The biggest hurdle to landing your dream engineering job may be your interview. It can be hard to find the right thing to say or you may be too nervous to properly present yourself. By taking a few proactive steps, you can position yourself as the right match and give your prospective employer a mini-experience of just how good you’ll be.
Be Prepared
In advance of your interview, find out as much as you can about the job and its qualifications. Research the company, its industry, its culture, and relevant business trends.
- Have your talking points ready. Prepare three or four concise messages that clearly show the connection between your achievements and what’s needed to succeed in the job. Make your stories short and compelling. Rehearse them ahead of time. Whenever possible, steer the conversation towards them as your interview progresses.
- Your research can help you to immediately connect with your interviewers. If you demonstrate your awareness of current happenings that impact their firm, they will feel as though you already know them.
Your “Must Ask” Question
An interview is a conversation where you have opportunities to ask, as well as answer questions. Use this to your advantage. Inquire up front about the details regarding day-to-day job responsibilities. While they respond, listen and take it all in. Then when you answer subsequent questions, you can tailor them and present yourself as the perfect candidate fit.
- Candidates don’t often do this, but they should. It enables you to learn exactly what an employer is interested in and then demonstrate how you’re uniquely qualified to meet their needs.
Emphasize Your Potential
Steer the interview toward a focus on specific projects you’ve been successfully involved in that connect to the job description. Emphasize your potential to grow within and contribute to the organization.
- If your past achievements aren’t directly related to the position, focus on your flexibility. Demonstrate how well you adapt to new situations. For instance, if you’re interviewing for an international role but lack global experience, emphasize your ability to influence others in a cross-functional role. This could be facilitating collaboration between development specialists and production managers or teams from different cultures and locations.
- Sell yourself. This does not always come naturally to engineers. Think of yourself as a product that someone is considering buying. Because you are. In order for an employer to select you, they must be convinced of your value and growth potential.
First Impressions Do Matter
The first 30 seconds of your interview can make or break its successful outcome. Research has shown this to be the length of time needed for initial opinions on your personality and intelligence to form.
- Pay careful attention to how you look, walk and speak. Use a firm handshake, make eye contact and portray an air of confidence, even if you have to practice beforehand. Speak clearly and not too quickly. Bring as much enthusiasm and energy as possible without being phony or overselling yourself.
- The same principles apply to phone interviews. Use the first 30 seconds to establish yourself as a confident, calm voice on the line.
A professional career coach can be an invaluable asset as you interview for your next engineering job. Read our related post or contact the specialized team at Premium Staffing to learn more.
Start the Conversation and Share this Article on Social Media