I went to career fair today and I landed an interview for tomorrow on the spot. I don't really have much time to prepare for this since I have a lot of other stuff going on, so what are some typical questions I should expect? This job is for a full time engineering position. Thanks a lot, I really appreciate any input.
They should not hire you..Joking. Took me 5 seconds to find this. http://www.thinkenergygroup.com/think.nsf/infonfr/sampleinterviewquestions?opendocument 1. Tell me about the most challenging engineering project that you have been involved with during past year. 2. Describe the most significant written technical report or presentation that you had to complete. 3. In your last engineering position, what were some of the things that you spent the most time on, and how much time did you spend on each? 4. What do you enjoy most/least about engineering? 5. What new engineering specialty skills have you developed during the past year? 6. Do you have any patents? If so, tell me about them. If not, is it something you see yourself pursuing and why or why not? 7. Think of a specific engineering project when you answer this question. What could you have done to be more successful in achieving your goal(s)? 8. Describe a time when you confronted a problem that really tested your engineering know-how. 9. What is your overall career objective? Do you see yourself working in engineering ten years from now? If not, what do you think you will be doing? 10. Give me an example of a time in which you were effective in doing away with the “constant emergencies” and “surprises” that engineers often face. 11. Describe a time when as a member of the engineering department, you were instrumental in building a good long-term relationship with another department within the company. 12. Tell me about your greatest success in using the principles of logic to solve an engineering problem in your last job. 13. Give me an example of a time when you applied your ability to use analytical techniques to define problems or design solutions. 14. To what extent has your engineering background required you to be skilled in the analysis of technical reports or information? 15. Describe a time when you used your engineering knowledge to solve a problem for which there appeared to be no answer. 16. Tell me about a time when you became aware of a hazardous workplace condition. How did you handle it? 17. Tell me about your experience in dealing with routine engineering work. How do you keep from getting bored? 18. I expect the engineer that I hire for this position to be precise – detailed oriented in everything he or she does. What checks and balances do you use to make sure that you don’t make mistakes? 19. Give me an example of a time when you had to teach a skill to other engineers. 20. Some of the best-engineered ideas are born out of an individual’s ability to challenge, others’ ways of thinking. Tell me about a time when you were successful in do this. 21. On your last project assignment, what problems did you identify that had been previously overlooked? 22. How has your present or last engineering job changed while you’ve held it? 23. If I offer you a position as an engineer with us, how do you plan to get off to a jackrabbit start? 24. Give me an example of something that you have learned from a mistake that you made on a job at a client site. 25. Tell me about a time when a project team effort that you were involved in failed. 26. For what advice or assistance do fellow engineers turn to you? 27. Tell me about the most challenging technical proposal you’ve ever written. 28. What factors would you consider in building an engineering department from scratch? 29. How do you communicate priority projects with a team of other engineers without making them feel overwhelmed? 30. Describe a specific engineering project that you were responsible for that required a lot of interaction with a variety of people over a long period of time. 31. What do you get out of engineering that you couldn’t get from any other kind of work? 32. Describe a typical day out in the field in your last or present job. 33. What media contacts do you have that would help us market our technical products/services? 34. What step-by-step criteria do you use to make difficult decisions that involve other engineers? 35. To whom did you turn for help the last time that you ran into a major technical problem, and why did you choose that person? 36. Give me two examples of technical decisions that you had to make on your last job. 37. Tell me about a time when you had to make a difficult decision that affected the entire engineering department. 38. In the field of engineering, priorities often change quickly. Give me an example of a time when that happened. How did you handle it? 39. How can you best use your engineering education and prior work experience to help our company grow? 40. How long have you been looking for an engineering spot? Have you had any job offers yet? If so, why are you still looking? 41. Tell me about a time when you had to take disciplinary action with an engineer who reported to you. 42. Tell me about the last time you lost your temper in the field. 43. What personal characteristics do you feel are necessary to be a successful engineer? 44. What single technical skill or ability is your best asset? 45. What kind of hours did you typically work in your most recent engineering job? 46. What kinds of information would you request or require before you felt you could do justice to a project assignment? 47. Describe two specific technical contributions you would expect to make during the first six months on the job if you joined our company. 48. Tell me about a time when you surpassed all expectations by going “above and beyond” for a client. 49. What have you specifically done to make the work of the engineers who report to you easier? 50. How do you feel about the workload in the engineering department on your present or previous job?
