PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric Company) hires through an online application at jobs.pge.com. Many jobs then require a pre-employment test, which PG&E sends to candidates it selects to move forward. After that come the interview, the offer and post-offer screening. PG&E doesn't publish a timeline.
Everything below about the process comes from PG&E's own careers and testing pages, linked as we go. Where PG&E doesn't say something, we say so rather than guess. The interview questions further down are ones to prepare for, built from PG&E's values and what its tests measure.
PG&E hiring process at a glance
| Step | What happens | What PG&E says about timing |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Apply | Create a candidate profile at jobs.pge.com, apply and upload your resume | Email notifications as your application moves through each stage |
| 2. Recruiter review | Your application is checked against the posting's qualifications | Not published. A disqualification notice usually means you didn't meet the minimums |
| 3. Pre-employment test | For many jobs: a prerequisite test (PTB, IST, CTB or WOI) online, and for some a secondary test | 5 calendar days from the invitation email |
| 4. Interview | For journey lineworkers, a physical assessment and an interview. PG&E doesn't describe interviews for other roles | Not published |
| 5. Offer | You receive a job offer | Not published |
| 6. Post-offer screening | May include criminal background, DMV record, drug screening, education and employment history | Not published |
What is the PG&E hiring process?
You apply online, PG&E reviews your application, you take any pre-employment tests the job requires, you interview and, if selected, you receive an offer and complete post-offer screening. The order of steps 3 and 4 can differ by role: for journey lineworkers, PG&E's lineworker page lists five stages: apply, recruiter contact, submit qualified credentials, a physical assessment and interview, then a job offer.
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How do you apply to PG&E?
External candidates create a candidate profile at jobs.pge.com, then apply and upload a resume. Current employees apply through PG&E's internal system. What PG&E's careers FAQ says:
- Upload a supported file. DOCX, PDF, CSV, TXT and image files are accepted; MSG, PPT and XLS aren't.
- Recruiters see your current profile, so keep it up to date.
- You'll get email notifications as your application moves through each stage, and you can log in to check your status.
- A disqualification notice means your application wasn't selected, often because it didn't meet the minimum qualifications. PG&E can't give individual feedback.
- Job alerts last six months before you're asked to renew them.
PG&E's tips: compare your experience with both the minimum and desired qualifications, make your resume show the minimums clearly, focus on roles that fit your background, and tailor your resume, because many roles get a high volume of applicants.
What pre-employment tests does PG&E use?
PG&E says pre-employment tests are required for "a wide variety of jobs". If you're selected to move forward, you may be invited to take one or more of four prerequisite tests online. Many jobs also require a secondary test, and external applicants get an email invitation from the recruiter.
| Test | What PG&E's preparation guide says it covers |
|---|---|
| Physical Test Battery (PTB) | Numerical ability (75 questions on whole numbers, decimals and fractions, 10 minutes in total) and space visualisation (50 questions on piles of blocks, 5 minutes) |
| Industrial Skills Test (IST) | Reading comprehension (25 items, 30 minutes), working with numbers, charts and graphs (25 items, 30 minutes) and mechanical principles (36 items, 20 minutes) |
| Clerical Test Battery (CTB) | For clerical and meter reader jobs, about an hour: computation, language skills, problem solving, coding, and visual speed and accuracy |
| Work Orientation Inventory (WOI) | Multiple-choice questions about your attitudes and experiences on safety, driving (if applicable), customer service and teamwork |
The PTB, IST and WOI guides are dated between 2006 and 2011, so check the instructions in your invitation for the current format. PG&E also publishes guides for its secondary tests on the same page.
The WOI is closer to a personality or work-style questionnaire than an aptitude test. PG&E's guide says there's "no way to study" for it and that you should answer honestly and accurately. Our guide to psychometric assessments explains how these questionnaires work in general.
PG&E's rules for online tests
- The invitation arrives on a Monday morning, with instructions, a link and a test key.
- You have 5 calendar days to take the test. The key expires after that and can't be extended.
- Take it early in case of technical problems, and contact the test vendor's technical support straight away if something goes wrong.
- Only scratch paper and a pencil or pen are allowed.
- If you get duplicate invitations to the same test, take it once.
Depending on the test, it may be online and unproctored, proctored on a computer, or proctored on paper.
Can you retake a PG&E test?
Yes, after a wait. Each attempt must be at least 90 calendar days after the previous one. Tests of aptitude, behaviours, personality, attitudes or general skills can be retaken an unlimited number of times. Tests of job-specific knowledge, skills or abilities are limited to three attempts for external candidates.
If you have a disability that may affect your test, you can request a reasonable accommodation. PG&E asks for documentation from a health care provider, and your test invitation explains how to submit the request. General testing questions go to HRTestingHotline@pge.com.
What is the PG&E interview like?
PG&E's general careers pages don't describe the interview format, length or questions. For journey lineworkers, the lineworker page lists a physical assessment alongside the interview, covering climbing, pole top rescue, a dead-end insulator changeout and an underground assessment, with an optional 230kV transmission assessment. Lineworker candidates must also show proof of completing an IBEW-sponsored lineworker apprenticeship.
For other roles, ask the recruiter who you'll meet and what format to expect when they contact you.
What happens after the PG&E interview?
If you're selected, you receive an offer. PG&E says screening you need to go through before you can be hired "may include" a criminal background check, your DMV record, drug screening, and checks of your education and employment history. PG&E doesn't publish how long this takes.
Newly hired journey lineworkers go through a four-week Bootcamp of field and classroom training.
How long does the PG&E hiring process take?
PG&E doesn't publish a timeline. The only fixed deadline it publishes is the 5 calendar days you have to take an online test once the invitation arrives. If you fail a test, the 90-day retest wait also affects how soon you can try again.
