What interviewers actually evaluate

AES Corporation people and HR interviews test whether candidates understand how managing the workforce at a global power generation and utility company differs from HR practice at a general industrial company or a domestic utility – where the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) collective bargaining relationships at AES Indiana and AES Ohio require HR professionals who understand utility labor relations under the NLRA including the duty to bargain in good faith on mandatory subjects, arbitration and grievance procedures for disciplinary actions, and the specific work rule and jurisdiction provisions that govern how electrical workers perform their duties, where coal plant retirements require WARN Act compliance and workforce transition planning for employees who cannot transfer to other AES facilities, and where NERC's Critical Infrastructure Protection standards create a personnel reliability program that requires specific background investigation and access authorization procedures for individuals with access to critical cyber assets. People and HR at AES spans utility union relations and collective bargaining (where AES Indiana's and AES Ohio's IBEW-represented workforce requires active contract administration including grievance resolution, discipline process management consistent with just-cause requirements, and periodic contract negotiations that address wages, benefits, work rules, and safety provisions in ways that maintain labor peace while managing the operational flexibility that AES's evolving generation fleet requires), coal plant workforce transition management (where AES's retirement of coal generation units requires advance notice to affected employees under the WARN Act, development of retraining and severance programs that treat departing employees fairly, and development of transfer and redeployment pathways for employees who can be placed at AES's renewable energy and distribution facilities), NERC CIP personnel reliability program compliance (where the CIP-004 standard requires AES to conduct personnel risk assessments including criminal background checks, verify citizenship or immigration status, and manage access authorization for individuals with access to high-impact or medium-impact BES cyber systems), and international workforce management across Latin America and the Middle East (where AES employs local workforces in Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Jordan, and other countries whose labor law frameworks, collective bargaining structures, and employment standards differ materially from US requirements and require country-specific HR program design).

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What interviewers actually evaluate

Utility IBEW Labor Relations, Coal Plant Workforce Transition, and NERC CIP Personnel Compliance

AES HR interviews probe whether candidates understand how power sector HR differs from general industrial HR in the utility union relationship depth (IBEW relationships at regulated utilities involve detailed work rule provisions, jurisdictional lines between craft classifications, and a history of labor-management interaction that shapes how HR professionals approach even routine employment matters – and candidates who describe utility labor relations as standard NLRA compliance without understanding the operational impact of work rule provisions and the arbitration precedent that governs discipline at unionized utilities will not be credible in utility HR roles), the coal transition just-cause and WARN compliance complexity (closing a coal plant creates a set of HR legal obligations including WARN Act advance notice requirements that apply when the closure qualifies as a mass layoff or plant closing, severance program design that addresses the workforce equity concerns of long-tenured union employees, and in some cases collective bargaining agreement provisions that require negotiation of the effects of closure with the union before closure proceeds), and the NERC CIP personnel program regulatory specificity (the CIP-004 standard creates personnel reliability program obligations that are more specific than normal background check requirements – requiring documented risk assessment processes, access authorization records, and termination access removal procedures that must be followed consistently and that NERC auditors will examine in compliance assessments).

The international workforce dimension requires HR professionals who understand that labor law in Brazil, Chile, and Jordan involves different mandatory benefits, termination cost structures, and employee representation rights than US employment, and that applying US HR program frameworks to international workforces without local law adaptation creates compliance exposure.

What gets scored in every session

Specific, sentence-level feedback.

