Engineering Interview Questions & Answers

Standard interview questions. Why Engineering? Explain a time where you have demonstrated willingness to learn ect...

Interview is based on the JLR competencies.

12 questions in 45 mins. 3 competencies where tested, 4 per competency.

Ive gone into more detail about what the day entailed further down in the review. The whole day was quite relaxed not as stressful as I first anticipated. The staff are enthusiastic as should you be.

No difficult questions.

The interview is the main thing that you can prepare for. Recap on work/projects that you have completed, try and find areas in you work that fit within the JLR competencies framework (because this is what the interview is based on) and know the company, it's markets, products ect. There was ample time to have a conversation with my interviewer about the company. Having done the research I was able to contribute and show my enthusiasm for the company.

2 groups of 12. One was the morning group and another (the group I was in) was the afternoon group. First course of action was an introductory presentation and general administrative stuff.
Next was a light lunch where we were able to talk to some of the current apprentices.
After lunch, straight into the interviews. Assessors introduced themselves before taking us off for a 1-on-1 interview. Standard interview, nothing to catch you out. Do your research have something to talk about both you and the company prepared.
Next, Fact finding mission. Given a document which details a problem. Based on information provided, I was tasked on asking a number of questions to determine the fault of a product. Immediately proceeding this the assessor asks me questions about what I've found out.
After that was a group exercise, They're looking at how you communicate with others ect.
Finally a practical assessment. I assumed the role of a test engineer, testing a procedure. As well as carry out the procedure I had to highlight any shortcomings in the document.

My technical interview was with 2 senior engineers. They asked me questions relating to engines. Since it was a design based role. I was asked basic questions relating to engine design and operations. I was asked to design some engine components on a sheet of paper. The questions were simple at the start. After that the questions were not difficult but tricky. They asked simple questions in a difficult way. I was asked specifically about basic engine operations and the physics behind it.

The questions are not difficult because when you apply you sort of know what type of questions you will be getting. There was not much competency questions. Everything was technical.
The difficulty is when you answer and they dig deeper and ask more about the basics. So revise all the basic things about the role and what you will be doing. Its not that difficult if you know about F1 Engines and some specific industry related questions.

Stay calm and believe in yourself and your abilities. Research basic things about the role and don't expect questions. They make simple things complicated in the way they ask questions. So stay calm and don't be get disappointed if you get something wrong during the interview.
Stay focused and never look nervous even if you don't know something. Its all about your confidence and approach. Good luck.

There was a group task organized inside a small room. We were a group of 6 students. We were given the task of solving a problem. The situation was finding the best possible solution to take out a explosive devise from the center of a circle.
There were some conditions which made the task difficult. After the group task there was a small break and then we went for our individual technical interviews with senior engineers. We were also given a tour of the awesome factory and offices.

My day began with three short 15 minute aptitude tests. The first one was series forming (40 questions). The second was pattern recognition (30 questions). The last one was simple numerical problems (25 questions).
This was followed by three longer tests (30 min, 30 min, 25 min), each with a question that required detailed analysis. The first was to develop an algorithm for a communication example. The second involved the dry run of a simple code. The last was a logic development for a card game. No programming knowledge was necessary; they were simply testing the strength of logic.
At the end, there was an interview to discuss my answers to each of the long questions (mainly 1 and 3) and to identify loopholes in my logic. It went on to include questions about my academic and professional background and future career plans.

The dry run of the program was difficult, simply because it involved about 13 variables, a lot of if-then-else loops, procedure calls and there wasn't enough time.

Practice pattern recognition and dry run of codes.
Make sure your logic holds up against potential threats.

The interviewer seemed very open to various approaches to a problem and during the discussion kept egging me towards possible solutions. The atmosphere was positive and friendly.
The experience was more of a chat and less of an interview.

The interviews comprised of a short phone interview, this was to gain an understanding of the applicant and the employer and was quite refreshingly informal. was a perfectly friendly conversation about the candidate and the employer. It was a 30 minute conversation about my cv and about the company. Once this was completed the company was very prompt in giving an invitation to the graduate assessment day, prior to the assessment day candidates were required to do a short online test to get a view of basic numeracy/logic/visual/memory skills.

Describe a situation where you have been faced with great difficulty and overcome it.

