Engineering Interview Questions & Answers

The initial telephone interview was conducted by a Recruiter which lasted approximately 20 minutes. He first asked me questions regarding my current status in my degree course and I was asked general questions relating to my engineering experiences in my degree course.
I was then asked a few basic competency questions and he was happy with my answers so forwarded my CV to the company. The company were also pleased so I was invited to an onsite interview; the interview was surprisingly really friendly and more towards being informal - nothing seriously difficult to catch you out. I was then given a tour of the site which lasted approximately 1hr30mins!!
The day after I got a call from the recruiter through which the company do all the correspondence saying I passed the interview; the next stage was a few questions which I have been email by the company, which I am complete correctly then the job would be secured.

It was just really simple and basic questions they asked so there was nothing difficult in all honesty. But just to choose 1, maybe 'Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?' is one which can maybe hit some people.

For an interview at CPL Industries, the best advice I would give would be to just be yourself and not feel nervous about anything. They treat the interview more as a basic friendly chat and I feel are more interested in how you feel when you are at the site and if you look interested to actually work at CPL.
Also feel free to ask whatever questions you want, even as much as if you have slight problems with the start date - as although I haven't been offered the job yet (since I need to complete the questions I have been sent, and send them back), I made them aware of slight problems with the start date and they are really flexible in trying to adjust to what you say as they have done with myself - they were wishing for the role to begin in July and as I am not free until after mid-August they are more than happy for me to start then if I am offered the job subject to me answering the engineering questions I have been sent.

No Assessment Centre - Just an interview with 2 Senior Engineering Managers and a site tour.

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.

AC consisted of one 1-on-1 interview. This was mainly competency based, marking specifically against their high performance behavioural values (detailed on their careers site). The questions were easy to answer, not awkward and too specific (which I had feared as the high performance values seemed strange to mark against). So on the competency side of things, it was nothing out of the ordinary - how did you motivate a group when it was failing etc. There were one or two questions based on market knowledge, I feel this is an area where a candidate could particularly shine.

What issues effect JLR currently?
How is the automotive industry changing?
What have you read about JLR?

You are told you will have to do a technical presentation but you are not told the subject. In fact the subject is completely up to you (they recommend a technical project which you HAVE COMPLETED)

an ideal project would be a university engineering project.

They looked for things such as how you planned the project, what issues you faced, how you carried it out and the results and applicability of the conclusion. You can prepare this before the AC for an edge (even though you are not meant to - most people had preprepared)

was quite a relaxed environment and I felt as though the organisers really tried to get the best out of you, rather than trying to catch you out.

Rather than an interview with someone, there was a set of 8 questions and you had to record a reply video.
For each, there were 30 seconds to prepare about 1 or 2 minutes video recording that would start automatically.
Internet cconnection, webcam and audio level set up/adjustment was done beforehand.

Explain the physics behind an ocean wave. (2 minutes answer)

Be yourself and look at the webcam.
There is the tendency to look at the video recording of yourself but this looks bad in camera. You have to look directly at the webcam just like if you were having an interview with a person

not applicable

My initial skype interview was with a representative from a company chosen to undertake the graduate recruitment on behalf of Alstom. This was an initial short interview and it lasted 20 to 30 minutes. I was asked about my background (degree, grade, projects etc) and there were some more general questions like "Describe your strengths". I was also given a 2 minute time to explain why I am suitable for this job. This video was recorded and sent to the company to assess.
After I successfully passed this stage I was invited to the company for a face to face interview which lasted one hour and a half. I was also asked to do a 10 minute presentation on a topic that I was given after the skype interview.

Being a perfectionist, how do you cope with strict deadlines when there is not adequate time to make everything perfect?
Part of the job requires making reports and generally paper work. How do you cope with this part of the job that is generally the most boring?

It is important to do your best in the tests (numerical etc) because they are part of the assessment. The interviews are of course very important but if there are many applicants, it is important to be successful in this step as well.
The interviewers were relaxed and friendly and they wanted to know about my background to see if I would be a good fit for the company. So there is no reason to stress about the interview because it is mostly a casual conversation even though there are certain questions that you are required to answer.

