Engineering Interview Tips and Techniques

How to Demonstrate you are Exceptional

Engineering Interview Tips

All your work so far is really aimed at one thing – getting you to interview. Having put so much effort in to your preparation, you’ll want to be equally prepared to perform to the best of your abilities during the interview.

The information provided below will empower you to do just that. It will also ensure your performance in person is consistent with the high standard you have shown so far with your CV and Covering Letter. Remember, your aim is to demonstrate you are exceptional whether verbally or in writing.

The very thought of a job interview can be daunting for many people, including those who’ve been around the block a few times. In addition, many experienced people may be facing an interview for the first time in many years. Tough economic conditions and the state of the labour market have made interviews necessary for many who have been out of the game for a while.

Right, the first thing to do is to get yourself organised and deal with the interview step-by-step, in bite-sized chunks. Key stages include:

• Research and Preparation (below)
• Asking and Answering Questions
• During the Interview
• After the Interview

Engineering Interview Tips: Investigate Thoroughly...

Research and Preparation

The research you undertook prior to writing the covering letter is invaluable here. Find out as much as you can about the organisation and your potential position in it. It has been covered earlier, but it’s worth mentioning again.

In addition to the job advert, find out about the team, department and company structure. Consider some of the following questions during your research.  

• What products and services do they sell?

• Where does your target role fit in?

• What does the industry look like?

• What is their market share and what’s the trend?

• Who are their key competitors?

• What are their target growth areas?

• Where are the company locations sited?

• Where are they positioned cost-wise in the market?

• And what about the financial information – cost of products, profit and turnover (from annual reports), amount spent on R&D etc? 

• Are the company socially responsible?

• Do they do anything in the community including schools, colleges and charities?

• Do they sponsor any events?

• Do they have any sports or social clubs?

Engineering Interview Tips: Get the Inside Picture...

Is it possible to contact anybody who works there, so you can get an inside view on the company culture? Does the company produce sales literature or advertise in trade publications? Press releases and social media should be researched. Naturally your start point will probably be the company website, followed by the internet more generally. Does the business blog? The act of familiarising yourself as much as possible about the role, company and industry will have the impact of reassuring you and boosting your confidence.

Practical preparation for the interview is also necessary. Plan you journey. Know exactly where the address is and how long the journey takes at the same time of day as the interview. Consider a dry run to ensure you are 100% sure of the location and know exactly how long it takes to get there. Build some contingency time into your journey. If driving, have you checked the route and location in advance, with satellite navigation or alternatively do you have a map handy? Make sure you possess contact details, especially relevant phone numbers.

Preparation also involves dress code. This does depend on the nature of the business and the role you are applying for. Unless otherwise stated, the safest bet is to go for formal, smart business dress. Your dress sense contributes to the professional impression you want to achieve (together with your interview answers). As such, it’s worth making an effort. 

Engineering Interview Tips

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