projects, improve efficiency, identify small problm before it becomes too big)
ACCOUNTABILITY (time when goal wasn't going to be achieved, set high standards and stuck to them despite obstacles, time when not fully utilized, objectives for year)
LEADERSHIP (situation when you had to influence peer, leadership role, accomplishment, how do you motivate)
CUSTOMER FOCUS (respond to negative feedback from customer, extra effort to satisfy customer, elements of customer relationship building, time when you had to do something right for you but wrong for customer)
COLLABORATION (difficulty getting along with someone, personal goal you had to sacrifice, resolve conflict between team members, time when you didn't agree with decision or approach team took)
DEVELOPMENT OF SELF & OTHERS (able to learn something complex, keep up with changes in professional field, what are your strengths/weaknesses, opportunity to coach someone)
Interview Questions
Other Details
The interview consisted of a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Senior Instructional Design Specialist at Alcoa
Posted Sep 27, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Aug 2011 in Pittsburgh, PA (took 2 days)
Need 5 references including former managers. That was a pain. Otherwise, the recruiter was friendly and I heard back within 2 days.
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Background Check.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Human Resources Manager at Alcoa
Posted Sep 18, 2011
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2.0
Easy Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Oct 2010 in Dover, NJ (took 3 months)
The only reason I am writing is that I saw the other posting for the interview process at Alcoa in Dover NJ and I thought I was reading about MY own experience. OMG - this must be their M.O. and I have to tell you that if it is - stay clear. My experience took months. Initally contacted by recruiter, job too low level. Then contacted again when they changed the specs a month or so later. I was glad because Alcoa is supposed to be such a great company. I had a very successful phone screen with some difficult behavioral questions with the HR person that was temporarily filling in for the positon. I was then scheduled to meet with HR and leadership team. I had to complete the application and all of the paperwork relative to the background check. I was reluctant to do this because it asked for your birth date. (In my previous job I would never ask for DOB prior/during the interview process and only asked for it after offer was made and I was about to conduct the background check) When I arrived I had a panel interview with 3 HR people, some behavioral questions but it was not difficult. I really liked the Director from out of State but the local HR people had no manners or social skills whatsoever. They told me that we would regroup and have lunch together. I I was then passed directly to the Site Manager to meet with him individually. It was a strange encounter. Nice guy, but he told me that he lives in fear daily of losing his job. I then met with the Leadership Team. Two of the Five took the lead and I felt that I was being bombarded with questions - none of them difficult but it was like an assault. Then it ws time for the plant tour. I told them that I did not see the Safety video so they stuck in a room to see it and they brought me some funky dirty wornoutt steel toe shoes to put on. When I was done with the video there was no one to be found. I 'wandered' around on my own until I found my way back to the HR Department where I found the HR team eating lunch. It was around 12:30 and I had been there since 9:00 and they did not offer me any lunch. I was then taken on the tour by one of their young HiPo's which I must say was the best part of the process. I was then returned to the HR Department and they told me that the HR person I was supposed to debrief with was on the phone. They had me sit with the HR Generalist who was newly hired at the time. Mostly small talk and I did not feel comfortable because all she talked about was her job progression and how shw was out of there if she did not get promoted in a short time. She was relocated and all I could think of was why weren't they able to find a local NJ HR Generalist in the economy???? I was then told by the HR person filling in for the postion that the HR person I was supposed to debrief with was not available. She did not offer me to sit with her or ask me if I had any questions. She then dismissed me and showed me the door. What a negative experience. VERY unprofessional and to be honest as much as I wanted a job I ran from there. These people had no social skills whatsoever. I was mortified. I decided I was much too professional to even want to be involved with that HR team. I later found out that they have had such a bad track record with hiring HR people that they are scared to make a selection and fail again. They have some HUGE problems at that plant and I also understand that it seems they have trouble with retention with HR and plant leadership. Hopefully the rest of the Alcoa organization is not like this but STAY CLEAR of the Dover location.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.
More Alcoa Human Resources Manager Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Production General at Alcoa
Posted Aug 31, 2011
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1.0
Very Easy Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Received and Accepted Offer
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Interviewed May 2011 (took 2 weeks)
Hr interviewed me and reviewed my resume. General questions about availibility and work history. Nothing unusual.
Negotiation Details
Not able to negotiate.
Other Details
I applied In-Person and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Drug Test.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
View Comments (1)
Inappropriate?
Electro-chemistry/Electrowinning at Alcoa
Posted May 14, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Feb 2010 in New Kensington, PA (took a day)
Applied online. Two phone interviews. First, got a call from HR asking general questions about my education and skills (30-45 mins). The interview didn't go well as expected. After two weeks, got a call from research head and a co-worker, they asked questions about my research (finer details) (45-60 mins).The interview went well, they told me they will contact me after few weeks, but no response.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I Applied Online and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Communications at Alcoa
Posted May 11, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Jan 2011 in Pittsburgh, PA (took 1 week)
1. Phone interview with HR
2. In person interview both with HR and Hiring Manager
Very nice people, great work atmosphere.
Everyone that works there seems to be very happy and proud about their company.
