Let’s face it, the job market is tough and bagging a job these days is certainly not cakewalk! Good grades, impressive resume and resourceful references will only get you till the job interview stage from where your final destination is still a few inches away. Goofing up at this stage is not a good idea at all so, leave no stone unturned and prepare well for the Big Day. At an interview, for the position of an engineer, manager, sales representative, etc there are several rounds. One of the important rounds is the round of behavioural questions which judges your personality, professionalism and temperament in particular. Now if you are an engineer, the employer will be looking for smartness, logical reasoning, critical thinking, passion for your line of work, out of the box thinking, etc. All the four to six years of Bachelor’s or Master’s degree prepare you for the technical aspects but might not have prepare you for the behavioural questions. The answers to the behavioural questions are difficult because they cannot be memorised and must be answered from personal experiences. Predicting, researching or even searching for the possible questions which can come under this category and then rehearsing your answer can make you feel both comfortable and confident. Look through the following list of questions to understand better.
Interview Questions For Engineers
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Tell me about a project in which you didn't achieve the intended goal. How did you hold ground?
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Tell me about a project with team conflict. How did you resolve it and complete the project?
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Describe two specific technical contributions you would expect to make during the first six months on the job if you joined our company.
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What personal characteristics do you feel are necessary to be a successful engineer?
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In the field of engineering, priorities often change quickly. Give me an example of a time when that happened. How did you handle it?
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What step-by-step criteria do you use to make difficult decisions that involve other engineers?
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What do you get out of engineering that you couldn’t get from any other kind of work?
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What factors would you consider in building an engineering department from the scratch?
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Some of the best-engineered ideas are born out of an individual’s ability to challenge others’ ways of thinking. Tell me about a time when you were successful in doing this.
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I expect the engineer that I hire for this position to be precise but detailed oriented in everything he or she does. What do you do to make sure that you don’t make mistakes?
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Describe a time when you used your engineering knowledge to solve a problem for which there appeared to be no answer.
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If I were to ask one of your professors (or a boss) to describe you, what would he or she say?
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Have you ever had a conflict with a boss or a professor? How did you resolve it?
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What do you think it takes to be successful in this career?
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What accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction in your life?
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If you had to live your life all over again, what one thing would you change?
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Describe a situation where you had to request help or assistance on a project or assignment.
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Describe the most significant or creative presentation that you have had to complete.
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What is more important to you, money or success?
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Can you describe how engineering, has generally changed during your lifetime?
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How would you describe yourself in terms of your ability to work as a member of a team?
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Given the investment our company will make in hiring and training you, can you give us a reason to hire you?
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What quality or attribute do you feel will most contribute to your career success?
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Do you think that your grades are an indication of your academic achievement?
We sincerely hope that after going through the long list of sample questions given above, you would ace the job interview and come out a winner!