ABB
ABB India interview process for engineers and GETs: online aptitude test, technical, managerial and HR rounds, plus the most asked ABB interview questions.
- 2,184 open jobs
- 1883 founded
- Zurich headquarters
About ABB
ABB is a global technology leader in electrification and automation, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, with a history going back more than 140 years. Its four business areas are Electrification, Motion, Process Automation and Robotics and Discrete Automation, covering everything from switchgear, drives and motors to industrial robots, control systems and software for energy management. ABB employs around 110,000 people in more than 100 countries.
ABB has operated in India for over 75 years. ABB India Limited, headquartered in Bengaluru and listed on Indian stock exchanges, runs more than 20 manufacturing facilities across Bengaluru, Vadodara, Nashik, Faridabad and other locations, along with sales offices nationwide. Bengaluru also hosts one of ABB's largest global engineering and R&D centres, where Indian engineers develop products, software and digital solutions used worldwide.
ABB hires freshers mainly as Graduate Engineer Trainees and through internships from electrical, electronics, mechanical, instrumentation and computer science programmes, and experienced professionals in design and R&D engineering, software development, project management, sales and service, operations, supply chain and finance. It values technical rigour, safety consciousness and the ability to work with customers in heavy industry, utilities, infrastructure and transport.
ABB hiring process
ABB India's hiring process differs slightly between its factories, sales units and the Bengaluru engineering centre, but the stages below cover nearly every role. It typically takes three to six weeks.
1. Application and screening
Apply on the ABB careers site, through a campus drive for the Graduate Engineer Trainee programme, or via referral. Recruiters screen on degree discipline, academic record and, for experienced hires, direct exposure to the relevant product line or technology.
2. Online assessment
Campus and trainee candidates take an online test with quantitative aptitude, logical reasoning, verbal ability and a technical section on their engineering discipline. Software roles at the R&D centre get a coding assessment instead. Lateral hires for sales and operations usually move straight to interviews.
3. Technical interview
One or two rounds of 45 to 60 minutes with engineers or team leads. Core engineering subjects, your final-year project or work experience, and practical questions on the products the team works on, such as drives, protection relays, PLCs or robot programming.
4. Managerial or panel interview
A discussion with the hiring manager, sometimes as a panel, on your motivation, approach to safety and quality, teamwork, willingness to travel or relocate, and how you would handle real scenarios from the business.
5. HR interview
Compensation, location, joining timeline and an overview of ABB's policies, training and benefits. Trainee offers include a defined training period before confirmation.
6. Offer and onboarding
Offers are typically released within two weeks of the final round, followed by a background check. New engineers go through induction on safety, quality systems and ABB's products before joining their teams.
ABB interview rounds
The rounds below describe the typical loop for an engineering or Graduate Engineer Trainee role. Sales, operations and finance loops follow the same structure with functional questions in place of the technical ones.
Round 1: Online aptitude and technical test
60 to 90 minutes on an online platform. Quantitative, logical and verbal sections plus discipline-specific technical questions. R&D software roles get programming problems and objective questions on computer science fundamentals.
- Electrical machines, power systems and protection basics
- Control systems, sensors and PLC fundamentals
- Data interpretation and logical puzzles
Round 2: Technical interview
A 60 minute interview with senior engineers. Deep questions on your core subjects, your projects and internships, and applied problems related to the team's product line. Software candidates solve coding problems and discuss embedded or application design.
- Explain how a variable frequency drive controls motor speed
- How does a protection relay detect a fault?
- Design a state machine for a robotic pick-and-place cycle
Round 3: Managerial and scenario interview
45 minutes with the hiring manager or a panel. Questions on safety, quality and customer situations, how you learn new systems, and your fit with a manufacturing or engineering environment. Sales candidates get a customer negotiation scenario.
- A situation where you had to choose between speed and quality
- How would you handle a customer whose plant is down because of an ABB product?
- Are you willing to work at a plant location or travel to sites?
Round 4: HR interview
A 30 minute discussion on compensation expectations, relocation, career growth within ABB's business areas and any questions you have.
- Why ABB and why this business area?
- Where do you see yourself in five years?
ABB salaries
| Designation | Average salary |
|---|---|
Manager Experience: 8 - 12 years yrs |
₹ 28.6 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹20.8 L – ₹36.4 L/yr |
Senior Engineer Experience: 5 - 8 years yrs |
₹ 18.2 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹13 L – ₹23.4 L/yr |
Design / Production Engineer Experience: 2 - 5 years yrs |
₹ 11.1 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹7.8 L – ₹14.3 L/yr |
Graduate Engineer Trainee Experience: 0 - 1 years yrs |
₹ 6.2 Lakhs /year Typical range ₹4.6 L – ₹7.8 L/yr |
Figures are estimates based on typical market ranges for this role and sector, not company-published pay. Actual offers vary by location, skills and negotiation.
ABB interview questions
Question banks most relevant to roles at ABB, with model answers.
ABB interview FAQs
Q1How many rounds are there in the ABB interview process?
Freshers and Graduate Engineer Trainees usually go through an online test, one or two technical interviews, a managerial or panel round and an HR round. Experienced candidates in sales, operations or finance often skip the online test and have two or three interviews in total.
Q2How long does ABB take to complete hiring and share an offer?
Three to six weeks is typical from application to offer for lateral hires, with a background check before the joining date. Campus recruitment for the trainee programme is quicker, with results generally shared within a few weeks of the drive.
Q3What do you know about ABB and its business areas?
Describe ABB as a global electrification and automation company with four business areas: Electrification, Motion, Process Automation, and Robotics and Discrete Automation. Mention its long presence in India, its manufacturing plants and the Bengaluru engineering centre, and link one business area to your own discipline or project. Specific product knowledge, such as drives, switchgear or robots, impresses interviewers.
Q4Explain the working of a device or system from your core subject. How detailed should I be?
Start with the principle, then the main components, then how it behaves under normal and fault conditions, and finish with a practical application. For example, for a circuit breaker cover arc quenching, ratings and coordination with relays. ABB interviewers prefer clear fundamentals over memorised jargon, and will ask follow-ups until they find your limit, which is normal.
Q5Tell me about a time you identified a safety or quality issue. How should I answer?
Safety is central to ABB's culture, so pick a real example from a lab, internship, project or workplace. Explain what you noticed, how you raised it, what corrective action followed and what the outcome was. If you have no direct example, describe how you approach safety in your work and show awareness of standard practices such as lockout procedures or design reviews.
Q6What is the eligibility and salary for Graduate Engineer Trainees at ABB India?
ABB typically hires GETs with a B.E. or B.Tech in electrical, electronics, mechanical, instrumentation or computer science, usually with a minimum academic cutoff and no active backlogs. Trainee compensation is in line with other large engineering multinationals in India, with a structured training period before confirmation, and progression into design, project, service or sales engineering roles.
Quick facts about ABB
- How many people work at ABB?
- ABB employs approximately 105,000+. Headcount figures move over time and are indicative.
- Is ABB a public or private company?
- Ownership: Public Company.
- Who founded ABB?
- ABB was founded by Charles Brown, Walter Boveri, and Ludwig von Siemens.
- Who is the CEO of ABB?
- As recorded on this profile, Björn Rosengren leads ABB. Leadership can change - check the company's own site for the current position holder.
2,184 open jobs at ABB
Apply on Jobaaj, and use this guide to prepare before your first round.