Dimension	What it measures	How to answer
IBEW collective bargaining and grievance administration at utility operations	Do you understand how to manage the IBEW labor relationship at AES Indiana or AES Ohio – how to administer the collective bargaining agreement in day-to-day operations including interpreting work rule provisions, managing the disciplinary process consistent with the just-cause standard in the CBA, and processing grievances through the contractual steps before arbitration, and how to prepare for and conduct contract negotiations that address the wages, benefits, and work rule changes that AES needs to support its operational transformation while maintaining labor peace with an IBEW that represents the majority of the generation and distribution workforce? We flag HR answers that describe utility labor relations as NLRA compliance without engaging with the CBA administration and grievance management that constitute the practical day-to-day of utility union relations.	CBA work rule interpretation and operational flexibility management, just-cause disciplinary process administration under IBEW CBA, contract negotiation preparation for operational transformation needs
Coal plant WARN Act compliance and workforce transition program design	Can you describe how to manage the workforce transition for the closure of an AES Ohio coal plant that employs 180 unionized employees – how to determine whether the closure triggers WARN Act notification requirements and what the 60-day advance notice timeline requires, what the collective bargaining agreement provisions are that require negotiation of closure effects including severance, transfer rights, and retraining programs, and how to develop the workforce transition program that provides meaningful retraining and placement support for employees who cannot transfer to other AES facilities in an area where alternative energy employment is limited? We score whether your coal plant transition approach engages with the WARN Act legal requirements and CBA effects bargaining obligations that distinguish utility workforce closure management from voluntary reduction in force programs.	WARN Act trigger assessment and 60-day notice requirement for coal plant closure, CBA effects bargaining obligation for closure terms with IBEW, transition program for employees without alternative AES placement opportunities
NERC CIP-004 personnel reliability program compliance	Do you understand how to manage AES's CIP-004 personnel reliability program for individuals with access to high-impact and medium-impact bulk electric system cyber systems – how to design the risk assessment process that includes the criminal history check, verification of identity, and evaluation of other reliability risk factors that CIP-004 requires before granting access authorization, what the program documentation requirements are including the records that must be maintained for active authorizations and the records that must be retained after access is terminated, and how to manage the access revocation process when an employee with CIP cyber access is terminated including the notification and documentation requirements that prevent unauthorized access after termination? We detect HR answers that describe cybersecurity access management as standard IT access control without engaging with the CIP-004 regulatory requirements and program documentation that NERC auditors examine in reliability standard compliance assessments.	CIP-004 personnel risk assessment process and access authorization criteria, CIP cyber access program documentation and record retention requirements, access revocation process and NERC notification for terminated personnel
International workforce management under Latin American and Middle East labor law	Can you describe how to manage the HR compliance program for AES's Brazilian operations where employees are covered by the Consolidation of Labor Laws (CLT) and collective bargaining agreements with Brazilian unions that have different mandatory benefit structures, termination cost calculations, and employee representation rights than US employment – how to structure the employment contract and mandatory benefit program that complies with Brazilian CLT requirements, what the termination cost calculation is for a Brazilian employee including the statutory severance fund (FGTS) and proportional 13th salary that Brazilian employment law requires, and how to develop the approach for managing a workforce reduction at an AES Brazil facility in a way that complies with Brazilian notice and benefit requirements while maintaining the labor relationship with the Brazilian unions? We flag HR answers that describe international workforce management as applying US HR frameworks in different countries without engaging with the mandatory benefit structures and termination cost obligations that make Brazilian and other Latin American employment law materially different from US employment at-will.	Brazilian CLT mandatory benefit structure and employment contract requirements, FGTS termination cost calculation and statutory obligations, workforce reduction compliance under Brazilian labor law and union notification requirements

How a session works

Step 1: Choose an AES HR scenario – IBEW collective bargaining and grievance administration at utility operations, coal plant WARN Act compliance and workforce transition program design, NERC CIP-004 personnel reliability program compliance, or international workforce management under Latin American and Middle East labor law.

