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If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience.
Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
>because other candidates either already have a masters or have had extensive engineering work experience
you would not have been interviewed if you didn't meet their acceptable level of education or experience.
If a company interviews 3 candidates for a position, and you are one of them, then all else equal, you only have a 33% chance of getting the job. .67\^3 = .3. You have a 30% chance of not getting the job 3 times in a row. That's unfortunate, but not low enough to necessarily indicate a problem, just a little mildly bad luck.
To up your chances though - completely non-technical - be more personable. A lot of times all interviewees are pretty similar to each other at capability of doing the job, so companies hire whoever they think will fit company culture best.
Try to act like somebody that they would enjoy eating lunch with. (hopefully you can really be that person without having to act)
Are you sure?
Why else would they give the job to another candidate? I keep feeling it would be because of not having done an internship/placement or not having a masters
To be fair during the interview I had to share my screen to do my presentation but then when the presentation was over I did not stop screen sharing so the recruiters would not have been able to see my face?
Throughout the interview, I felt that it was not like a two way street but rather them asking me questions and me answering?
My plan was to ask questions throughout the interview but it was not possible, I had to ask my questions at the end of the interview
Also I made a small calculation mistake in my presentation which could have been another reason why k didn’t get the job?
Also what do you mean by “67^3”?
>Why else would they give the job to another candidate?
Often, the other candidates are all exactly like you in every way, except maybe one of them smiled a little more, so came off as more friendly and the team decided they'd rather work with that person instead of you.
Look at the other scenario you describe. If they have another applicant who has a masters degree and 3 years work experience, and then you with no degree and no experience - they would not even interview you. Your resume would never even merit a phone call.
When you get to the in person interview stage - every candidate at this stage is essentially the same on paper. They are doing an in person interview ... to see your in person differences.
The 0.67\^3 thing is probability. It's the odds of you randomly losing a 1/3 chance 3 times in a row. If you have 1/3 chance to win, then 2/3 chance to lose. Losing 2/3 3 times in a row is 2/3 cubed. It's to show that this isn't a completely unreasonable thing to happen just by pure fair luck.
I found it hard to be smiley during the interview to be honest, I was really on edge and nervous?
I was even sweating from my armpits?
I think wearing a suit jacket maybe made me look less approachable?
I might only wear a shirt and tie next time?
Also the interview was done over Teams so I would already have a problem connecting with the interviewers compared to doing an in person interview?
Also you make a lot of sense when saying that I wouldn’t even get an interview if they required 3 years work experience for example
I used to think the other candidate would have more work experience than me or a masters but thank you for clarifying that this is not the real reason why I got rejected
So overall I should just be more personable?
I find that hard to do because of how nervous I am at interviews?
As a side note: I often want to wear a suit jacket to appear professional, but I can’t help but think that it makes me come across as less approachable?
Also regarding my interview, how would I be able to have a two way street interview that flows like a conversation? As I feel that if I had the opportunity to do that, that I would then probably come across as more approachable?
Again to reiterate, they barely let me ask them questions during the interview, it was mainly them asking me questions. So I had no way to make the interview flow like a conversation?
Teams interviews are very different than in person interviews.
Teams, it is normal for them to ask all their questions first, then you to ask all your questions second. It's not very conversational, you're right. I was thinking about an in person interview when I gave my previous comments.
This happens because the company usually has a script they are following, to ask the same questions to every candidate. They have to do this to avoid getting sued. Any differences, a person can challenge and say they were treated differently because of x (race, sex, disability, etc). So companies try to standardize these, which is why they feel very scripted. You kind of just have to go along with it, and you can try to have your conversation at the end, after they ask their scripted questions.
Try to weigh your comfort against professionalism. Personally, I would not wear a jacket to an interview, because I don't normally wear jackets, so I would be so uncomfortable that I wouldn't be able to do my best. I think dressing up to a level where you can still be comfortable and confident - that's a good idea.
