How to Answer: How do you go about evaluating a hardware component you have never used before for inclusion in your hardware design?
Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Computer Hardware Engineer job interview.
16. How do you go about evaluating a hardware component you have never used before for inclusion in your hardware design?
How to Answer
Computer hardware engineers must constantly evaluate new technology for inclusion in their designs. This will ensure that the hardware they build will be state-of-the-art and perform the most demanding tasks. Interviewers will be interested in the process you use to evaluate new technologies and components to determine if it is efficient, effective, and aligns with the processors their current design team utilizes. As with any operational question, discuss the process you use in a series of discrete steps with little detail. You should anticipate follow-up questions from the interviewer.
Written by William Swansen on September 13th, 2021
Answer Example
"My process to evaluate new hardware components starts with researching the most recent developments in the particular components I am interested in. Next, I narrow the field to two or three of the most promising technologies. I then contact the vendors and meet with their sales and technical teams to discuss the components' features and benefits. I then will select one or two components and test them for compatibility, operational effectiveness, and other features to ensure that they will work in my design. Finally, I select the one that is best suited for the design and meets the cost parameters I am working with."
Written by William Swansen on September 13th, 2021