United Technologies Operations Leadership Program Associate Interview

Interviewed Jan 2011 (took 3 months)

I submitted an online application and was soon contacted via email and told that I would have 2 days to prepare a 5-slide presentation in which I would need to "creatively introduce" myself and then identify an operations-related challenge facing UTC, explain the implications of the issue, and create a list of short-term and long-term recommendations to address the issue.

After I submitted the presentation, I was contacted for a phone interview with their program manager. The phone interview was straight-forward and we discussed my work/school experience, my career goals, a general overview of the program, etc. Next, I had to complete an online assessment which included a values assessment and then a work-related personality test.

Finally, there was a 2-day on-site interview. The first day consisted of a plant tour, a presentation from a current program associate, and a dinner. After dinner, they assigned a "homework assignment", in which we needed to creatively introduce ourselves (again!) and then read a case study and identify key issues, implications, and recommendations. The next morning, each candidate introduced themselves and shared their analysis of the case study in front of the other candidates and a 5-person interview panel. Candidates also had to work together to solve a supplier issue related to the case and then conduct a roleplay meeting. After lunch, there were 3 one-on-one interviews with members of the panel. Most of the questions were behavioral and some were about why you were interested in operations, the company, and the program.

I had a neutral opinion about their interview process up until on-site interview. During their on-site interviews, they blatantly insulted one of their competitors multiple times. Additionally, throughout the process, I was surprised (perhaps even shocked) by how demanding UTC was to the candidates, considering that the program is so new.