Lockheed Martin's interviews are conversations about your experience, and its interviewers use the STAR format (situation, task, action, result) to learn about it. You'll speak with recruiters, hiring managers and team members, virtually or in person. The number of interviews depends on the role.
The process details below come from Lockheed Martin's careers pages and FAQs, linked as we go. Lockheed Martin doesn't publish a list of interview questions, so the questions further down are ones to prepare for, built from its values and what it says it looks for.
The Lockheed Martin hiring process at a glance
Lockheed Martin's hiring process page sets out four stages:
| Stage | What happens | What Lockheed Martin says about timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Find your fit and apply | Search open roles, tailor your resume to the job and, if you know an employee, ask for a referral. | Not published |
| 2. Application review | Recruiters check basic qualifications, then desired ones, and meet managers to decide whom to interview. | "If there's a fit, you'll hear from us soon" |
| 3. Interviews | Virtual or in person, with recruiters, hiring managers and team members. | The number and length vary by role, business area and hiring manager |
| 4. Offer and next steps | A role-specific background check, then your offer and onboarding. | Background checks and clearances "can take time, and vary by role" |
What is the Lockheed Martin hiring process?
You apply online, recruiters review your application against the job's requirements, you interview with the team, and if you're selected you complete a background check before your offer. Your recruiter is your point of contact throughout, Lockheed Martin's hiring FAQs say.
Applying
- Apply on the official site. Lockheed Martin's recruiters point candidates to lockheedmartin.eightfold.ai/careers or lockheedmartin.com/careers. You create an account, which also lets you track your application.
- Tailor your resume to the job. Lockheed Martin asks you to show why you're the right fit.
- Ask for a referral if you know someone at Lockheed Martin.
- Cover letters: its application FAQs say you can simply address one to "Hiring Manager".
How applications are reviewed
Lockheed Martin's application FAQs explain the order. Recruiters first check whether you meet the basic qualifications. If you do, they then consider the desired qualifications. Recruiters then meet managers to review resumes and choose whom to interview.
The FAQ's advice: to stand out, make sure you have at least one of the desired skills listed on the requisition.
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What is the Lockheed Martin interview process?
Interviews may be virtual or in person, and you'll speak with recruiters, hiring managers and team members. Lockheed Martin says the number of interviews and their length depend on the role's urgency, the business area and the hiring manager's approach, so ask your recruiter what to expect.
Lockheed Martin's own interview advice is short: bring examples, be real, ask questions, and get familiar with the STAR format, which it says its interviewers use to learn as much as possible about your experience. Its careers site also offers a downloadable Interview Guide, and a Leader Interview Guide for leadership roles.
Genuine interviews happen through formal channels, such as scheduled video or phone calls. Lockheed Martin says its recruiters don't interview on chat-only platforms.
Does Lockheed Martin have an online assessment?
Lockheed Martin's hiring pages and FAQs don't mention an online assessment or coding test, and we found no official description of one. If you're sent an assessment, check that the email comes from one of Lockheed Martin's official domains (see the FAQs below) and follow its instructions. Treat question counts or formats you read on prep sites as unconfirmed.
What happens after the Lockheed Martin interview?
If you're selected, you go through a role-specific background check, then Lockheed Martin moves to your offer and onboarding. It says background checks and security clearances can take time and vary by role, and that it works to keep things moving as fast as those processes allow. Lockheed Martin also participates in E-Verify.
Security clearances
Lockheed Martin says it handles a lot of sensitive and classified information, so many positions require employees to get and keep a federal security clearance. Clearances are granted by the federal government and must be requested for a specific job. There are three levels, each with a different type of background investigation.
If you already hold a clearance through your employer or the military, it may transfer. Lockheed Martin asks you to tell your recruiter if you hold a DoD-issued clearance. Ask your recruiter whether the role you've applied for needs one.
Common Lockheed Martin interview questions and how to answer them
Lockheed Martin's ethics page names three values: Do What's Right, Respect Others and Perform with Excellence. It says employees are assessed on its ethical principles in their annual performance reviews, so expect interviewers to care about them too. Answer behavioural questions with the STAR method.
1. Tell me about yourself.
Keep it to a couple of minutes: what you do now, the experience that brought you here, and why this role is the next step. Link it to the job's basic and desired qualifications, since that's what recruiters check first.
2. Why Lockheed Martin?
Be specific about the business area, programme or location you applied for, and what draws you to the work. A general answer about defence or aerospace is weaker than one about this team's mission.
