I applied online. I interviewed at Thales (Crawley, West Sussex, South East England, England)
Interview
Very rigid interview format. Too much emphasis on getting the applicant to recall memory and provide situational examples on the spot.
For engineering roles these sitautions are rarely technical therefore do not let the applicant bring their technical experience to the fore. Although still important, higher value is placed on soft skills rather than technical knowledge, industry experience and desire to problem solve.
If successful it its a great company to work for, but interviews are overly difficult and a lot of talented and experienced engineers are often overlooked and slip through the net.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They will ask you to provide examples of when you have encountered a certain situation, rather than providing you with the situation and asking how you would act, and do not always allow you to default to this reversal if you cannot recall an example.
These situations are sometimes very specific, and not technical based, so are more a test of being able to recall memory on the spot.
They rarely ask technical questions to test your knowledge.
Skills can always be taught, but those that can talk will shine in the Thales interview format, those that can do, may not shine so much and I'm not sure if they recognise this.
The interview process was well-structured and professional. It included an initial HR screening followed by a technical interview focused on practical scenarios.
Communication throughout the process was clear and timely, and the Team left a strong impression of a positive and supportive company culture. The interviewers were knowledgeable and created a comfortable atmosphere, which made it easy to engage in meaningful discussion.
Overall, a very positive experience with a fair assessment of relevant skills.
I applied online. I interviewed at Thales (Amsterdam) in Jan 2026
Interview
I applied for a position in the Netherlands and was contacted twice by phone to provide personal information. After supplying all requested details, I was later asked to complete an additional form containing similar information, without clear justification.
During the process, I requested clarification on fundamental employment terms, including salary range, contract type, vacation entitlement, and relocation support. These questions were not answered in a transparent or concrete manner. Communication was handled via phone calls and SMS rather than written correspondence, and after requesting clarification by email, I was informed by SMS that I would not be invited to interview.
Based on this experience, I consider the recruitment process unprofessional, lacking transparency, and not aligned with standard professional hiring practices.
I applied online. The process took 8 weeks. I interviewed at Thales (London, England) in Nov 2025
Interview
Discussion with the talent acquisition partner, then a teams interview (informal) with the head of AI to determine if there were any appropriate roles for me. The company is going through some restructuring, so it was decided that there wasn't anything appropriate at the moment.
