Glassdoor users rated their interview experience at Caterpillar as 100% positive with a difficulty rating score of 3 out of 5 (where 5 is the highest level of difficulty). Candidates interviewing for Praktikant and Service Maintenance Engineer rated their interviews as the hardest, whereas interviews for Praktikant and Service Maintenance Engineer roles were rated as the easiest.
The hiring process at Caterpillar takes an average of 59 days when considering 2 user submitted interviews across all job titles. Candidates applying for Service Maintenance Engineer had the quickest hiring process (on average 59 days), whereas Service Maintenance Engineer roles had the slowest hiring process (on average 59 days).
The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Caterpillar (Peoria, IL) in Dec 2011
Interview
Initial contact at a conference where I spoke with a representative and handed them my resume. Applied online almost immediately after. I was contacted about 2 weeks later and set up a phone interview that last about an hour. Very friendly and knowledgable interviewer. Passed phone interview and was flown out the night before interview and was taken out by a very friendly employee in a relaxed environment.
Morning of interview I was taken to breakfast, orientation about the specific program, drug-test and three 1-hour interviews. They ask you to use the STAR technique to answer their situational/behavioral questions. Prepare before hand with your answers to the most common questions - it's not just about answering the question but about being able to relate your experience with the position you are interviewing for. Honestly, everyone was very knowledgable, gave active feedback and even took time after the interview time to talk some more.
Depending on your interviewers you will have either employees that go question by question and others that will choose to give you 1 or 2 question that they like. Yes, they did have "topics" for a set of question but the as long as you answer the question and know what they are asking for - you will do fine. It's ok to ask to repeat the question and usually they will give a paraphrase on what they want to find out.
Chances are if you are interviewing for them at HQ you have some great qualifications and have passed at least two screenings. At this point it is just about finding a fit for you within the company and if you think the company is a good fit for you.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about a time when a policy, process or procedure changed in a middle of a project or situation - how did you adapt?
I applied through college or university. The process took 2 days. I interviewed at Caterpillar (Peoria, IL) in Oct 2011
Interview
The first interview took place on campus in which 2 interviewers asked STAR based questions. After completion of the first interview, email contact was made to schedule for a second round interview in Peoria Illinois. The second round interview in Peoria consisted of four, one hour interviews, in which different professionals asked similar STAR based questions. Travel accommodations were provided. In my case I was contacted back 2 weeks after the interview asking for 3 additional weeks to make a decision. I allowed 4 weeks to pass before I recontacted to inform that I had other pending offers. At that time I did not receive an offer.
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Recall an incidence in which you had to complete a task in which you did not agree with. How did you complete the task?
I applied through an employee referral. The process took 1 day. I interviewed at Caterpillar (Chennai) in Nov 2010
Interview
I was called for an interview. Consisted of a panel of 3 - one hiring manager, his equivalent heading a different team, and their boss who manages the division.
Interview was sprinkling of STAR type questions combined with previous experience questions.
Took about 1 hr. Some questions were pretty unrelated to the job - 'Describe a situation where you managed a balance between your work and personal life'. I also had to give a 15 minute presentation about some of the work I did in my previous job role. Since it was a research role, my interviewers kinda blanked out :-)
Interview questions [2]
Question 1
Describe a situation in which you took a leadership role and saw it through.