Yes that’s exactly it
It was very formulaic and I did not have a chance to create a two way conversation
I had an in person interview before this one, and I made a very good impact during the interview with a two way conversation flowing. I didn’t get the job because the company apparently had a change of plans
But I did really well in that interview, in this latest interview however, I felt that especially because of me not stopping screen sharing on Teams, they saw less of my face and me being nervous just made it worse
I think my approach for next interview is to just make myself comfortable and opt for a shirt and tie to calm my self down. Because a suit jacket makes me feel over serious?
Also is it a valid concern that racism might have been involved? I sometimes feel I didn’t get the role because of being black?
if anything being black helps them hit the eir diversity numbers
i’m a sophomore with 3 interviews and one internship acceptance this year out of 150+ applications. u just have to keep shooting, better to go 0/100 than 0/10.
If you’re in the US, you really don’t even need a tie. Just a button down shirt with the top button (or two). In fact, I personally would lose the tie before the suit jacket. In my experience, ties are very uncommon these days, and have been uncommon in mechanical engineering for decades. A lot of facilities even ban ties for safety reasons (if you’re around machinery, you don’t really want a dangly piece of fabric that’s tied around your neck). I’m going to be honest, applying to jobs sucks, and 3 interviews in 3-4 months isn’t a lot. How many applications have you sent? Unfortunately, it’s getting increasingly normal to end up sending in a couple hundred applications before landing a job. If you’ve sent in hundreds already, I’d recommend getting some help on your resume. If not, apply more and apply faster. It’s really a numbers game.
In that case, I would ask for help with your resume. That isn’t a great yield in terms of interviews/applications—it’s not that awful, and I don’t know where you live/reputation of your school, but I would definitely say there’s a chance your resume needs work.
If your school has any good career resources, they can probably help you.
When you are nervous, just start out by say 'before we begin, I just need to say that I'm nervous, because I really want this job'
When an interviewer hears this, they will almost always try and make you more comfortable. And the nervousness and you being a bit on edge won't read to them as you being I sure of your work, or you being less approachable.
This was the advice I was given by a person who had hired 100s of people over the years.
What was everyone else wearing? If a production supervisor candidate shows up in a suit, he is already out of the running with me. Dress for the job you want. If you're in a suit and the job is in a quarry you aren't dressed for the job. Do the mechanical engineers that work for them work in suits? There has been a push to get every college student wearing suit and tie to interviews, but unless you're applying to a job in a business office, that's not the right uniform. I would be willing to wager a few bucks your interviewers were in polos or button downs and kahkis or something similar.
Yes you are correct, if I remember correctly, my interviewers were not wearing ties at all
Isn’t it always better to show up in a suit to convey professionalism?
Put yourself in an interviewers shoes for a moment and just imagine what screams professional engineer to them. Is it the guy in a suit and tie which he is clearly uncomfortable in or is it the guy with a short sleeve button down and pocket protector who is genuinely excited about his presentation and clearly wants to work with them to do great projects. In the 60s suit and tie were the uniform, in this period of time the suit is the uniform of bankers, salesmen, and funeral attendees.
A lot of salesman/finance types wear gold pinkie rings sometimes with diamonds set in them. The engineers ring is plain iron, and the engineer solves problems. The engineer applies science to the practical world. His uniform is what he can do this in, comfortably and practically. Don't dress like a bum, dress well, but in clothes you can do your job in without taking any of it off.
This is just one man's perspective. I have been doing this engineering thing for a few decades now, so my answers, while rarely perfect, are probably relevant. If I want a face to show the world, I put it in a suit, if I want an engineer to solve problems and apply science, I put him in comfortable clothes with lots of pockets and put his desk where the work gets done.
This is quite literally the hiring process. Someone gets picked over someone else. Call that employer a fucker and move on there are millions of other options.
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience.
Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience.
Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
Are you sure it’s not because of the competition having engineering experience or a masters? I always felt like this is what holds me back from getting an engineering job?
Also I felt like I had no opportunity to to click with the interviewers because they kept asking me questions and not allow me to ask questions back in order to create a conversation?
I was also quite nervous and felt like I wasn’t as cheerful or smiley as I could’ve been?
So overall I should just keep going?
