Controls Specialist - 2nd Shift
Posted Sep 23, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
Likely interview questions for this role
Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.
About your past
Tell me about a controls problem you solved that other people had given up on.
What they are checking: The depth and persistence of their troubleshooting on hard, intermittent electrical problems.
How do you keep up your knowledge of the process, the equipment and what's in the storeroom?
What they are checking: Whether they learn the whole system so they can act fast when something breaks on third shift.
How do you document a logic change or a drive parameter change so others can follow it?
What they are checking: Whether they leave a trail, since an undocumented change can confuse the next technician for months.
What would you do
A sensor keeps giving false signals and stopping the line. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they find the real cause instead of bypassing a sensor, which can defeat a safety function.
You're the only controls person on third shift and two lines go down at once. How do you decide where to go?
What they are checking: Whether they can prioritize by safety, impact and fix time instead of reacting to whoever yells loudest.
About the work
Walk me through how you'd troubleshoot a PLC-controlled station that stopped and isn't showing a clear fault.
What they are checking: Whether they go online with the PLC, check inputs and outputs and follow the logic rather than guessing.
What PLC platforms have you programmed or edited, and what kind of changes have you made live?
What they are checking: Their real level with controls and whether they respect the risk of editing logic on a running mill.
How do you set up and program a VFD for a new motor?
What they are checking: Whether they know motor nameplate data, accel and decel, current limits and how to read drive fault codes.
A drive keeps throwing an overcurrent fault on a mill stand. What are the possible causes and how do you narrow them down?
What they are checking: Whether they separate drive, motor, cable and mechanical load problems in an orderly way.
What steps do you take before working in a live electrical panel, and when would you refuse to?
What they are checking: Whether they understand arc flash risk, PPE and when energized work is truly justified.
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Practice this out loudThe full job description
As published by Zekelman Industries.