Does PG&E hire through a union hiring hall?
Yes, for temporary jobs. PG&E's hiring hall works with IBEW Local 1245 and ESC Local 20. Most hiring hall jobs require a pre-employment test, a resume or both, and passing PG&E's tests for permanent work also qualifies you for hiring hall work. You can't sign up for testing; tests are offered when the business needs them. Hiring hall work doesn't lead to regular status automatically, and stints are limited to 12 months unless PG&E and the union both approve longer.
PG&E interview questions to prepare for
PG&E doesn't publish its interview questions. These are the questions to prepare for, based on PG&E's purpose, virtues and stands and the areas its Work Orientation Inventory covers. For "tell me about a time" questions, structure your answer with the STAR method (situation, task, action, result).
1. Why do you want to work at PG&E?
Make it specific. PG&E's purpose is "Delivering for our hometowns. Serving our planet. Leading with love." Link one part of that to the job you've applied for, such as keeping power and gas safe and reliable for a community you know.
2. Tell me about a time you stopped or changed your work because of a safety concern.
PG&E says "Nothing is more important to us than safety" and that every employee is "a public safety leader". Choose an example where you spotted a hazard, spoke up or followed a procedure when it slowed you down, and say what happened.
3. Why does wildfire safety matter in this role?
One of PG&E's stands is "Catastrophic wildfires shall stop." Show you understand that safe work in PG&E's service area includes reducing wildfire risk, and connect it to how you'd do this job.
4. Which of PG&E's virtues describes you best?
PG&E lists six: trustworthy, empathetic, curious, tenacious, nimble and owners. Pick one and back it with a short example. Have a second ready in case you're asked for another.
5. Tell me about a time you kept going on a hard problem.
This tests tenacity. Choose a problem that took several attempts, say what you tried and what finally worked.
6. Tell me about a time you had to adapt quickly.
This tests being nimble. An example of re-planning your day or switching tasks at short notice works well.
7. Tell me about a time you took ownership of something that wasn't strictly your job.
PG&E calls its people "owners". Give an example where you fixed a problem or followed something through instead of passing it on.
8. How would you handle a frustrated customer during an outage?
PG&E lists empathy as a virtue, and customer service is one of the areas its Work Orientation Inventory asks about. Show that you'd listen, explain what you know honestly, and pass on what you can't solve to the right team.
9. Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team to get a job done safely.
Teamwork is another WOI area. Choose an example where coordination mattered, such as a crew task, a shift handover or a shared project.
10. How do you make sure you follow procedures exactly?
Trustworthiness and safety both depend on doing the job the same, correct way every time. Describe how you use checklists, ask when you're unsure and double-check critical steps.
11. Tell me about your driving record and how you drive safely.
For roles that involve driving. The WOI asks about driving behaviours where they apply, and post-offer screening may include your DMV record. Be honest and explain your safe-driving habits.
12. For lineworkers: tell us about your apprenticeship and the work you've done since.
PG&E requires proof of an IBEW-sponsored lineworker apprenticeship. Be ready to describe the systems you've worked on, and your experience with the tasks in PG&E's physical assessment, such as climbing and pole top rescue.
13. What questions do you have for us?
Good options: what training looks like for new starters, how the team handles emergency call-outs, and what separates the best people in this role.
For more practice, see our list of behavioural interview questions.
How to prepare for PG&E's hiring process
- Match your resume to the minimum qualifications on the posting, since that's the most common reason PG&E gives for disqualification.
- Download PG&E's preparation guide for any test you're invited to, and practise the question types under time pressure.
- Plan your test window. Take the test early in the 5 days you're given, somewhere quiet, with only scratch paper and a pen or pencil.
- Answer the WOI honestly. PG&E says there's no way to study for it.
- Prepare STAR stories for safety, plus at least three of PG&E's six virtues.
- Do a mock interview with someone who will give you honest feedback.
- Have your documents ready for post-offer screening, including your education and employment history.
Practising realistic work tasks
Interviews reward prepared stories. Utility work rewards careful, safe decisions, and that improves with practice on realistic tasks. Cohesyve, which publishes this guide, runs free practice job simulations for job seekers. It isn't affiliated with PG&E and doesn't use PG&E's tests, questions or interviews.
FAQs
What tests does PG&E use for hiring?
Four prerequisite tests: the Physical Test Battery (PTB), Industrial Skills Test (IST), Clerical Test Battery (CTB) and Work Orientation Inventory (WOI). Many jobs also need a secondary, job-specific test.
How long do I have to take a PG&E test?
5 calendar days from the invitation email, which arrives on a Monday morning. The test key expires after that and can't be extended.
How soon can I retake a PG&E test?
After 90 calendar days. External candidates get three attempts at job-specific tests; aptitude, behaviour, personality, attitude and general skills tests can be retaken without limit.
Does PG&E drug test?
PG&E says post-offer screening may include drug screening, along with a criminal background check, DMV record, and education and employment history checks.
What does a PG&E disqualification notice mean?
That your application wasn't selected to move forward, often because it didn't meet the minimum qualifications. PG&E can't provide individual feedback.
Can I sign up for a PG&E test without applying?
No. For hiring hall jobs, PG&E says you can't sign up for testing; tests are offered as the business needs them. For other jobs, PG&E invites you once you're selected to move forward.
Sources
PG&E's own pages, checked 27 October 2026:
- pge.com: Pre-employment testing program, including its PTB, IST, CTB and WOI preparation guides
- jobs.pge.com: About us and FAQs
- jobs.pge.com: Journey lineworker careers
- jobs.pge.com: Hiring hall