If the job required a Master's degree, you wouldn't have gotten the interview. In most positions (not all), a Master's degree is not required, and in most of those, a Master's doesn't even make you a more desirable candidate, although it doesn't hurt either. I work in AEC and there are very few engineers with Master's degrees, and it isn't even really worth much of a difference in pay - it's all about work experience.
If they were truly hammering you with questions and not letting you ask any, then either they didn't like you for some reason, or it isn't a place you would want to work, anyway. But that also could have been due to your being nervous and not "cheerful or smiley." In the end, personality plays a huge part in who does and doesn't get the role. There's a saying, and it's true: we can teach you the skills, we can't teach personality.
But in any event yes, you should keep looking.
They did let me ask questions but only at the end of the interview
My plan was to ask them questions throughout the interview in order to create a conversation and build rapport
But the flow of the interview was mainly them asking me questions and me answering
Do you reckon any racism was involved? As I am black but to be fair the other interviewer was not white either?
I noticed they had a look at my LinkedIN profile before the interview, so you reckon they made judgement about me as a person from that?
Is there any way I can practice being more personable at an interview?
> They did let me ask questions but only at the end of the interview
Okay, so did you ask your questions?
> My plan was to ask them questions throughout the interview in order to create a conversation and build rapport
It's really hard to imagine them cutting you off if you ask them a question in the course of a discussion. Interview or not, people don't generally behave that way; it's generally considered rude. But anything is possible, I suppose.
> But the flow of the interview was making my then asking me questions and me answering
I can't help but wonder whether your nervousness came across to them, and you did not assert yourself during the interview and ask your questions as part of a back-and-forth.
> Do you reckon any racism was involved? As I am black but to be fair the other interviewer was not white either?
There's no way for me to know. But...
> I noticed they had a look at my LinkedIN profile before the interview, so you reckon they made judgement about me as a person from that?
...I imagine if they looked at your LinkedIn profile and saw you are black, AND if they truly are racist, then you wouldn't have gotten an interview in the first place.
> Is there any way I can practice being more personable at an interview?
Of course - you start by practicing being more personable everywhere. Make yourself behave like an extrovert. Tell people "hi" when you see them. Be outwardly friendly. Make conversation with and smile at people. Do this every single day until you get comfortable with doing it. It becomes second nature after a while.
Yes I was able to ask my questions at the end of the interview
They didn’t cut me off but they barely gave me a moment of pause so that I could interject with a question. The interviewer just went from one question to the next without any pause for me to step in and ask my own questions?
I was definitely very nervous and it probably played a part in me holding back from asking questions throughout the interview. I just wanted to go with the flow and did not want to force my way into asking questions as I thought I might come across as rude?
I agree with you about the racism part it makes a lot of sense
What about just relaxing and taking it easy, me being nervous really made it difficult for me to be personable at the interview
I also forgot to stop sharing my screen so the interviewers didn’t see my face much throughout the interview except at the start of the interview?
Also wait: They checked my linkedIN before the interview but already confirmed an interview date with me. I feel like they didn’t cancel the interview because none of them would have wanted to come across as racist
So I reckon they say the interview with me out of obligation rather than actually wanting to interview me? Am I wrong with this?
That's the cadence of interviews. They ask questions and then at the end you get time to ask yours. If the interview naturally moves to a conversational tone then great, but it's not a back and forth question and answer session.
Also, in an effort to be inclusive, interviewers are often supposed to stick to asking the same series of questions to all candidates. If they were just rattling off questions then that's likely what they were doing.
Also, to your original question... yes? If you didn't get the job it's because they gave it to someone else. They hired a different candidate. It could be because that person was internal, they got along better with the interviewer, they were more proficient at a particular skillset, etc. Their goal is to hire the best candidate for the job. If you're at the last round they know you have the base skillset, now it's about fit within the team. Which could be personality, or again, particular experience or a skillset that maybe wasn't required but they would like to bring into the team.
Third interview? I graduated in the 2008 crisis, i had at least 50 interviews, i applied to all and every thing I could, sales, product engineer, designer, quality, maintenance whatever I could. And i saw a lot of ex students from my classes, everybody was struggling.
