If you are an engineer applying to a job, the questions posed during an interview may vary based on whether you are applying for a position as an electrical, mechanical, computer, civil, or other type of engineer. However, almost any engineer job interview will include questions that assess your technological knowledge, your engineering skills, and your ability to communicate with team members and clients.
The following is a list of frequently asked engineering interview questions. As in any interview, it's a good idea to review questions, and practice your response, in advance of the interview. Being prepared will help you feel confident, and ensure you're hitting the right notes in your answers.
Engineer Interview Questions
- Tell me about the most challenging engineering project that you have been involved with during the past year.
- Describe the most challenging written technical report or presentation that you've had to complete.
- Describe an experience with a difficult client. How did you handle the situation? What would you have done differently?
- Tell me about your greatest success in using logic to solve an engineering problem.
- Give me an example of a time when you applied your ability to use analytical techniques to define problems or design solutions.
- What checks and balances do you use to make sure that you don't make mistakes?
- Do you have any patents? If so, tell me about them. If not, is that something you see yourself pursuing in the future? Why or why not?
- What engineering skills have you developed or improved upon during the past year?
- Which software packages are you familiar with? What is the most interesting thing you know how to do with one of these packages?
- What are you doing to stay current with the latest technology?
Civil Engineer Interview Questions
- What appeals to you about working for our company?
- Why did you apply for this particular job?
- Why did you select civil engineering as your field or major?
- Describe a time when you questioned your choice of engineering as a career or major.
- Describe an occasion when you worked on a team and something did not go well. How did you respond?
- Share a situation when a project or proposal of yours met resistance or was not adopted in a timely fashion. How did you handle this dilemma?
Software Engineer Interview Questions
If you're a software engineer, see these interview questions about the skills and attributes that qualify you the job.
Questions About Your Personal Attributes
- What strengths make you a good engineer?
- What was your professional development plan for the past two years?
- Describe a time when you received criticism from a supervisor or professor. How did you respond?
- Describe your ideal boss.
- What is an example of a problem where you had to think on your feet?
- What will be the biggest challenge for you with this position?
Questions About Your Resume
- Why are you currently unemployed?
- What have you accomplished outside of school and work that you are proud of?
- What are your salary expectations?
- Where would you like to be with your career five years from now?
- Describe something you omitted from your resume and how that would make you a good fit for the position.
Problem-Solving Questions
- Describe any situations where you took initiative or displayed an entrepreneurial approach.
- Give me an example of how you applied your problem-solving skills to a design challenge.
- Share an example of how you have applied your skills to on-site work.
- Describe your most successful engineering project. What enabled you to achieve this success?
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What about on-site work is most challenging for you?
Technical Questions
- What is the required information to repair a midbeam in a building?
- Describe any projects or coursework which equip you to work on design issues for water systems.
- How much oil is necessary to pollute the ocean?
- Do you have any security clearance to work on classified projects? If you have worked on a DOD project, describe a challenge which you encountered.
- What are the ways to filter the contaminants in drinking water?
- What are sources of contaminants in water?
- Describe the differences between Corsim and Vissim models.
- How have you best applied computer technology to your work during the past year?
- What software have you learned to use or mastered more fully during the past year?
General Job Interview Questions
In addition to job-specific interview questions, you will also be asked more general questions about your employment history, education, strengths, weaknesses, achievements, goals, and plans. Here's a list of the most common interview questions and examples of answers.