Whether applying for jobs on your own or through engineer recruiters, sooner or later every engineer is going to have to do an interview. This can be a source of tension, yet it's the most important part of the job hunting process. Here are four tips from us at Finding Engineers to make your next interview a blast:
1. Talk about past successes in the form of a story – Perhaps more than any other type of job, an engineer's accomplishments and past successes come in the form of solutions to difficult problems. And a good engineer's ability to come up with these solutions is legendary. Unfortunately, engineers often sell themselves short by presenting their brilliant successes in a less-than-brilliant, even dry way. Remember that the person interviewing you may not be an engineer themselves and certainly isn't familiar with the specifics of your past work. They may not be able to appreciate how challenging a particular project or requirement was. The best solution? Set up each past accomplishment as a story—one that starts with a clear problem that needed to be solved, then builds up with a major hurdle that made this problem harder than others, and finishes with how you and your colleagues overcame the problem. Anyone can appreciate a good story, whether they're an engineer or not.
2. Treat social expectations as a puzzle to be solved – It's an old cliché: the engineer who does brilliant work, but has a hard time understanding social conventions. This cliché is not always true in the real world, but it is true that engineers want to be valued on the merits of their work and often get frustrated when other factors are considered instead. In the context of an interview, you will be judged based on your appearance, how you dress, your body language, and how well you speak, not just on the great engineering work you've done. In true engineer fashion, view this social situation as a puzzle to be solved and come up with the most effective solution (wardrobe, elevator pitch, etc.) possible.
3. Be prepared for trick questions – but don't overdo it – Employers these days love asking strange what-if questions or trick questions that have no obviously good answer. At its best, this is the employer's way of seeing how you think on your feet, while at its worst it can feel unfair. But try to have fun with these questions. While they might seem absurd, remember that what's valued here is a creative response, and that's what your brain as an engineer is trained for. Smile at the question, give yourself five seconds to consider, and then trust in your own ability to think outside the box and say whatever comes to mind.
4. Use humor when asked about your weaknesses – Every interview contains the "what is your greatest weakness" question. There's no shortage of advice on how to handle these questions but, no matter what strategy you adopt, one thing always helps: a little humor. Being able to laugh at yourself shows humility and makes you seem even more desirable, even as you discuss your weakness.
What other tips do you have for engineers going into job interviews?
1. Talk about past successes in the form of a story – Perhaps more than any other type of job, an engineer's accomplishments and past successes come in the form of solutions to difficult problems. And a good engineer's ability to come up with these solutions is legendary. Unfortunately, engineers often sell themselves short by presenting their brilliant successes in a less-than-brilliant, even dry way. Remember that the person interviewing you may not be an engineer themselves and certainly isn't familiar with the specifics of your past work. They may not be able to appreciate how challenging a particular project or requirement was. The best solution? Set up each past accomplishment as a story—one that starts with a clear problem that needed to be solved, then builds up with a major hurdle that made this problem harder than others, and finishes with how you and your colleagues overcame the problem. Anyone can appreciate a good story, whether they're an engineer or not.
2. Treat social expectations as a puzzle to be solved – It's an old cliché: the engineer who does brilliant work, but has a hard time understanding social conventions. This cliché is not always true in the real world, but it is true that engineers want to be valued on the merits of their work and often get frustrated when other factors are considered instead. In the context of an interview, you will be judged based on your appearance, how you dress, your body language, and how well you speak, not just on the great engineering work you've done. In true engineer fashion, view this social situation as a puzzle to be solved and come up with the most effective solution (wardrobe, elevator pitch, etc.) possible.
3. Be prepared for trick questions – but don't overdo it – Employers these days love asking strange what-if questions or trick questions that have no obviously good answer. At its best, this is the employer's way of seeing how you think on your feet, while at its worst it can feel unfair. But try to have fun with these questions. While they might seem absurd, remember that what's valued here is a creative response, and that's what your brain as an engineer is trained for. Smile at the question, give yourself five seconds to consider, and then trust in your own ability to think outside the box and say whatever comes to mind.
4. Use humor when asked about your weaknesses – Every interview contains the "what is your greatest weakness" question. There's no shortage of advice on how to handle these questions but, no matter what strategy you adopt, one thing always helps: a little humor. Being able to laugh at yourself shows humility and makes you seem even more desirable, even as you discuss your weakness.
What other tips do you have for engineers going into job interviews?
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