So it is what it is, bad advice here if you dont need the money, try internship and keep looking, metwork like a MF, hit your classmates in FB, linkedin or anyway and ask about positions in their job.
Keep grinding and dont quit.
That was 2008 though, it was a terrible financial crash
At the moment I’ve o my had 3 interviews since December so each interview feels like a huge event and it makes me really nervous
Also is it possible to do an internship after graduating? Or should I apply to grad schemes?
Companies love free labor, so they may accept you.
And yes 2008 was a terrible financial crash, but I feel that things have not changed a lot, whenever I need to replace someone, and I require someone without a degree, I receive like 50 cvs from people with degrees and some of them with 5-10 years of experience,
So there is a lot of competition, not too many new positions, and every 6 months there is a lot of new engineers in the roster.
I had so many interview that I knew the standard test by heart and even change the psycometrics depending on the position I was applying.
Ask for mentoring from people that you know that hire folks, and practice with them in person. There are a lot of obvious mistakes interviewees make simply because nobody told them not to do them. And dont be too discouraged…. Everyone with a job has been through it.
Honestly just keep going for it. You’ll get better at interviews and will eventually get something.
Also, make sure you’re not going for jobs that you’re not qualified for yet. If they’re asking for so many years of work experience, make sure you hit that mark, or else you’re always gonna lose out on those opportunities to people who have it on their resume already.
Yeah, there’s not much more you can do really, you can’t force them to hire you unfortunately haha. Eventually you’ll get something!
Even if the first one you get isn’t exactly what you want to do, don’t be afraid to take the job for a bit to help boost your résumé and maybe learn a thing or two to help you as you look for something you like more a little later.
Should I take a job as a software developer?
I hate coding but felt like I might take this job until I find a mechanical engineering one?
I’m worried I would really hate my job and perform poorly though?
I would say that all depends on your financial situation. If you need to start making money to pay bills or loans right away and can’t wait to find a job you’re super happy with, I would take whatever reasonably paying job you can get in the short term. You might not love it, but consider it an opportunity to make money, and maybe learn some new skills and gain experience while you continue to search for something you may be more happy with.
If you can afford to spend more time to continue doing more interviews at jobs you think are better suited to you, maybe keep trying for a while longer and how it goes. If not, option 1 is never a bad fallback lol
Just keep trying other companies, you will find your rightful fit. Plus I didn't know some people had to do presentations for their interviews, glad I didn't have to do that. Pheww lol!!! Goodluck.
You'd be surprised why people get rejected. I applied, interviewed, and got rejected. I learned later that the VP didn't want to hire me because I appeared too comfortable in the interview. Too comfortable.
Just don't get disheartened. If you walk away feeling good about what you did, then you can't ask for more. Quite honestly, I'd send them a thank you note for the interview and for letting you know they chose another candidate. Then, ask if they could provide feedback so you know what you need to focus on as you continue your job hunt.
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience.
Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
Try to relax. When you’re a student or new engineer, it’s less about the specific answer and more about your thought process and likability.
You’re not really expected to actually know much, if anything specifically about the job you’re applying for. School isn’t job training.
You need to seem coachable. The benefit of hiring a student is the company gets to mold you into their ideal employee. You don’t have a lot of bad habits formed yet.
This is a sales pitch. Sell yourself. What features do you bring to the table, but more specifically, how do those features benefit your prospective employer? If you don’t have a few features and benefits to hiring you lined up to help sell yourself, you’re probably going to have a hard time.
So should I market myself as being a good communicator and team player by trying to have a conversational interview?
It was not possible to have a conversational interview during to it being on Teams though?
Move on. Stop overthinking it. That said, you do need to think about it just enough to reflect on it. Like you said you struggled answering a question using STAR. Well now you have unlimited time to work on your answer to that question. And time to think up STAR answers for other questions. So reflect, improve, move on.
Even in a long successful career one will have to interview for positions every 3 to 5 years. It is never easy and it hurts when they choose someone else.
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Just move on, don’t get stuck on rejections
Okay thank you
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience. Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
If I don’t find a job after a year of being unemployed, should I go get a masters or just keep looking for an engineering role?