You should read as much as you can about the company's latest news; especially their "green" efforts.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Vice President Manufacturing Technology at Alcoa
Posted May 6, 2011
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3.0
Average Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2011 (took 2 months)
HR Phone Screening, Hiring Mgr Phone Screening, then 4 1-on-1 interviews: 3 in-person, 1 via video conference. All 4 final candidates (2 internal, 2 external) rotated through interview stations. Interviewers were Hiring Mgr, GM on Hiring Manager's lead team, HR Director on Hiring Manager's lead team, and person who holds this position in another division. Most questions were behavioral, all interviewers were very professional and easy to talk to, so interviews flowed well. I was very impressed with the entire team.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through an Employee Referral and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview and a 1:1 Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Human Resources Manager at Alcoa
Posted Apr 19, 2011 — 1 of 1 people found this helpful
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1.0
Very Easy Interview
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Overall Negative Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Nov 2010 in Dover, NJ (took 3 months)
I am writing this so that others can learn from the experience and gain an understanding that the interview process is a 2-way street. I learned that other people have had similar experiences with this company. I'm sure that some day they will get it right.
I had an initial phone screen on July 17, 2010, by a recruiting consultant working for Alcoa. I was told that my background was a good fit and that I would hear back. After several weeks, I never heard back and gave up. I did follow up with emails, but received no response. Then I received an email on August 27, 2010 that the requirements for the position had changed and that I should re-apply. I did so on August, 29, 2010. I then followed up with emails to the Recruiter, but did not hear back.
Contacted by External Recruiter
I was contacted by an External Recruiter (Headhunter) about a position. He was keeping the name of the company confidential and sharing my information with his contact at Alcoa. I eventually learned that the company we were discussing was Alcoa and that they were interested in conducting a phone interview with me. The phone interview was set for September 29th and I spent about 1.5 hours on the phone. The phone interview went well and I was invited for a site interview. That was scheduled on September 30th for an interview on October 13th. This is sufficient time to ensure that all interviewers were available. I cancelled my personal plans for that week so that I could be available for Alcoa and the Talent Manager traveling to Dover from Cleveland.
The Day of the Interview
I arrived at the facility early and watched the Safety presentation and obtained the proper credentials to go into the facility. When I arrived at the HR department for my 1 pm interview, I was taken to the break room in the HR Department where the 3 HR people I was supposed to interview were eating lunch. They informed me that the schedule had been revised and there were budget meetings so it had to change. I’m flexible so I said that was ‘ok’ and moved on.
What actually happened was that I spoke with the Talent Manager for about 30 minutes until the Manufacturing Leader showed up to take me on the tour. During that time we discussed Community Relations and issues with the Controller. I was asked very specific questions about the Controller and her not fitting in and struggles she was having. I was asked how I would build the relationship and help resolve the issues. Now, I’m really good at counseling, but without time and actually meeting the Controller it would be difficult to provide a true and accurate assessment.
I went on the tour of the facility and it was very interesting to see the shop, see the people in action and learn about the process. This was the highlight of my visit.
I returned to the conference room and waited. There was confusion as to who I was meeting next, so one of the HR people stepped in. I spoke with her for about 30-40 minutes. Mainly about my background and where I wanted to be in 2 years. It was obvious she was asking because in 2 years she wanted to be the Plant HR Manager.
After that interview, I waited and then 3 people showed up to conduct the Plant Leadership Interview. One was an HR person, the other a member of the Leadership Team that was on the interview schedule and the third someone from operations, but was not on the interview list. Not sure who he was as I never got a card. Now, this being a panel interview the seating arrangement was very awkward. I was sitting at the middle of the conference table, one person on one end and the other 2 at the other end. As I answered questions, I felt like I was at a tennis match, trying to make eye contact with everyone. This interview lasted about 40 minutes and was asked very specific questions about the Howmet facility. I felt they were looking for solutions to problems and not actually interviewing me. I was asked by the HR person to “Tell me about your strategy experience?” As this is a very broad question, I asked for clarification, didn’t get any, she just repeated the question. I talked about my Talent Management and Development strategy experience.
Nobody took notes, the business people did not have copies of my resume, and there were no structured questions. It was very obvious that nobody was prepared.
During this interview I learned that the Howmet facility had a hard time keeping an HR Manager. May be not the best thing to share with someone considering working for Alcoa. I also learned that in the last 12 months all but 2 members of the Leadership Team have left. Also, not the best thing to share with a candidate.
Upon the conclusion of this interview, I asked the HR person what was the next step. She said that since I am through a recruiter and we will get back to them. Very cold and I felt like I was dismissed.
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a Phone Interview, a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.
More Alcoa Human Resources Manager Interviews
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
Process Engineer at Alcoa
Posted Mar 22, 2011
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4.0
Difficult Interview
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Overall Positive Experience
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Interviewed and No Offer
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Interviewed Mar 2010 in Whitehall, MI (took a day)
Background: I'm a recent grad from a Big Ten University with my bachelor's in engineering. On very short notice I was invited to Whitehall for an interview with Alcoa for an entry level materials process engineer position. I was given a tour of several of their facilities in Whitehall, in which my escorts took some time to pick my brain. Afterwords i had a group interview with 4-6 engineers. I was asked a variety of typical personality interview questions, asked about teamwork, etc. What I wanted to be doing in 5 years. I then met with the department head, who seemed concerned if I would fit in to small town life. The whole process was several hours. I had actually, over a year prior, interviewed with Alcoa when they were recruiting at my college and had 2 interviewers at that point. They are big fans of the group interview. Anyways, I thought I gave the interview of my life but was told they "decided not to fill the position."
Interview Questions
Other Details
I got the interview through a Recruiter and the interview consisted of a 1:1 Interview and a Group/Panel Interview.
Helpful Interview?
Yes |
No
Inappropriate?
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