Step 2: The AI interviewer asks realistic AES-style questions: how you would manage the IBEW grievance filed by an AES Indiana union steward claiming that AES violated the collective bargaining agreement when a supervisor assigned a meter reading route to a non-bargaining unit employee during a period when bargaining unit employees were available, including how to assess whether the work assignment violated the CBA's work jurisdiction provisions, what the grievance investigation process is and who participates at each step, and how to determine whether the grievance merits resolution or should proceed to arbitration given the precedent implications for future work assignment decisions; how you would develop the workforce transition plan for AES Ohio's retirement of a 400 MW coal unit employing 95 generation workers, including how to assess which employees can be placed in AES Ohio's distribution operations where workforce needs are growing with grid modernization investment, what the retraining program looks like for lineworkers who need to transition from generation to distribution operations, and how to design the severance and early retirement incentives for employees who cannot be placed in other roles; or how you would structure the NERC CIP-004 access authorization process for the 140 AES Indiana employees who require access to the company's bulk electric system cyber systems, including how to document the risk assessment process, manage the background check vendor program, and develop the annual re-authorization procedure that CIP-004 requires for maintaining personnel access records.

Step 3: You respond as you would in the actual interview. The system scores your answer on IBEW labor relations, coal transition compliance, NERC CIP personnel program, and international workforce management.

Step 4: You get sentence-level feedback on what demonstrated genuine utility HR expertise and what needs stronger CBA administration engagement or WARN Act compliance specificity.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the IBEW and what role does it play in AES's utility operations?
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers is the primary union representing workers at AES Indiana and AES Ohio including generation plant operators, distribution system lineworkers, and meter technicians. IBEW collective bargaining agreements govern wages, benefits, working conditions, work rules, and the procedural rights of union members including progressive discipline and arbitration for disciplinary actions and disputes about contract interpretation. The HR function at AES's utilities must administer the CBA accurately in daily operations and negotiate contract renewals that address the operational needs created by the transition from coal generation to renewables and grid modernization.

How does the WARN Act apply to coal plant retirements?
The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act requires employers with 100 or more employees to provide 60 days advance written notice to affected employees before a mass layoff affecting 50 or more workers or a plant closing. Coal plant retirements that eliminate 50 or more positions qualify as plant closings under WARN, requiring the 60-day advance notice to affected employees, the state dislocated worker unit, and the chief elected official of the local government where the closing occurs. Violations of WARN can result in liability for 60 days of back pay and benefits per affected employee. AES's HR team must also address any CBA provisions requiring negotiation with IBEW over the effects of closure.

What is the NERC CIP-004 standard and how does it create HR obligations?
NERC's CIP-004 standard addresses personnel training and access management for individuals with access to high-impact and medium-impact bulk electric system cyber systems. The standard requires that AES implement a personnel risk assessment program including identity verification, criminal background checks, and evaluation of other reliability risk factors before granting access authorization to BES cyber assets. AES must maintain documented access authorization records for all authorized personnel, conduct periodic re-authorization reviews, and revoke access promptly when individuals no longer require it, including upon termination. NERC auditors review CIP-004 compliance evidence including the program documentation, individual access records, and termination access revocation records.

How does AES manage labor relations in countries with different collective bargaining structures?
AES's international operations involve workforces covered by local labor law frameworks and collective bargaining systems that differ significantly from the US NLRA model. Brazilian unions negotiate sector-level and enterprise-level agreements under a framework that includes mandatory mediation and industry-wide collective agreements. Chilean labor law provides for enterprise-level collective bargaining with specific negotiation and strike procedures. Middle Eastern operations in Jordan and other countries involve different worker representation rights, with some countries having limited or no independent trade union rights. AES's HR function must maintain country-specific labor relations programs that comply with local requirements while reflecting AES's global workforce standards for fair treatment, safety, and professional development.

What does the transition from coal to renewable operations mean for utility workforce management?
The transition from coal generation to renewable energy creates workforce management challenges at multiple levels. Coal plant operators have skills specific to thermal generation – steam systems, boilers, turbines – that do not transfer directly to wind or solar operations management. Some employees may be retrainable for AES's growing distribution system workforce where grid modernization is adding work. Others may be offered early retirement or severance programs. Community impact of coal plant closures can be significant in communities where the plant is a major employer, creating stakeholder management obligations alongside the HR employment transition work. AES's HR team must develop transition programs that are equitable, comply with WARN and CBA requirements, and maintain the labor relationship with IBEW through a disruptive operational change.