Engineering Interview Questions & Answers

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.

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)

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.

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.

After submitting my application online I immediately received an email acknowledging receipt of my application and advising me of the steps that would follow. A few days later I received another email inviting me to complete two online psychometric tests (numerical and inductive reasoning) and I was given 7 days to complete them. The website used for the tests was very well laid out and provided very clear instructions, as well as providing several practice tests. Once I had completed the psychometric tests I received an email telling me that I had passed and that my application had been passed on to senior management for consideration.

After this I did not hear anything for about a month, and then I had an email asking me to attend an assessment centre in Filton in a weeks time. Rolls Royce covered all of my travel costs and put me up in a four star hotel and spa the night before the assessment centre.

There was a competency interview involving a 5 minute presentation and standard questions about my CV and different skills. After that there was a skills interview which focussed on my engineering knowledge. It was a mixture of questions from different areas of engineering, and as long as you have a decent grasp of the operating principle of a gas turbine and revise your first year notes you shouldn't have a problem.

- What would you bring to Rolls Royce?

- The turbine entry temperatures in modern engines are often above the melting point of temperature sensors. How would you go about measuring the temperature in these regions.

- I was given a component of a jet engine and asked to identify what it was, the material it was made from, how it was manufactured and what the various features of it did.

- Make sure you know the operating principle of a gas turbine engine
- Revise your lecture notes
- Make sure you know the latest facts and figures of Rolls Royce
- Do not mention Rolls Royce cars in the interview! (Rolls Royce cars are part of BMW nowadays).

The assessment centre itself was well organised and had a friendly atmosphere with about 12 other candidates also attending. There was another numerical test to verify the results from the online tests,

Finally there was a group task which was to build as high a tower as possible with paper and plastic cups. All the groups failed to build anything that withstood any sort of load, but it was quite a relaxed atmosphere and they were more interested in seeing how well you work with other people.

The most important message I got from the assessment centre was that the interviewers aren't there to intimidate you or catch you out, and that the skills interview is the most important part of the day. One interview hinted that if you do badly in the skills interview then you're unlikely to get the job.

Within 24 hours of the assessment centre I received a call from HR telling me that I had been successful and had got the internship. From this point the contracts were sent out very quickly and security checks were commenced.

It was with two people, an enigneering manager and an HR representative. It started off with competency questions surrounding team work, communication skills, conflict resolution etc. It then went on to some technical questions in which i was given pictures and asked various questions this included what loads a bearing in a train wheel assembly underwent, and why train platforms that were curved could not easily be converted to have barriers between the platform and the train. I was then asked a questions about why ramps in train stations are important and why it was important for TFL to cater to disabilities.

The most difficult questions were the technical questions as they are difficult to prepare for and can be very specific. You have to use a lot of judgement and common sense and try not to panic.

Keep calm, do your research on the company and know what schemes and projects they are currently implementing. Keep in mind this is a public sector organisation and so political correctness, diversity, inclusion and knowledge of such is key. Be enthusiastic and know everything you can possibly know about the scheme you are applying for.

It was a long day with many tasks and a test, the people were friendly and always happy to help, I would say the highlight was meeting the current graduate trainees as it really gave an insight into what the scheme was like.

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.

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

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

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.