There was not an assessment center. During the second interview with the company I was asked to make a presentation on a topic that I was given prior to the interview.

The interview structure was 30 minutes test based upon a civil engineering highways problem regarding a new road planning application. this was then followed by a 15 minutes presentation based upon your findings. This was then followed by a 30 minutes interview regarding the candidate. This was more about what you bring to the team.

This was the only stage in the recruitment process. They advised me that from the initial assessment they wanted to know my about my basic understanding about highways and if I could interpret a CAD drawing. There were several deliberate mistakes made on the drawing which were very basic such as no dimension. There was also a test on your understanding of how a road structure is made. There was codes provided with adequate information on them such as concrete specification. This was all to be presented to the panel of judges after 30 minutes.

resources provided were:
scaled ruler, pen, pencil and calculator, 2 A4 sheets of relevant codes and a A3 drawing of the proposed planning application.

Name a time that you lead a difficult situation? (this was to test what I call a difficult)
Recall a time when a situation was negative and you turned it positive?
what type of team player are you? (leader, person who gives ideas)

Keep relaxed. Remember you are as capable of getting the job as anyone else is. Think outside the box. it is your time to show them what you know and what positivity you can offer them.

This wasn't a graduate scheme but I asked would they offer support in my achieving my charter ship and they said yes. Ensure you ask relevant question to you rather then general questions.

The assessment was one to one followed by a presentation. They were looking for my confidence to shine through in the presentation.

This was the first video interview I had so it was kind of nerve racking. Some pre interview set up tips: 1) Look smart line as if you're attending a real face to face interview. 2) Have a plain backgrounds behind you so that the interviewer doesn't get distracted. 3) Use a headset so that they can hear you clearly. I used the headset that comes with an iphone. 4) Try and be in an area with good Internet as long as it's quiet. 5) be wary of your body language. Remember they can see everything you're doing.   Now that we've got the pre-interview stuff completed keys start with the interview itself.   The interview can be broken down into 3 sections: 1) About yourself 2) Competency questions 3) Role play   1) About yourself These are general questions about yourself you need to confirm e.g.Name, degree, availability, wilingness to move   2) Competency questions These were not difficult. They're quite general.  Tell me about a time you worked with someone difficult Tell me about a time you did something extra ordinary What's been your biggest challenge to date. Remember to use the STAR technique.  
3)Role playThis is the section that completely threw me off as I wasn't expecting it and was my first time doing it. The general idea behind this is to see how you think. The situation that was proposed to me was that I am an inventor and i am to invent a new flask for a group of people with whom I'm going to meet. The interviewer will take the role of the group. You now have to ask questions which will help you design this flask. Types of questions to ask: Where are you going to use it What is the general age group of thegroup How often are you going to use   The key is to take your time and ask good questions rather than just throwing random questions at her.   I passed the interview and got invited to the assessment centre However was unable to attend due to a clash with an exam.

This would have to be the role play described above.

Be calm and always use the STAR approach.
Read above for video interview tips.

I was invited but didn't get the opportunity to attend due to an exam.

After initially applying through a family member that worked at the Transport office, I was given a "nominated fast track application". This meant I did not need to actually apply through the standard website process but just send my CV to HR. I then was given a telephone interview where they asked me mainly of what I have been doing in my degree, what I found most tough what I enjoyed most etc. I was then asked why I am interested in working in Atkins and why that particular industry.

The whole interview lasted around 15-20min and in essence, it was a fairly comfortable interview and not too scary as I initially thought.

After a few days, they then informed me that I made the next stage and should take the numerical and and verbal reasoning tests. I did some practice via online websites beforehand, however after taking the tests I found out that I had not scored highly enough and did not make the next stage. Make sure you prepare enough for online tests!!!

Whats areas of your course have you most disliked?

