I applied in-person. The process took 2 weeks. I interviewed at Keyence (Mississauga, ON) in Feb 2017
Interview
Met a friendly Keyence Rep at a career fair who told me they hire science grads (not just engineers) and with my background in physics I would have no problem at all understanding their equipment. They accepted my resume and sent me two online assessments: one very basic physics/mechanics test and one extremely tedious personality test. Was asked to go to Mississauga for an interview shortly after that.
From then on, the interview process was just awful. I drove a considerable distance into Mississauga to make the interview and was sat down in a room with just one person (no panel) who spoke to me for maybe ten minutes. They asked generic pre-set questions which should definitely be part of a phone screening and not an on-site interview. He didn't seem to have any interest in my technical background or experience, didn't seem to understand what a physics degree is ("Is it 'like' engineering?") and for some reason didn't ask about the relevant technical sales experience on my resume, instead focusing on less related work.
My overall impression was that this company is interested in sales and profit and not much else. He outright told me that he was interviewing about 10 people every day that week and selecting only the 'very best'. Goes to show that they don't mind wasting a lot of people's time with their brute force hiring procedure - if they know they are going to reject a lot of candidates for not meeting certain requirements they should do phone screenings.
Comparing this with the interview for the company I was subsequently hired by: aptitude test with application followed by 2 hour interview with 4 staff members (part behavioral and part technical). On top of that, way better salary and benefits. You can tell a lot about a company based on their hiring process and I'm very glad I didn't end up with this one.
Very odd, one hirevue and then they fly you out to chicago. The chicago process is smooth. One interview and roll play. Great time to practice skills and continue to get better.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
Tell me about yourself and to sell them a product I use everyday. They also asked for a time I showed dedication to achieve a goal.
I applied through a staffing agency. I interviewed at Keyence
Interview
The interview process starts with an informational session. After that, you complete a digital interview assessment, and only those who pass move on to a traditional Zoom interview. There are definitely a lot of stages you have to pass to get to the final round.
Interview questions [1]
Question 1
They may conduct a mock sales conversation where you will have to sell them something. Or they may ask you what you think will be the hardest part of the job.
Good practice for the job, multiple stages involving phone screening with HR, meeting with director, then mock presentation and interview with manager. Make sure to practice discovery questions for the mock presentations to help you understand client needs.