Why pre-screen smart grid engineers before the technical panel
A distribution network designed for power flowing outwards behaves differently once a street of solar installations starts exporting at midday. Voltage rises at the end of the feeder, protection settings that were correct for decades are no longer correct, and none of it appears in a model built on the old assumptions. Engineers worth hiring have seen that on a real network. A short screen asks what they found and what was changed.
What actually matters when screening Smart Grid Engineer candidates
- 01
Technical depth
Check depth on distribution modelling and protocols: OpenDSS or CYME load flow, IEC 61850 GOOSE, DNP3 mapping, IEEE 1547 DER interconnection limits, volt/VAR optimisation settings.
- 02
Work that shipped
Probe substations, feeders or platforms they energised: FLISR schemes commissioned, ADMS or DERMS rollouts, AMI meter counts, measured SAIDI or CAIDI improvement after go-live.
- 03
Diagnosis under uncertainty
Test how they chase intermittent faults: nuisance recloser operations, PMU or waveform data review, false trips from misconfigured relay settings, communications dropouts on RF mesh backhaul.
- 04
Working across the org
Assess work with protection engineers, planning, field crews and regulators: interconnection queue reviews, switching order approvals, rate case or DSIP filing support, vendor factory acceptance testing.
Pre-screening questions to ask Smart Grid 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.
Live network work
3 questions01Can you describe projects you have worked on involving modern power systems or microgrids?
Listen forWork on an operating network with their own scope, distinguishing study work from what was energised.
Studies and simulations only, or no scheme that was built and commissioned.
02What is your experience with power systems operation and control?
Listen forUnderstanding of how the network is actually operated, including switching and outage constraints.
Control described from theory only, or no contact with the people who operate the network.
03Can you describe your experience with supervisory control systems and how you implemented them?
Listen forReal implementation with points lists, data quality and alarm handling addressed properly.
Systems described at a product level, or alarm floods treated as normal operation.
Distributed generation
4 questions04How would you handle the integration of renewable energy resources into a network?
Listen forVoltage rise, reverse flow and protection settings addressed specifically, with connection studies described.
Integration described as a connection process, or protection implications not considered.
05What methods do you use for grid stability analysis?
Listen forAnalysis validated against measurements from the network rather than trusted from the model.
Model results accepted without field validation, or no comparison against recorded events.
06What strategies do you use for voltage regulation?
Listen forRegulation coordinated across devices, with inverter capability used rather than only tap changers.
Voltage treated as a tap changer problem, or coordination between devices not considered.
07What experience do you have with energy storage and its integration into the network?
Listen forStorage sized against a defined purpose, with the control strategy and degradation accounted for.
Storage proposed as a general solution, or no view on what the asset is actually for.
Control system security
2 questions08How do you ensure cybersecurity in network deployments?
Listen forOperational technology treated on its own terms, with segmentation, vendor access and patching constraints addressed.
Corporate security practice applied directly, or equipment assumed patchable on a normal cycle.
09What familiarity do you have with substation and utility communication protocols?
Listen forProtocol work in practice, including configuration and the interoperability problems between different vendors.
Protocols named with no implementation, or interoperability assumed to be straightforward.
Standards in practice
3 questions10How do you handle data acquisition and management within these systems?
Listen forData quality handled at source, with missing and bad values detected rather than passed downstream.
Metering data trusted without validation, or gaps discovered by whoever uses the data later.
11How do you ensure compliance with regulatory standards in your projects?
Listen forNetwork codes and connection standards named for their jurisdiction, applied in real designs.
Compliance treated as a documentation step, or no specific code they have worked to.
12Can you talk about your experience with microgrid planning and implementation?
Listen forIslanding and resynchronisation addressed practically, with protection coordinated in both operating modes.
Microgrids described conceptually, or islanded protection not considered.
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%5Names specific protocol stacks and modelling tools, explains inverter ride-through or VVO parameter choices with correct voltage and impedance reasoning.
Work that shipped
30%5Cites named feeder or substation projects with circuit counts, commissioning dates, and reliability index movement they can defend numerically.
Diagnosis under uncertainty
20%5Walks through an unexplained trip or data gap, describes evidence gathered from event files, and states the confirmed root cause.
Working across the org
15%5Describes concrete handoffs with operations and planning, and evidence of translating engineering constraints for regulators or executives.
A network built for one-way flow behaves differently once a street exports at midday. A one-way video screen asks what they found on a live system.
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 live network experience, test their handling of distributed generation, and check control system security thinking.
How much should utility experience matter?
It is difficult to substitute. Network codes, protection practice and operational constraints are learned on a live system, and an engineer from simulation work will need considerable support at first.
Evaluating answers
What is the strongest signal when screening this role?
A real network problem they investigated, such as voltage rise or a protection issue caused by embedded generation. Simulation-only candidates describe the phenomenon but not the investigation.
How do I judge their security thinking?
Ask how control systems are secured. Sound answers cover segmentation, patching constraints on equipment that cannot be taken offline, and vendor access. Corporate security practice transplanted directly is a warning.
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
