ISO/TS 16949
ISO/TS 16949 (now known as IATF 16949) is a quality management standard specifically for the automotive industry. Think of it as a rulebook that car manufacturers and their suppliers must follow to ensure they're making high-quality, safe parts consistently. It's like a seal of approval that tells automotive companies that a supplier knows how to make parts correctly and can prove it. When you see this on a resume, it means the person has experience working in facilities that follow these strict automotive quality rules.
Examples in Resumes
Led quality team in achieving ISO/TS 16949 certification for manufacturing plant
Maintained ISO/TS 16949 and IATF 16949 compliance across 3 production lines
Conducted internal audits to ensure ISO/TS 16949 quality standards were met
Typical job title: "Quality Engineers"
Also try searching for:
Where to Find Quality Engineers
Professional Organizations
Online Communities
Job Resources
Example Interview Questions
Senior Level Questions
Q: How would you handle a major quality issue that could affect production?
Expected Answer: Should explain their approach to problem-solving, including immediate containment actions, root cause analysis, corrective actions, and preventive measures. Should mention customer communication and documentation requirements.
Q: What experience do you have with leading quality management system implementations?
Expected Answer: Should discuss experience managing quality system changes, training teams, conducting audits, and working with certification bodies. Should mention successful certification achievements.
Mid Level Questions
Q: What are the key differences between ISO 9001 and IATF 16949?
Expected Answer: Should explain that IATF 16949 is specific to automotive and adds requirements beyond ISO 9001, including stricter documentation, error-proofing, and customer-specific requirements.
Q: How do you ensure supplier quality compliance?
Expected Answer: Should discuss supplier evaluation processes, auditing, performance monitoring, and working with suppliers to resolve quality issues.
Junior Level Questions
Q: What is a quality management system?
Expected Answer: Should explain in simple terms that it's a set of policies, processes, and procedures used to ensure that products meet quality requirements consistently.
Q: What are the basic quality tools you've used?
Expected Answer: Should mention common quality tools like check sheets, control charts, or inspection reports, and explain how they're used to monitor quality.
Experience Level Indicators
Junior (0-2 years)
- Basic quality inspection methods
- Understanding of quality documentation
- Familiarity with measurement tools
- Basic problem-solving techniques
Mid (2-5 years)
- Internal audit experience
- Quality system documentation
- Problem-solving methods
- Supplier quality management
Senior (5+ years)
- Quality system implementation
- Management review leadership
- Advanced problem-solving
- Team leadership and training
Red Flags to Watch For
- No hands-on quality control experience
- Unfamiliar with basic quality tools and measurements
- No understanding of automotive industry requirements
- Lack of experience with quality documentation
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