The following interview scenarios are designed to illustrate the flow of an actual interview. The sequences are loosely based on the experiences of previous engineering and computer science students who collectively participated in a wide range of interviews during their time at Michigan Engineering. Each scenario includes questions to gauge the candidate’s interest in the company/job and assess the technical and professional skills required to perform the job.
FIRST ROUND INTERVIEW
Scenario
- Explain the thought process behind choosing your major? How early did you make your decisions and did you ever change it?
- Please explain a difficult engineering concept to me so that I can understand it.
- Tell me about a project you worked on as part of a team. Was the outcome what you expected?
- Please describe a time when your engineering know-how and knowledge was tested.
- What specific career goals have you set yourself, both in the short and long term
BEHAVIORAL INTERVIEW
Scenario 1
- Why did you choose the career field you would like to work in?
- Describe a specific engineering project that you were responsible for that required a lot of interaction with a variety of people over a long period of time?
- In the field of engineering, priorities often change quickly. Give me an example of a time when that happened and how you handled it.
- Describe a time when there wasn’t clear communication from a team leader or other project participants. How did you handle it?
- Describe a time when you took the initiative to do something that needed to be done without being asked.
Scenario 2
- What do you enjoy most/least about engineering?
- Walk me through your resume and describe how your personal and professional experiences specifically prepared you to add value to this position and company?
- Describe a time when you used your engineering knowledge to solve a problem for which there appeared to be no answer.
- Give an example of a situation when you had to compromise your own goals/objectives for the sake of the team.
- How does this position fit into your long-term career plans?
Scenario 3
- What interests you about this job?
- Tell me about the most challenging engineering project that you have been involved with during the past year.
- What new engineering specialty skills have you developed during the past year?
- Describe a situation when you were able to strengthen a business or personal relationship by communicating effectively. What made your communication effective?
- How can you best use your engineering education and prior work experience to help our company grow?
Scenario 4
- How have you managed to balance your academic and extracurricular activities?
- What is the most interesting project you have worked on? Please describe the project.
- I expect the engineer that I hire for this position to be precise and detailed oriented in everything he or she does. What checks and balances do you use to make sure that you don’t make mistakes?
- What single technical skill or ability is your best asset?
- Give an example of when you had to work with someone who was difficult to get along with. How was this person difficult? How did you handle it? How did the relationship progress?
Scenario 5 – Intern/FT
- Tell me what initially sparked your interest in this industry?
- Recall a time when you were assigned what you considered to be a complex project. What steps did you take to prepare for and finish the project?
- Tell me about a group project when another team member did not complete his or her part. How did you deal with the person and what were the end results?
- Describe a situation where your initial approach failed and you had to try something different to achieve results.
- Describe the work environment or culture and its communication style in which you experience the most success.
Scenario 6 – Intern/FT
- Describe a situation where you had to work with ambiguity or changing goals. How did you deal with the situation and what was the result?
- Describe how your ability to communicate effectively and build relationships with many different types of people has contributed to one of your greatest accomplishments.
- How do you determine your priorities in scheduling multiple tasks or projects?
- How do you approach the task of building effective professional relationships?
- Tell me about a time when you worked with a person who did things very differently from you. How did you get the job done?
INTERNSHIP INTERVIEW
Scenario 1
- What interested you most about this particular internship?
- For what advice or assistance do fellow engineers turn to you?
- Describe a time when you confronted a problem that really tested your engineering know-how.
- Tell me about a group project of which you are particularly proud. What was your contribution?
- What are your long term and short-term goals for this internship?
Scenario 2
- How do you think this internship experience will help prepare you for your career?
- What new engineering specialty skills have you developed during the past year?
- Describe the role you typically adopt while working in a team.
- What is the most interesting project you have worked on? Please describe the project.
- How would you gain the confidence of a team member who has many more years of experience than you?