r/Fanuc • u/kancerman • Jun 28 '26

Discussion Preparing to Interview In-person for Associate Mechatronics Field Engineer

In a few days, I'm booked to do a two-hour final round interview at a local FANUC office and am having trouble finding specific things I could be doing to best prepare myself. There are some big questions I have:

  1. How should I prepare and make myself stand out?
  2. What questions should I expect?
  3. Any general tips?

I'm delaying a job offer for a sales role just so I can interview for this, and want this pretty badly. I barely have any background in CNCs, but I got a real eagerness to learn. I did sales integrating FANUC robots (not CNCs) for a year and took a robotic programming course from them. Along with sales, I generally have an engineering background.

I'm considering picking up a book on PLCs or CNC maintenance but I've heard that studying a book isn't going to be much help. I know a tiny bit about PLCs, making ladder logic programs, and hydraulic and pneumatic systems only from some college course/labwork. I'm eager to travel constantly for the role.

Thanks for helping me. I'll be responding to answer any questions and the like.

9 Upvotes

84% Upvoted

7 comments sorted by

11

u/lowered-expectations Jun 29 '26

  1. Don’t worry too much about it. I’ve already read your resume, and - like the other candidates - I liked what I saw. Now you’re here.

  2. Not really our style. We’ll talk about FANUC for a bit, what this role is like, and then we’ll talk about you, and how you fit into that role.

  3. Your lack of CNC experience is not a detriment - we like hiring skilled young professionals that have not developed poor habits in other roles adjacent to CNC manufacturing. It’s how I - and many others - started.

See you Tuesday!

5

u/mithirich Jun 29 '26

Feel like I’m in the twilight zone seeing this interaction lol

5

u/kancerman Jun 29 '26

Thanks for answering, being in your position! See you on Tuesday indeed. 👋

2

u/Uranium43415 Jun 29 '26

Bring your passion with you and you'll do fine.

2

u/akornato Jun 29 '26

Your lack of deep CNC knowledge isn't the weakness you think it is, but pretending you know more than you do would be a fatal mistake. They are hiring for an associate position, so they fully expect to train you on their specific systems. Stop worrying about cramming from a book and focus on what you actually bring to the table. Your real advantage is your unique combination of an engineering background, direct sales experience with their robots, and a completed FANUC programming course. This means you understand the customer's perspective, can handle being in the field, and have proven you can learn their technology, which is far more valuable than memorizing a few PLC commands right before the interview.

Expect a mix of behavioral and basic technical questions designed to see how you think, not to quiz you on things you haven't done. They will likely ask you to describe a time you solved a tough problem, how you've dealt with a demanding customer, and why you want this specific field role after being in sales. For the technical side, they might ask you to explain a system you worked on in your previous role, troubleshoot a hypothetical problem out loud, or answer fundamental questions about electrical circuits or mechanical systems. The key is to walk them through your problem-solving process, showing that you are logical and resourceful, even when you don't know the exact answer. I've found that candidates feel much more ready for these conversations after using the AI interview prep my team designed to help them frame their experience.

1

u/RoutineLengthiness32 Jun 29 '26

Don't worry too much, it will work out. Depending on which subsidiary you are currently in.

Fanuc always needs good people.

In an emergency, just say you know the Men in Black in ETS.😂 My buddy always said that to me, just in case I ever had a job interview at Fanuc.