What Kia actually looks for
Kia is part of Hyundai Motor Group but operates with its own identity, and much of that identity has been built through a genuine design-led transformation over the past couple of decades. The company brought on designer Peter Schreyer, previously known for his work at Audi and Volkswagen, and used design as a deliberate strategy to reposition the brand away from a budget image and toward one associated with distinctive, well-regarded styling. Interviewers, especially in design, product, and marketing roles, often want to see that candidates understand this wasn't a marketing slogan but a real, sustained investment. Kia has also moved seriously into electric vehicles with models like the EV6 and EV9, and the company frames its future around a broader shift toward EVs and mobility services, sometimes referred to internally as Plan S. Expect questions that test whether you can help a brand evolve its identity deliberately, since that's a real challenge Kia has navigated successfully in recent years. Across roles, Kia tends to value people who can point to specific product or brand decisions rather than talk about cars in the abstract.
Common questions and how to answer them
Tell us about a time you helped reposition a brand or product in people's minds. This mirrors Kia's own transformation story, so an example where you changed perception through consistent, deliberate work will resonate. How important is design to you compared to function? Given Kia's design-led turnaround, interviewers want to see you understand design as a strategic lever, not just aesthetics. What do you know about Kia's EV strategy? Reference the EV6 and EV9 specifically and show you understand Kia is competing seriously in the EV space rather than trailing behind its parent group.
How to prepare
Look into Kia's design transformation over the past two decades, since it's one of the more concrete brand-turnaround stories in the auto industry and interviewers like candidates who reference it specifically rather than vaguely. If you're in a product or engineering role, know the EV6 and EV9 and how they fit into Kia's broader EV push. Be clear on how Kia relates to Hyundai, sharing some underlying technology while running as an independently branded company with its own design language. Prepare a story that shows you care about how something looks and feels to a user, not just whether it works, since that mindset maps closely to how Kia has repositioned itself.