Engineering Interview Tips?

[RedBaron]

Since I am in my junior year, I have started to look at internships. I recently applied for a power engineering/transmission internship with a local company. They contacted me and scheduled a phone interview. I know there are a lot of engineers on this forum so I was wondering if any of you could give me any hints on common questions that a typical engineering company would ask an intern in an interview? Since it is on the phone, what are the chances of them asking me in depth technical questions? I have no problem reviewing material I learned a year ago but I am not going to have enough time to review everything because I have exams coming up and this interview is a couple of hours after my last final.

Any guidance/advice is appreciated!

[JavaBrewer]

My domain is SW engineering so I can't be of help on your technical questions. I have conducted plently of phone interviews and can best advise you to speak clearly and with confidence. Be able to detail - and I mean detail - any past experiences, especially anything you have listed on your resume. Amazing how many folks I have spoken with who cannot outline in a techical way their 'accomplishments'.

Good luck!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Phone interview or a phone screen with HR? Usually step one in the hiring process is a screen with HR where they ask some basic weed-out questions along with the usual behavioral interview questions, then provide the information to the hiring manager to determine who gets an actual interview.

I'm in aerospace, usually even our technical engineering interviews are more about personality fit, achievement, and past experience than they are technical content. The technical ability is somewhat assumed thanks to degree and experience, and it's pretty easy to spot a BS'er when you start talking about past experience. For an intern I would suspect you'll get a lot of questions about any past work experience to determine your willingness to work, high level questions about courses, questions about why you are interested in the company (review their website in advance!), and behavior based questions. Do research in advance and show up with questions, it makes you look prepared. Have the attitude that you will do anything to help the team, interns do a lot of grunt work. Probably most importantly, be willing to say "I don't know". You don't know it all, trying to act like you do is a big mistake. Good luck!

[fanaudical]

Employers looking for long-term employees are more focused on finding "well-behaved" individuals than those with appropriate technical skills. Tech skills are easily taught to the right candidate. Things like integrity, innovation, ability to make good decisions, personal accountability, etc. are what most are hoping to find. Be prepared to speak to that. Companies that only search for technical skills are not looking for long-term employees; they are searching for temporary talent to solve immediate problems.

I recommend keeping this acronym in mind during the interview: STAR (Situation/Task, Actions, Results)

When asked a question meant to reveal your typical behavior, frame it in terms of a practical example.

Situation/Task - Explain a situation/task that you were previously faced with as well as the end goal of the assignment.

Actions - Explain the actions that YOU took to achieve those goals. Don't talk in terms of "we" or "the team"; explain your specific part in the solution.

Results - Explain the results obtained and how you contributed to those results.

[HardDrive]

Don't forget the pocket protector.

[Rusty Heap]

Read and Study Dilbert...........your hiring manager is in there somewhere.


above all, especially at the young pup age you are, BE YOURSELF. Answer all the questions honestly, and no I don't know that is an okay answer.

[Bill Douglas]

Wear your cool suit, not bell bottoms etc, but the cold air one.

There are a number of people who can do the job so they are looking for someone who will fit in well. So let them "drive" the interview, don't ramble, short well thought out answers, and relax - I said RELAX!

And good luck

[Outback Porsche]

Nothing says wanker more than putting your photo on the cover of your cv. If we're interested we'll google you or find you on FB.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Don't forget the pocket protector.

and a slide rule.

[Outback Porsche]

Quote de HardDrive

Don't forget the pocket protector.

and a slide rule.

And brown leather shoes.

[KFC911]

And be a "sociable" engineer....focus on his/her shoes the whole time instead of your own .

ps: I'm probably the LAST person to ask, but I've always landed the jobs "I" wanted. Be yourself, be confident (not cocky), and ask probing questions (and then sit back) and let the interviewer do the talking....I've found that they like to do that

[IROC]

I've interviewed lots of engineers and have had a number of interns (one just last summer). I look for attitude, enthusiasm and evidence of initiative foremost and then gain some sort of assessment of technical skills (and some of the folks I'm looking at have 20+ years of experience).

In all honesty, an employer isn't going to expect much (technically) from a junior in college. If you have some idea of specifically what the employer is looking for, I would highlight skills and accomplishments that fit that need, but otherwise be honest and enthusiastic (and articulate - one of my pet peeves) and you'll be fine.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

Wear your cool suit, not bell bottoms etc, but the cold air one.

There are a number of people who can do the job so they are looking for someone who will fit in well. So let them "drive" the interview, don't ramble, short well thought out answers, and relax - I said RELAX!

And good luck

This is good.

Be prepared. Do some research on the company. Google is your friend. Understand what they do. See if your experience fits. Make sure YOU are a fit for the company.

At GE, for interns, they are not that concerned about technical accomplishments. Just GPA, general background and whether you'll fit in. Less than 50% of the interns we had were worth anything.

We had one guy that was (personality wise) just like Tweek from South Park. Another's name was Dung Lam and was one of the stupidest people I ever knew in an electrical engineering school. He deleted the "Windows" sub-dir because he needed more space on his computer and "wasn't using Windows".

All in all, talk to them about the company and ask THEM questions and let THEM talk as much as possible. This is a classic interview technique.

Be prepared with two answers to the question: "What is your greatest weakness?"

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by red-beard

....Be prepared with two answers to the question: "What is your greatest weakness?"

Being an engineer, "doing interviews" is a perfectly appropriate answer too imo . I remember one of my first interviews (way back when), and I told the hiring manager that....he understood perfectly. In fact, he told me he was typically cautious when a "polished interviewee" came his way. Maybe not so much if you're in public relations or related though....good luck!

[rcooled]

I'm a mechanical engineer and I've worked contract jobs for many years. This means that I've had to interview for positions quite often...2 or 3 per year sometimes. In my experience, I've found that most technical people conducting an interview have little or no idea how to do it effectively. They would mostly just ramble on about the company, give you a quick tour of the facility and ask about some previous experience related to the job in question. I once landed a job after an interview in which we just talked about motor racing for the entire time. I'm not saying that all interviews are like that, but I've personally found that good interviewers are few and far between. On the other hand, I've had interviews where I was grilled for nearly an entire day...sometimes by teams of 2 or 3 people at a time. HR people are generally better at interviewing because it's a significant part of their job. But they'll be focusing more on personality rather than on technical skills. The bottom line is to be prepared. Learn a bit about the company so you can ask a few intelligent questions about the position you're applying for. Dress appropriately, sit up straight, look the interviewer in the eye and project confidence. As mentioned before, technical skills can be taught on the job...a skillful interviewer for an internship will be looking for a positive attitude and a willingness to dig in and provide support for current projects. Be prepared for a question about your strengths and weaknesses. Again, relax and be yourself. And consider that a more than a few of the people you'll be working with wouldn't be able to find their ass with both hands. You WILL be able to do this job and you WILL be an asset to that company!

[gtc]

If it's a sizeable company, check glassdoor.com for interview details from previous applicants.

[1990C4S]

Read this, it explains what employers want. You need to convince them you have what they want.

Why can

[red-beard]

More Unicorns

[rick-l]

Have you ever been on a EE interview where you had to take a test? Like sketch up an op amp circuit to form a high pass filter.

And it is not a good idea to show them how their test answer was wrong.

[Hugh R]

Turn your phone OFF during any interview. I mean OFF, if it buzzes, you might not think about it and pull it out to check it.