How to Interview for an Engineering Job

Professionals in the engineering field typically fill a specific technical niche within a company. While interviewing for an engineering position, use the opportunity to discuss the technical training you have attained and how your technical skills fill the company's need. The main objective is to convince the company that your engineering background is a match for their needs.
Most interviews make you feel like the interviewer is putting you under a microscope. In this article, we suggest you put yourself under a microscope following an interview to evaluate your own performance. If you find there are some areas where you fell short, improve them prior to your next interview. Doing this after each interview will improve your performance over time.

How do I evaluate myself?

Evaluating yourself doesn’t have to be difficult, but it does require you to be honest. Start with the basics. When was the interview scheduled? Were you on time? Were you dressed appropriately when compared to the interviewer and other employees you might have seen? Were you prepared with adequate research about the company? Did you sit up straight, fidget with your shirt or tie, or twiddle your fingers? If you answer no to any of these questions, these are areas you can improve in the future.

So what about going beyond the basics? Write down as much as you can remember about the interview. What questions were asked, what were your responses, and which questions made you feel uncomfortable? If you found yourself feeling uncomfortable or rambling on to particular questions, it is an indication that you were not prepared for the question, or did not have an appropriate answer. Be prepared for the next time this question is asked. Chances are if one employer asked the question in the past, another employer will ask you the same question in the future.

The last areas to think about are personal to the individual being interviewed. Do you feel like you discussed everything that you wanted to and shared all the relevant information? If not, make a note of it. Most employers provide you an opportunity at the beginning of the interview to tell them a bit about yourself. If an area you want to discuss continually gets overlooked, this would be a good time to bring the subject up. This is also true of the opportunity for the interviewee to ask questions at the conclusion of the interview.

Finally, how do you feel about the company and position? Is this the job you envisioned when you applied for it? If not, then maybe you are applying for the wrong types of jobs. If you continually conduct post-interview evaluations, your confidence will continue to grow, both your verbal and non-verbal communication skills will improve, and you will learn a considerable amount more about “who you are.”