Why pre-screen microgrid engineers before the technical panel
A microgrid works two ways: connected to the network, and standing alone with inverters holding the frequency. Protection settings that are correct for one are wrong for the other, and the transition between them is where the difficult engineering sits. Engineers worth hiring have commissioned that transition and watched it fail at least once. A short screen asks about the first islanding test, which almost nobody describes smoothly.
What actually matters when screening Microgrid Engineer candidates
- 01
Technical depth
Probe their command of islanding and reconnection logic, droop versus isochronous control, IEEE 1547 and UL 1741 SA settings, and sizing runs in HOMER Pro, ETAP or PSCAD.
- 02
Work that shipped
Ask which microgrids they took from single line diagram to energisation: site size in kW or MW, BESS and genset mix, commissioning tests, and measured resilience hours delivered.
- 03
Diagnosis under uncertainty
Test how they chased faults with no clear cause: nuisance trips, DERMS setpoint conflicts, inverter fault codes, Modbus or SCADA comms dropouts, unexpected battery degradation.
- 04
Working across the org
Look for how they handled utility interconnection queues, AHJ and fire marshal reviews, EPC contractors, and finance teams pressing on PPA or capex assumptions.
Pre-screening questions to ask Microgrid Engineer candidates
12 questions grouped by what they test. Ask the same set in every screen and score answers on a consistent scale, or send them as an async video screen and compare answers side by side.
Commissioned systems
3 questions01Can you provide examples of microgrid projects you have led or been closely involved in?
Listen forProjects that were built and commissioned, with capacity, generation mix and their own scope.
Feasibility studies only, or no system they saw through to operation.
02Can you describe your experience with microgrid design and implementation?
Listen forDesign work that continued into installation and commissioning rather than stopping at issue.
Design handed over at drawing stage, or no involvement during commissioning.
03Can you discuss reliability problems you have faced and how you addressed them?
Listen forA real reliability issue in operation, with the cause found and the fix verified.
Reliability discussed as a design target, or no operational problem encountered.
Both operating modes
3 questions04What experience do you have with grid-connected compared with islanded operation?
Listen forBoth modes worked with in practice, including the transition and resynchronisation on a real system.
Islanding discussed theoretically, or no experience of a transition being tested.
05What methods do you use for protection and isolation in these systems?
Listen forSeparate settings for each mode, with reduced inverter fault current accounted for.
One protection setting group used for both modes, or fault current assumed unchanged.
06How do you approach integrating renewable generation into a microgrid?
Listen forGrid-forming capability considered, with inertia and frequency support addressed for island mode.
Only grid-following inverters specified, or frequency support not considered.
Control tuned in practice
3 questions07What experience do you have with microgrid control systems and their integration?
Listen forControllers configured and tuned on site, with the response to a real disturbance described.
Controllers commissioned by the vendor alone, or tuning left at factory settings.
08Can you discuss your approach to load management within a microgrid?
Listen forCritical loads identified with the site and load shedding sequenced and tested.
All load treated as critical, or shedding designed but never proven.
09What is the role of energy storage in these systems, and what is your experience with it?
Listen forStorage sized for the specific duty, with degradation and state of charge management planned.
Storage sized by rule of thumb, or degradation not considered over the asset life.
Economics tested
3 questions10How do you approach economic analysis and feasibility for these projects?
Listen forWhole-life cost modelled against the value of resilience, with honest payback figures.
Feasibility based on capital cost alone, or resilience value asserted without quantification.
11Can you share your experience with commissioning and ongoing maintenance?
Listen forCommissioning tests they ran, including islanding, with the operator trained to run the system.
Commissioning left to contractors, or a system the site operator cannot manage.
12How do you ensure compliance with standards and codes in microgrid projects?
Listen forInterconnection requirements and protection standards named for the jurisdiction, and applied in real designs.
Compliance treated as a permit exercise, or connection requirements not known.
How to score responses
Score every candidate on the same four criteria immediately after the screen. At this stage you are shortlisting for panel interviews, not making the final call.
Technical depth
35%5Explains grid-forming versus grid-following inverter behaviour, cites specific protection settings, and defends generation and storage sizing against real load profiles.
Work that shipped
30%5Names commissioned sites with capacity figures, seamless transfer test results, and post-energisation performance data rather than studies that stalled at design.
Diagnosis under uncertainty
20%5Walks through a real anomaly using logs, PQ meter captures and firmware history, isolating the cause and confirming the fix survived repeat cycling.
Working across the org
15%5Describes negotiating interconnection study comments and translating technical constraints into cost and schedule terms utilities, owners and EPCs all accepted.
Protection settings that work connected are wrong when islanded, and the transition is where it fails. A one-way video screen asks about the first test.
Try it on HirevireScreening FAQ
Process basics
How long should a pre-screening round for this role take?
Fifteen minutes across eight to ten questions, answered async. Enough to establish the projects they commissioned, test their protection and control thinking, and check economic analysis.
How does this differ from a smart grid engineer screen?
The distinguishing question is islanding. A microgrid must operate standing alone, which changes protection, control and generation requirements in ways a distribution network engineer may never have faced.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening this role?
The first islanding test. Engineers who have commissioned a microgrid describe what went wrong and what was retuned. Anyone whose transitions were clean has probably only modelled them.
How do I judge their protection knowledge?
Ask how protection differs when islanded. Sound answers cover reduced fault current from inverters and the need for different settings. Anyone applying one setting group to both modes is unsafe.
Go deeper on this role
Sanat has been hiring since 2012 and watching the recruitment industry change up close ever since, and turned that screening process into Hirevire's video screening platform. LinkedIn