Maintain eye contact throughout (not in a creepy manner) and be very attentive. Always stress your strong points, but be prepared for questions about your negative points (which can be very tricky to answer...for example, I would always use this as my negative trait..."While I consider myself to be very capable of multi-tasking, I tend to focus on specific projects at hand and like to concentrate on them until their completion." So...I try to make a positive attribute (project focus) come off as a negative. This way, you can avoid discussing anything negative. Hope this helps! Good luck!!! edit: hehe...funny that Lil Pun posted a negative discussion item at the same time. I'm guessing most people don't really come into an interview expecting to talk about their downside. While I've never interviewed anyone (Pun...maybe some insight), I'm guessing this is a really good weed-out technique used by interviewers.
There are times when being completely honest can kill you in an interview. I had this happen yesterday during one of my interviews. A person we were interviewed was asked the common question by one of the people on the committee: "What are your greatest strengths and greatest weaknesses?" His answer for weaknesses included procrastination and micromanaging. Needless to say, he isn't in the running for the position. Also, at the end of the interview, they should ask you if you have any questions. Make sure you have 2-3 good ones to ask them.
Here's a few tips from someone who just went through a year of interviewing for engineering positions: 1. Research the company website briefly and prepare a few questions for the end of the interview. Ideally, you will come off as informed about the company, and probably give the interviewer a chance to brag about themselves. 2. Types of questions you will get: Teamwork- Tell me about a time when you had to manage a group. Tell me about a time when you had to work as a team... etc. (A 'teamwork' question was asked in every single interview I had.) Engineering- How did you decide on this major? What has been your favorite class? What has been your biggest challenge? Personal- There is usually a simple "Tell me about yourself" question. The list RocketRick posted is good. Those seem geared more towards someone with prior experience, but they give you a great idea of the types of questions you will see. 3. Bring a copy or two of your resume, just in case. 4. Just be personable, and don't get too tight. If they asked for an immediate interview, they obviously like something they see in you. Just remember they are looking for an employee, just as you are looking for a job. Smile. 5. I doubt this will happen to you, but I feel the need to warn you just in case. I had one interview over the phone where they essentially quizzed me on my engineering knowledge. The questions weren't terribly difficult, but I was so unprepared for the possibility of actual technical questions that I bombed it. Again, I don't think you will see this, but at least you know it can happen.
Be truthful. Be careful w/ questions like what do you see yourself in 10 years, etc. Tell them you want to be in an stable environment where you can thrive and excel, just like your company. This usually a trick question. Never show you are an ambitious person w/ a hefty agenda. You want to send them a message that your skillset is what they need and you plan to work for them for a long long time.
Speak of the devil I have a phone interview today in 2 hours. Stress your character, motivation and willingness to learn. Employers expect potential employees to always have skillsets, knowledge, credentials, references, etc. Be prepared say that you are a team player but are a independent individual capable of responsiblity. Like others have said, turn negatives into positives such as "I don't have enough leadership responsiblity at my current position and believe I could handle more challenging projects" or something like that.
STAR Situation / Task + Action = Result. This is the method to answer all behavioral interview questions. Q:Tell me about a time you led a team (or other behavioral question). A: Situation or Task - I was responsible for a leading a team on a project to accomplish X. One of the problems we were facing was X. Action - Through my knowledge of Y, I was able to do X in this manner. Result - The result was that we finished the task ahead of schedule and under budget and the client / boss / etc was very pleased / we got a bonus / the team got an A on the project / whatever.
I'm an engineering recruiter, work with engineering and oil and gas companies all day. Provide details and specific examples for all your answers, dont just say "yeah I do that all the time, no problem". Find a specific time and pick an example that had an impressive or positive outcome, this is how they know truley what to expect from you, not just vague answers. If you are totally stumped and don't know the answer to a question, just be honest instead of fiddling around and going around the question, interviewers can see right through it and will get frustrated that your not answering their question. Part of the interview is weather your qualified, the other part is how much they like you as a person and how well you will fit in with the team. Don't be afraid to let them know you have a life outside of school/work, if they ask you what you like to do on your free time, don't be afraid to shoot out some hobbies. Some candidates think by going in there with a take charge attitude will get them the job and show they are leaders. This can backfire depending on the type of role, if it's not a managerial role, this shouldn't be the approach. I had a candidate come in and call all the engineers working there "a bunch of kids" and that it would be good to have someone senior like him to show them how's it done. He also demanded a hourly rate that was crazy and refused to show proof of previous salary. He didn't get a no but a HELL no from the client.
ask them how much vacation time they offer right off the bat. They love when you are inquisitive about their vacation policy
In addition to the above info, thank them for their time and ask the interviewer for his card. The next day, send a thank you note thanking them for taking the time to see them and if it goes well that you're excited about the opportunity to come in again. Major props from the CEO in my last interview (now job) for the follow up thank you note when I came in for the second interview.