It is a bit difficult to actually say because you don't want to sound like you disliked your course.

Make sure you prepare enough for verbal reasoning and numerical tests

Did not reach the assessment day.

The telephone interview is very simple. It lasted approximately 30 minutes with one of the Baker Hughes (BH) recruiters and was only competency based. They were general questions as to why I wanted to work at BH, what I would expect in my first year at BH and 3 competency questions. I was told the outcome of my interview about approximately a week after which I was invited to the Baker Hughes Experience.

None of the questions were difficult.

As part of the phone interview the following questions were asked:
- Why did you apply for BH
- What do you expect to be doing in your first year at BH
- Tell me about a time you worked with someone difficult
- Tell me about your greatest achievement
- What is your favourite subject at university and why


As part of the Baker Hughes Experience there were 2 separate interviews. The first interview asked:
- What motivated you to apply for Baker Hughes?
- Why do you want to work in the Technical Field Engineer position?
- What concerns you most about this position?

The second panel interview only asked one question. After discussing with the other 20 candidates on the day, we all got asked a different question. Below is a list of some of these questions:
- What skills will you bring to Baker Hughes?
- Describe yourself in 3 words?
- What do you want out of your work?
- Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?

The BHE is an intensive process. Make sure you get a good sleep the night before. Remember to listen carefully to everything they say, especially the core values. SAFETY is core to everything BH do, and is something they pride themselves upon.

The Baker Hughes assessment centre is know as the Baker Hughes Experience (BHE). It is a 2 day intensive assessment centre that takes place in Aberdeen (If you applied for the technical position). The Baker Hughes staff take care of booking the transport for you.

After checking in, when I arrived in my room there was an envelope with my name on it. Inside there was a letter which said meet in the meeting room at 6AM for the beginning of the assessment centre. Some people shared their room with another person, whilst some were alone. BH don't give you any information regarding the activities you will be doing as they want to see how you cope with the element of surprise.

DAY 1

The next day started at 6AM. In total there were about 20 candidates. The day started with a short 5 minute presentation by one of the BH recruiters. He then asked us all to introduce ourself by including the following information:
- Name
- Where we are from and university
- Draw a picture that reflects us and explain why
- Choose an adjective beginning with the first letter of your first name to describe you
- Recall everyones names and adjectives of the people before you
This was done randomly, so be prepared to listen carefully and remember what everyone says.

After this we were put into groups of 5 and were given 15 minutes to create a paper aeroplane model that would travel the furthest distance and give a short presentation regarding it. One thing to note here and on any other activities you do during the BHE is that safety is paramount to everything done within BH. So it's always useful to mention safety somewhere in a presentation.

After this we went down for breakfast where an employee for BH sat at each table with the candidates and began conversation. Remember they are judging you. So ask good questions, and seem approachable and sociable.

We returned back into the metting room at around 8AM where several presentations were delivered. Listen carefully, because they give important information which you will need to recall in a presentation you are going to give on the second day. One thing to pay extra careful attention to and embed within your head are the core values within BH. This is emphasised upon by the employees alot, so remember them and use them where possible.

At 10AM we were taken to one of the BH sites in Aberdeen. We split up into a group of 4 and each went with a BH employee in their car. Upon arriving at the site we were separated into 4 groups and were allocated separate tasks which we rotated.

1) Site tour
They give you a tour lasting approximately an hour of the site. You get to see all the equipment that are used. The Nitrogen tanks, Nitrogen converters, pumps, pigs (No not that type!) etc etc etc. It's a very cool tour, something which I really enjoyed. Remember to ask good questions as you are being judged.

2) Experiments
Theres a set of 5 experiments that you carry out. You have 10 minutes to carry out each experiment and record your results. Remember SAFETY! They might put goggles or gloves on the table, even though you might not need it, USE IT! SAFETY is very important to BH (As you'll learn through the presentations).

