Posted by:  Tim Chen, OSU Student and Career Services Career Assistant

Now that you have finally attended the Spring Career Fair, it’s time for you to prepare for those interviews.  Engineering interviews are very similar to a standard interview with employers.  However, there are a couple of exceptions.  Here are a few tips that will help prepare you for an Engineering Interview:

*First, come into the interview with some kind of background knowledge of the company and/or organization.

*Second, unless otherwise noted, make an attempt to dress to impress.  Attempting to dress in professional attire will not only draw attention, but it will leave a lasting positive impression you.

*Third, if you’re applying for a position with desired engineering qualifications, expect for the employer to either question your skills or question your depth.

Here is a personal example:  When I applied for a high school contracting internship with Intel, my position required a live identification examination on the parts of a server board.

*Finally, follow the general steps for preparing for a typical job interview.  This includes knowing what to say and what not to say, addressing the difficult “weakness” interview question, and developing a portfolio to share with employers on the skills gained from your engineering degree.

As usual, Career Services does offer Mock Interview sessions.  If you’re interested, please stop by our office or call us at 541-737-4085 to schedule an appointment today.

If you cannot make it in to practice an interview, Beaver Job Net has a special link to an Oregon State University exclusive access to Interview Stream.  It also allows you to experience a “mock interview” and provides an option of receiving feedback from their service.  Interview Stream is special because you can customize your mock interview towards questions specifically related to your major and/or desired career field.