Do your research on the company, its that simple. the company is very forthcoming with its core values and principles, if you feel you match the company then just be yourself. the interview process is very informal and actually enjoyable which helps with any potential nerves.

The assessment day itself was very informal and very entertaining, a couple of group projects and a face to face interview with breaks in between for networking. Final interview to come, information was again provided very promptly.

Split into three groups, rotating between a CSR task, a management task and a face to face interview. there were no right or wrong answers in the two assessments. more looking at how you function as a team.

There were two interviews at the assessment centre, one consisting of a presentation about yourself and then situational questions, the other was a technical knowledge interview. In the first you essentially had to describe who you are, why you want to work for the company and how you think you would be good at the company. In the second you were asked to describe various things as if to a member of the general public not knowledgeable in the field and also to explain how various things worked from technical diagrams.

Primarily about the technical side as I wasn't very experienced with technical diagrams.

I would ensure that you are knowledgeable about the internals of turbine engines and the general direction that the company is moving in. I would also look into recent developments as well as old ones such as the use of cooling within the turbine blades. I would recommend taking any opportunities that you get to have practice interviews, although they won't realistically put you under the pressure that you'd feel in the real interview, you can find out how you come across and if you need to do anything differently.

Firstly another test similar to those done on-line in the application process was given, a group exercise was also done, as well as a written managerial test.

My experience did not involve an interview other than the ones during the Assessment Center.
After the initial screening I was given a week to complete 2 online assessments; 1 numerical and 1 abstract reasoning.

Explain how an aerospace product is safe.

Note: the assessors asked me to answer as if the question was being asked by a couple of 15 year old teenagers sitting in McDonald's, enjoying their milkshake.

Be prepared for your Assessment Center interviews and presentation; you have adequate time at your disposal.

Prepare typical Competency Interview Questions.
Regarding the Technical Interview: Research the company's Website about their technology and methods of production, this will hopefully get your thinking started.

After a long wait I was invited to an Assessment Center, which involved a Presentation, a Competency Interview, a Group Task, a validating Numerical Test and a Technical Interview.
We were split into two Groups and we were handed separate schedules covering the day. For my Group:
1)9:00 - Numerical Test first thing in the Morning; time allowed around 25mins for 30 questions.
2)10:30 - 10-minute presentation, which we had time to prepare before the Assessment (almost 10 days). Topic was about ourselves.
3)11:00 - Competence Interview. Standard Procedure but personalized to each candidate at that time.We were asked questions coming from a scenario booklet. i.e. Tell us a time when you were really stressed, how did you cope, how did you plan, etc.
4)12:30 - Lunch break. The opportunity to mix with the assessors and chat was given to us.
5)13:30 - Group Task. The task was to build a Tower, able to withstand the weight of a water bottle. It was required to reach at least a height of 1m.Materials available; A4 paper, A3 Carton Paper, Scissors, Sticky Tape, Pencils, String and Plastic Cups.
6)14:30 - Final Task: Technical Interview. The interview was personalized and adjusted to the level of knowledge and experience each one of us had. Questions started out easy but progressively became difficult reaching a point, from which onwards we could not answer. This is done for them to see how you react and think to something you have not seen before.

Competency Based Phone interview discussing topics such as teamwork, working with a difficult person etc which lasted about 20 minutes.

Assessement centre which consisted of a personal presentation, group presentation, face to face competency interview and numberical reasoning exam. Present at each stage was a Senior Engineer from various sites worldwide and a senior HR person. The assessement centre last two days where Kerry Group put you up in a hotel overnight.

Name a time where you had to deal with a difficult person on a group project and how did you deal with it.

How would you resolve a issue of a employee turning up late and drunk to work? (HR can't handle the issue)

How would you deal with a cowboy contractor known for trying to swindle companys out of money?

Know the company wedsite including products, core values, mission statement and end of year company report are all good to research.

Prepare competency answers before the interview in order to focus on the assessment task

Solo Presentation (3 hours to prepare 10-15 min presentation, presentation brief given along with hints)
Group Presentation (half hour to prepare, 10 mins to delivery)
Solo Competency Based interview (20 mins)

The interview was fairly intense. It lasted for one hour and consisted of 8 questions. The first question was the hardest which I have written down below. However, this question was tailored to the sector my interviewer was from in the company so they are all different. Overall a good experience. My advice would be:
Be yourself
Enjoy it
Smile!
Be nice
Don't be too serious

You are working for JLR. You are designing a software system for one of the jaguars, who is your customer?
Clue.. Not the purchaser of the car.

