Search 2000 engineering jobs across the UK
Securing a new engineering job is not always an easy process. Even when an engineer's skills are a good match with those sought by the employer, being called for a job interview often means that there are other candidates whose experience in the engineering field makes them just as qualified for the position. This is why it is important to be prepared when you show up for the interview and to know how to sell your skills to a recruiter in conversation.
While soft skills and personality are usually not very high on the list of priorities to employers in the engineering industry, it is important that you are able to let the recruiter know that you are responsible, diligent, have a good grasp of what the job requires and that you know how to apply your specific engineering skills to add value to the organization. To make your case, use examples from your previous projects. Stories are always more engaging and memorable than facts and adjectives.
Even for experienced engineers, technical questions can be the trickiest part of a job interview. Recruiters will usually ask something that is related to your skills or previous experience, so make sure you revisit the tasks and responsibilities that you have listed on your engineering resume before the job interview. Think about the ways in which your experience working on certain projects would be useful to your new employer.
If at any point the recruiter asks a question that you do not fully understand, it is very important that you ask for clarification instead of trying to improvise an answer. The job interview is the employer's only chance to find out how dependable an employee you would make. If you try to wing it, he/she might get the impression that you are only looking out for yourself and not for the team.
Similarly, if you are asked an engineering question that you do not know how to answer, it is usually best to be honest about it. If, however, you are confident that the answer is not completely beyond you, you should let the recruiter know how you would approach the task demanded of you even if you don't know how to solve it. This demonstrates your thinking skills and adaptability, both of which rate highly among employers.
Most importantly, take a good look at the engineering skills listed in the job advertisement and those in your CV. Make sure you can make an eloquent case for yourself by pinpointing the areas in which your technical strengths and experience as an engineer would best serve your prospective employer. Know exactly what contribution you made on the projects you previously worked on, be prepared to discuss them in detail and do not exaggerate the role you played in them. Instead, focus on the results of your work - in the final analysis, they will most likely be the factor that determines whether or not you will get a job offer.
To browse and apply for the latest engineering jobs, please visit our job board.