- Measure the pH of Coke and Coffee
You'll be given 4 cups. One has coke, one has coffee and the other two have distilled water. You have litmus paper. Using the litmus paper measure the pH of the coke and coffee and record your results.
You now have to record your results of pH using an electronic pH meter. Remember to calibrate it using the distilled water so that the pH of the meter is at 7. There will be an instruction manual for the meter if you don't know how to use it.
Use the gloves provided and wear the goggles.

- Measure the conductivity of different pieces of wire
You have a piece of equipment that allows you to measure the conductivity of different pieces of wire. You most probably won't have used it unless you're an electrical engineer, so make sure you read the instruction manual thoroughly but quickly so that you know how to use it. There's a certain way to clip it onto the wires, so make sure you get that correct or you will get wrong results.

- Assemble a model
Different parts with labels will be put on the table with a set of assembling instructions. Just follow the instructions and you'll be fine. Remember to wear the goggles provided.

- Assemble a drill part
Again this is similar to above, just follow the instructions and remember to wear the goggles.

- Measure the diameter and depth of a model using a Vernier Calliper
You'll be given a model of a drill bit for which you have to find several properties, e.g. outer diameter, inner diameter, depth etc using a vernier calliper. Again remember to read the instruction manual thoroughly and quickly. This can be a bit tricky to use if you haven't used one before.

After your first two activities you'll be given a short break within which to have lunch at the site. A coupon worth £5 will be given to you, which you can use to buy anything you want there.

3) Maths test
This is not your normal maths test, it's a maths test that involves Mayan numbers and arithmetic. So it might be useful if you read up on how to do it, as it can get quite tricky, especially when you're multiplying HUGE numbers without a calculator. You'll have about 50 minutes to do this.

You'll then have a 10 minute break and then go back for your final test.

4) Reasoning test
You'll be given a passage to read and then some short questions to answer regarding the passage. It's quite simple really.

You'll then return to the hotel and they'll give you about 20 minutes to relax. We had to meet back at the meeting room at approximately 5PM.

Another presentation was delivered, this time by two people who recently joined the scheme which lasted about 30mins.

Then we were split into groups again and this time we had to build a rig from a given set of equipment (paper, straws, sellotape) and imaginary money. There are 3 different rig options you can choose. Remember this is all about how you work as a team. So make sure you communicate effectively and give everyone a chance to do something. It was a timed session, we had about 45 minutes to build, then each about 5 minutes to present why we chose the materials, rig etc. There are limited materials, so it's based on first come first serve, so don't waste too much time deciding what rig you want to build and what materials you need. Be spontaneous.

Then we went for dinner at approximately 7PM, again it was the same as breakfast with a BH staff with us. We then met back in the meeting room approximately 7:30PM.

The final thing was the first panel interview with BH staff. You'll have 3 BH staff in the room and they'll ask you the three questions mentioned above. Once done you are free to go. It was done in alphabetical order, so if your surname is with a Z, you'll be waiting a long time!


DAY 2

Day 2 started at 6:30AM with us meeting in the restaurant for breakfast. Again breakfast was the same as day 1. We were told to be in the meeting room by 7AM.

At 7AM it began with another presentation for an hour followed by a break. At 8AM we were given a debating exercise to do. You'll be shown a scenario followed by a number of possible reactions from which you have to choose one. For some of these there are no right answers, but for the majority there clearly is a right answer. Be sure to link the core values of BH to the scenario and possible solutions. Once you've chosen what you'd do, people who picked the same as you will be grouped up and you then have to debate and encourage the other group to come over to your side and why you are correct and they are wrong. They are judging your ability to communicate and persuade.

This exercise lasted about an hour and was then followed by another group exercise. Again we were split into groups of 5, this time we had to prepare a 10 minute presentation to give imagining that we are BH employees giving a presentation to University students at a careers fair encouraging them to apply for us. Try and be innovative in your approach. Different groups did different things. Remember to include the core values of BH and how Safety is of paramount importance. You have 15 minutes to prepare, with 10 minutes to present, followed by 5 minutes of questions.

