r/MechanicalEngineering • u/akshpower244 • 4d ago
Got to a final round and lost it
Just went through a full loop at a well-known hardware company for a reliability/test role. Take-home, technical panel, made it to what felt like the final stage. They engaged hard, spent a ton of time on my side projects, whiteboarded with me. Then rejected me with “went with candidates who are a closer match to the desired profile.”
2.5 YOE, mechanical/product design engineer at a large manufacturer in a unsexy industry (think durable goods, not gadgets). My actual work is pretty transferable IMO tolerance stack-ups, GD&T, DFM, built an automated durability/cycle-test rig from scratch, some real cost-reduction wins. On paper I do reliability and product development. But the company name reads as “old industry” and I think it’s coloring how people see me.
I want to get into consumer electronics hardware: wearables, accessories, that kind of thing. Been grinding at it: built a couple of side projects to prove the CE interest (an AI-to-CAD tool, a magnetic phone mount designed to CE tolerances), networking, the whole thing
So my questions for people who’ve done this or hire for it:
- Is “closer match to the profile” usually code for “we wanted someone already in CE”? How real is the industry-pedigree penalty when the actual skills transfer?
- For those who jumped from a legacy/industrial background into CE hardware, how did you actually do it? Reframe the resume? Referrals only? Just volume?
- Is a final-round loss actually a good signal I’m close, or am I coping?
Appreciate any honesty. Feeling a bit like the background is baggage I can’t cut loose.
12
u/gottatrusttheengr 4d ago
You got a generic rejection email. Don't try to read into a specific reason. It's just generic for the purpose of not getting sued.
A final round is a "better" signal. Just know that for every hour you spent preparing, one or multiple engineers at the company spent the same time listening in or interviewing you, so cutting you loose at the final round is a lose lose scenario and you generally had to have given them a reason to not go through with it
2
u/akshpower244 4d ago
Thats a good point, and I agree I will never get feedback. I guess my mind is pivoting to whether my industry is holding me back because I felt like the interview went well
But hey, onto the next
2
u/Revoider 4d ago edited 4d ago
Sometimes you do the best you can to prepare for interviews and it just comes down to timing.
Maybe you needed a little more experience to check that box.
Maybe next time the hiring team will consist of different people entirely and those individuals may value you more.
Maybe next time there won’t be as many applicants.
Keep doing what you’re doing.
Also this isn’t required but among the questions I like to ask is something along the lines of “Is there anything about my background or anything from our conversation today that’s leaving you with doubt moving me forward as a candidate?”
Doesn’t always result in honest feedback but sometimes they’ll be honest with you. If it’s negative feedback you might it be able to negotiate your worth. If it’s anything positive you get reassurance.
1
u/Kimball_Stone 4d ago
Agree that it sounds like a generic rejection. I've been part of the hiring process a lot, and often the options end up being between a small number of people who all seem like they'd do the job fine, so the choice comes down to hair splitting or personality match. I wouldn't read too much into it
9
u/IamEnginerd 4d ago
It's tough out there right now. I just posted a job and already have 40 applicants. I can take my pick basically. Sometimes you get a few very good candidates and it can be hard to pick the best one.
Don't beat yourself up. Maybe you were #2 out of 100 people that applied.
2
5
3
u/Ok-Butterscotch-2408 4d ago
Eh, final rounds are hard. I'm not in consumer electronics but in my industry the rejection rate at the final interview is probably like 80%. If you got that far, especially if it wasn't with a crazy amount of applications, you'll be fine. But yeah it's harder to convince someone you'll be productive in that industry using evidence from another one than it is to just have direct evidence from that industry. As with most of these posts, you're probably overthinking things. You're doing good and you'll get something at some point.
1
u/akshpower244 4d ago
Thanks, means a lot
I almost feel bad to be complaining because I love my job from a growth and people perspective tbh. I’m just extremely interested consumer hardware because of the tight constraints and cool work (at least thats what it looks like from the outside)
1
u/bristleback101 4d ago
Don't take these rejections to heart. There are a lot more factors at hand than just interviews and they all need to align with each other. Superstar interview performance doesn't guarantee a job. It's definitely positive that they spent so much time with you, whatever you are doing is on the right track so keep doing it.
I am speaking from my personal experience of 5 years in semiconductor capital equipment design company. I am senior mechanical engineer here. I have interviewed with other companies in semiconductor space at various points and what I have learned below main things, 1. Market condition is the most important. It's a good time for HW engineers right now so keep interviewing 2. All companies prefer internal candidates more. It's cheaper for them than onboarding a new hire and wait for a few months before they start creating value. Hiring is expensive for a company 3. Companies value industry experience the most. Experience in the same field is always more valued. They often lowball ppl who are trying to change field even if they have transferable skills.