Be yourself! Don't go crazy on bigging yourself up in the interview,, after all its only words.. They want examples of what you have done that makes you a motivated person. In the group exercise, don't act like Billy big cock,, they will see right through it.. Listen to other people's opinions, have a good discussion and not be too quiet.

The assessment centre was a very relaxed but intense day. There were 2 groups of 12, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, I was afternoon. The centre consisted first of all of a group exercise. We were sat round a table in a group of six with 4 assessors sat in the corner making notes. We had to discuss which radio would be best for a new car. This lasted one hour and in my opinion was the hardest part of the day.
The second part was the interview as discussed above.
The third part was an 'in tray exercise' : multiple choice, we had to reply to emails with the correct response. In between these assessments we relaxed in a room with free coffee.. I just chatted to the other candidates. Overall I enjoyed the day

During the interview for myself, I was asked about my work expeirnce, what I learned from it, how I had put some of the skills I have learned from it to use, location preferences, if i could use excel and word very well and AutooCAD, what my career goals are, if i see myself as a more technical or managerial person.

WHat other parties are there, apart from the CDM co-ordinator to CDM regukations?

Be relaxed and comfportable and be yourself. They can sense when you're not comfortable and if you're relaxed and comfortable, it makes it a more enjoyable experience for both you and the interviewer, because it would just be like you were having a chat.

at the start of the day, there was a presentation about the ocmpany and the projects that it has underatken and what they were involved in.
Then, we had an ice breaker exercise, which wasn't assessed, to do a one minute presentation about ourselves using a poster that we had created in 10 mins. It helped relax all of us and made the day more enjoyable.
We then got the chance to hear from a recently chartered engineer and go to ask questions about the process and what it entailed.
Then we moved on to the group discussion, where we had three tasks to identify the stages, the assessment and data collection methods and the key stakeholders of a new road project.
We had thrity minutes to discuss among ourselves and then at the end, 10 minutes to present back to the panel.
Then we had a luch break for about 30 minutes and then after that, we had the order that we would go in for the interviews. While one person was getting intervbiewed, the rest of us took on the verbal and numerical reasoning tests.

The application process is very simple. It just required a CV and cover letter. I was contacted about a month or so later being invited to a telephone interview.

Unlike most telephone interviews this was conducted by one of their recent graduate engineers, so make sure you know what you are talking about when you mention technical details as they will probe you with regards to it. In total this phone call lasted about an hour, however most of it ended up being the interviewer talking about his job and experiences when I asked him regarding it.

The interview started off like how most interviews too, with general questions confirming who you are, availability etc, then we got off to the questions.

The following questions were asked:

Tell us about yourself - This is a key question where you get to talk about your experiences etc. I mentioned my third year design project and my research project, so we spoke for a while on that as it was related to the work that CB&I do. So if you have the chance to include technical details then do so, because the interview in this case will know what you're talking about, and it will be your chance to impress them. They will ask you some follow up questions on this, such as when speaking about my degree they asked questions like what was your favourite subject as part of your degree, what do you find difficult?

What do you know about CB&I? - Make sure you do your research. Wow them with your knowledge.

General competency questions:

The questions are pretty much the same as most interviews:

Tell us about a time you worked with someone difficult?
What was the most challenging thing you've done?

There were one or two more questions which I can't remember, but I know was similar to other questions I've had.

Then they give time for questions. You're speaking to someone who completed the grad scheme, so take this opportunity to ask questions and find out more so that you know that this job is for you.

None of the questions were difficult. They were pretty much the same as I have discussed in my previous interview reviews (See GSK, Atkins and Baker Hughes + more I will be writing), so by the time I got to this I had enough experience in being able to answer the questions confidently.

Be confident in what you say. Practice numerical reasoning, verbal reasoning and psychometric tests as much as possible.

I wasn't invited to an assessment centre unfortunately. I managed to do quite bad on the online tests as I took it when I had multiple deadlines in my final year, so was quite difficult to do it justice! Wasn't too hard, just practice, practice, practice.