3. Walk me through how your experience fits this role.
Go through the basic qualifications one by one with evidence, then highlight any desired skill you have. Lockheed Martin's FAQ says the desired skills are how candidates stand out.
4. Tell me about a time you did the right thing when no rule required it.
This is Do What's Right. Lockheed Martin says it holds itself to a higher standard, even when the law may not require it. A real, modest example where you were honest or careful when cutting a corner was easier works well.
5. Tell me about a time you raised a concern about something that didn't seem right.
Lockheed Martin teaches employees "Voicing Our Values" techniques: ask questions, obtain data, talk to others and reframe the issue. Show that you gathered facts and raised the issue constructively with the right people.
6. Tell me about a time you worked with someone whose views differed from yours.
This is Respect Others. Show that you listened, took the other view seriously and kept the working relationship strong while you resolved it.
7. Describe a project where you delivered high-quality work under pressure.
This is Perform with Excellence. Explain the standard you set, how you checked your work and the result. Quantify it where you can.
8. Tell me about the hardest technical problem you've solved.
For engineering and technical roles, prepare one technical story in detail. Lockheed Martin says its interviewers use the STAR format, so give the situation, your task, the action you took and the result, and link the result to Perform with Excellence.
9. Tell me about a mistake you made and what you learned.
Pick a real mistake, own it plainly, and show what you changed afterwards. This is Do What's Right: Lockheed Martin says it refuses to let its integrity be compromised by its desire to succeed, so don't spin the mistake into a success.
10. Tell me about a time you worked on a team with people from other disciplines.
Lockheed Martin describes its culture as operating as one team. Give an example where you worked across functions, what you contributed and how the team reached the result.
11. Do you hold, or have you held, a security clearance?
Answer accurately, with the level and when it was granted if you have one. Lockheed Martin asks candidates to tell their recruiter about any DoD-issued clearance. If you don't hold one, say so plainly.
12. Do you have any questions for us?
Lockheed Martin tells candidates to ask questions. Ask about the programme you'd work on, how the team works day to day, and what success looks like in the first months.
How to prepare for a Lockheed Martin interview
- Read the requisition closely and match your resume to the basic and desired qualifications.
- Ask your recruiter how many interviews you'll have, who you'll meet and whether they're virtual or in person.
- Prepare five or six STAR stories that cover the three values, a technical problem, teamwork and a mistake. Our list of behavioural interview questions gives you more to practise on.
- Download Lockheed Martin's Interview Guide from its hiring process page.
- Read about the business area you're applying to on lockheedmartin.com, so your "Why Lockheed Martin?" answer is specific.
- Have your clearance details ready if you hold one.
- Do a mock interview with someone who will give you honest feedback.
Practising realistic work tasks
Lockheed Martin's interviews centre on real examples from your work. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs free practice job simulations for your role, with a scored report on where you lost marks. It isn't affiliated with Lockheed Martin and doesn't use Lockheed Martin's assessments or questions.
FAQs
How many interviews does Lockheed Martin have?
It depends on the role. Lockheed Martin says the number and length of interviews vary with the role's urgency, the business area and the hiring manager's approach.
How long does the Lockheed Martin hiring process take?
Lockheed Martin doesn't publish a timeline. It says background checks and security clearances can take time and vary by role.
How do I check my Lockheed Martin application status?
Log in to your candidate profile on Lockheed Martin's careers site. Your recruiter is your point of contact for updates.
How do I know a Lockheed Martin recruiter is genuine?
Lockheed Martin says genuine recruiters email from approved domains, including @lmco.com, @lockheedmartin.vssend.com, @successfactors.com and @eightfold.ai. It never asks for payment or sensitive personal information, such as your Social Security number or bank details, during the application process, and it lists requests for money or gift cards as a red flag.
Does Lockheed Martin reimburse interview expenses?
Where you're being reimbursed, Lockheed Martin says it typically takes 3 to 6 weeks. Ask your recruitment team for details.
How do I request an accommodation?
Email lmcareers.helpdesk@lmco.com with "Accommodation Request" as the subject, a description of what you need, and your name and email address.
Sources
Lockheed Martin's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- lockheedmartin.com: Hiring process
- lockheedmartin.com: Hiring Process FAQs (PDF, June 2025)
- lockheedmartin.com: Career Application FAQs (PDF)
- lockheedmartin.com: Cleared candidates
- lockheedmartin.com: Recruitment fraud
- lockheedmartin.com: Ethics
- lockheedmartin.com: Experienced professionals