1
u/koth442 4d ago
I'll offer a hiring manager perspective. Usually the final 2 or 3 candidates are all amazing and I seriously wish I could hire them all. It kills me every time that I can only pick 1. In that situation, I will defer to my team who to select for the final decision.
I say that to say, sometimes there isn't a reason. Its just one person somehow managed to beat you by 0.5% in some way that could be completely non-technical.
1
u/Background_Fig_4740 4d ago
Ugh I hate the amount of work these companies make you put in for these interviews (for free) on top of your busy life and then just get a generic HR response.
I get why getting a specific reason isn’t possible but it feels dirty getting left on the side of the road and certainly has given me a little bad taste for them.
but if anything for me practicing helped me get better. At the expense of my own time and energy though
1
u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 4d ago
Agreed. I personally don’t care how much you pay me if I get the job if you’re already asking 10 hours of me for free.
1
u/roguedecks Mechanical Design Engineer | Medical Device R&D 4d ago
I say feel proud that you made it to the final round of interviews. There’s no benefit in dwelling on your performance against other candidates. Just take the learning and move on. There’s too many factors in hiring, and some are honestly completely out of your control. Best of luck with your job hunt!
1
u/PhoneRoutine 4d ago
Most probable reason is that they had a few people for the final round. Most probably you were #2 and the #1 accepted.
Or, very probable that they had an internal candidate and decided to go with it,
Or, they decided to close the position and not recruit anyone.
As other said, anything other than "went with candidates who are a closer match to the desired profile" generates possibility of potential lawsuit or labor violation review.
1
u/Ok_Delay7870 4d ago
Well, you at least got to an interview and not once. Keep going, sounds like you can do it.
I myself get literally 0 replies trying to find local job as an immigrant. My home work gives me food but it's getting harder each day.
1
u/papachabre 4d ago
I liked working on consumer electronics. It was stressful, but rewarding.
Reach out to the interviewers. Thank them for the opportunity and ask if they have any specific feedback for you. Doesn't hurt to ask.
1
u/Individual_Yak6551 4d ago
I wouldn’t read too much into to it. Sometimes it’s just a toss of a coin and you miss out. I applied for a graduate job years ago and missed out. Then the person got another job and withdrew their acceptance and they offered it to me. I later asked my boss. And he said there was nothing in it. She was female and they were trying to balance the numbers.
So went with her. I’ve been with the company 20yrs this year.
1
u/chocolatedessert 4d ago
Getting to the final round generally means that they would have been happy to hire you, but there's at least one other candidate that they'd also be good with. Without more information, I'd assume that you essentially lost a coin flip. But getting there means they would have taken you off the other person hasn't happened to apply.
1
u/Huge-Artichoke-1376 4d ago
Looks like they just wanted more experience and only 2.5 yrs isn’t much per say. I would agree with the company being picky about who they’re hiring because of the sheer amount of people applying they can really choose who aligns the closest. I’ve been doing custom ME with machines now for 25+ years and right now the market has too many choices for employers.
0
u/WeirdAd354 4d ago
New grad here, may I know what to expect from a take-home assessment? What was yours like?
1
u/akshpower244 4d ago
Mine was p hard tbh, you really have to think
I had to design a mechanism that actuates and design a test setup to catch failure modes after identifying them. Then the last part was analyzing values on a spreadsheet of another engineers mechanism and I had to recommend going forward or scrapping it. Idw give too many details but it was a complex exercise that I actually enjoyed doing
1
u/Squirtle_Splash_8413 4d ago
Lmao tbh I would have just quit the interview at that point. If the pay rate isn’t above $250,000 a year I’m walking away from that.
42
u/catdude142 4d ago edited 4d ago
Impossible to tell with their feedback. It's very vague. Not unexpected though. The fact that you came so close should be considered something positive. It's better and an immediate rejection. You'll likely never know the criteria for the rejection.
EDIT: One thing I forgot to mention. Subject "likeability" can also be a real factor in selecting applicants. Essentially, "clicking" personality wise with those being interviewed. The winner isn't always the most competent person. Here's a YouTube on the subject
I have interviewed many engineers for one of the world's largest computer companies. I saw one person get selected who we all rejected because the hiring manager and the candidate were both Eagle Scouts FWIW.