Then we had one more presentation given to us and we broke up for lunch. Before breaking up for lunch we were asked to write on a piece of paper wether we were still interested in the position or not.

After lunch we had our final activity of the day. A panel interview with all the BH staff that were present on the day. Each person was given a different question which can be found above.

After this panel interview was the hardest part, waiting for the answer. They tell you a yes or a no on the day. Once they have told you, you are free to go.

Interview for Baker Hughes

I had sent a CV and cover letter in response to the graduate field engineer role at Baker Hughes that I found on my Universitys Career services website. I then filled in an application form just going over my experiences. A 30 min phone interview was then conducted with details of questions asked stated below. I was then invited to a 2 day assessment centre in Aberdeen.

The recruiter who conducted my interview was very nice and eased any initial nerves that I had. The interview lasted for 30 minutes and was relatively straight forward as long as you look into the company and job role thoroughly. The last question asked was a new one for me so make sure you know your experiences well, both academic and extra curricular.

Note: Flights to Aberdeen were organised by BH. From the airport you catch a taxi to the hotel where you're handed a letter saying to meet with everyone at 6AM.

Phone interview
Why BH?
What are you likely to do in your first year as a graduate?
Give an example of a time when you had to solve a technical problem.
(can't remember clearly but something to do with) : applying knowledge to work through problems in design project
Name a time you had to work with someone difficult.
Name a time when you wanted to learn something new? How did you go about this

see above

Assessment centre

I'm not going to go through the itinerary for the 2 days because it's already been explained very well by someone else. Instead I'll focus on key elements of the experience that will hopefully aid your preparation.

The two day assessment centre was an intense experience to the point where you're running on autopilot at the end of day 1 so preparation is key. They focus heavily on interaction and team work so try and mingle as best you can without looking like you???re trying too hard. The early morning starts can be particularly difficult to conduct small talk especially if you're nervous and not a morning person!

Core Values and Safety
Key things to note: make sure you're well versed in the company's core values and remember that the company is very big on safety. This will enable you to structure your answers a lot more effectively. There is a group task (5 people, 10mins) on the second day to present BH to University students which would encourage them to apply to the company. There is also a debating exercise whereby you are presented with a scenario and various reactions. You then need to justify why you chose the option you did. These 2 particular scenarios are where remembering the core values and focusing on safety is important.

Note: in the debating exercise, if you find yourself in the unfortunate position of picking the wrong card, present your arguments but don't be stubborn enough not to change your mind.

Group work
How you work in a group is of course very important. There are various exercises and the best advice I can give is be cool, go with the flow and work hard for the team. If you end up being the leader, listen to everyone, come up with you're own ideas but don't dismiss others and delegate the tasks effectively with the focus on your end goal/objective. If you're not the leader, don't worry, make sure you contribute positively to the group, communicate well and work hard for your team.

Have fun, a bit of banter will help build rapport and be yourself.

Experiments
There are five 10 minute experiments and the main piece of advice is to read the instructions thoroughly and quickly. Safety is very important so if there are goggles and/or gloves, make sure to use it.

Maths and reasoning test
You have 50 minutes to go through an exercise using Mayan number. Things can get hairy especially when you're multiplying huge numbers without a calculator so make sure to familiarise yourself with the Mayan number system.

The reasoning test is straightforward. Read a passage of text and answer questions based upon what you have read and a little bit of common sense.

Panel interviews
There are two panel interview, one at the end of day 1 (around 8pm) and the other at the end of day 2 (around 3/4pm).
The first interview was after an intense day and I was personally running on autopilot. Be yourself, be enthusiastic about the role, the questions are not really designed to catch you out so don't worry.
In the second interview, the panel asked questions based upon what else they wanted to know about you. Again, as long as you do your homework on the company, know why you want the job, why you're a good candidate (i.e. what qualities do you have that will make you a success at BH), and reassure them that you're willing to move to Aberdeen, you'll be fine.

Good luck!