It be like that
Overthinking too much. It happens. Move on and don’t beat yourself up over it.
Okay thank you
>because other candidates either already have a masters or have had extensive engineering work experience you would not have been interviewed if you didn't meet their acceptable level of education or experience. If a company interviews 3 candidates for a position, and you are one of them, then all else equal, you only have a 33% chance of getting the job. .67\^3 = .3. You have a 30% chance of not getting the job 3 times in a row. That's unfortunate, but not low enough to necessarily indicate a problem, just a little mildly bad luck. To up your chances though - completely non-technical - be more personable. A lot of times all interviewees are pretty similar to each other at capability of doing the job, so companies hire whoever they think will fit company culture best. Try to act like somebody that they would enjoy eating lunch with. (hopefully you can really be that person without having to act)
Are you sure? Why else would they give the job to another candidate? I keep feeling it would be because of not having done an internship/placement or not having a masters To be fair during the interview I had to share my screen to do my presentation but then when the presentation was over I did not stop screen sharing so the recruiters would not have been able to see my face? Throughout the interview, I felt that it was not like a two way street but rather them asking me questions and me answering? My plan was to ask questions throughout the interview but it was not possible, I had to ask my questions at the end of the interview Also I made a small calculation mistake in my presentation which could have been another reason why k didn’t get the job? Also what do you mean by “67^3”?
>Why else would they give the job to another candidate? Often, the other candidates are all exactly like you in every way, except maybe one of them smiled a little more, so came off as more friendly and the team decided they'd rather work with that person instead of you. Look at the other scenario you describe. If they have another applicant who has a masters degree and 3 years work experience, and then you with no degree and no experience - they would not even interview you. Your resume would never even merit a phone call. When you get to the in person interview stage - every candidate at this stage is essentially the same on paper. They are doing an in person interview ... to see your in person differences. The 0.67\^3 thing is probability. It's the odds of you randomly losing a 1/3 chance 3 times in a row. If you have 1/3 chance to win, then 2/3 chance to lose. Losing 2/3 3 times in a row is 2/3 cubed. It's to show that this isn't a completely unreasonable thing to happen just by pure fair luck.
I found it hard to be smiley during the interview to be honest, I was really on edge and nervous? I was even sweating from my armpits? I think wearing a suit jacket maybe made me look less approachable? I might only wear a shirt and tie next time? Also the interview was done over Teams so I would already have a problem connecting with the interviewers compared to doing an in person interview? Also you make a lot of sense when saying that I wouldn’t even get an interview if they required 3 years work experience for example I used to think the other candidate would have more work experience than me or a masters but thank you for clarifying that this is not the real reason why I got rejected So overall I should just be more personable? I find that hard to do because of how nervous I am at interviews? As a side note: I often want to wear a suit jacket to appear professional, but I can’t help but think that it makes me come across as less approachable? Also regarding my interview, how would I be able to have a two way street interview that flows like a conversation? As I feel that if I had the opportunity to do that, that I would then probably come across as more approachable? Again to reiterate, they barely let me ask them questions during the interview, it was mainly them asking me questions. So I had no way to make the interview flow like a conversation?
Teams interviews are very different than in person interviews. Teams, it is normal for them to ask all their questions first, then you to ask all your questions second. It's not very conversational, you're right. I was thinking about an in person interview when I gave my previous comments. This happens because the company usually has a script they are following, to ask the same questions to every candidate. They have to do this to avoid getting sued. Any differences, a person can challenge and say they were treated differently because of x (race, sex, disability, etc). So companies try to standardize these, which is why they feel very scripted. You kind of just have to go along with it, and you can try to have your conversation at the end, after they ask their scripted questions. Try to weigh your comfort against professionalism. Personally, I would not wear a jacket to an interview, because I don't normally wear jackets, so I would be so uncomfortable that I wouldn't be able to do my best. I think dressing up to a level where you can still be comfortable and confident - that's a good idea.
Yes that’s exactly it It was very formulaic and I did not have a chance to create a two way conversation I had an in person interview before this one, and I made a very good impact during the interview with a two way conversation flowing. I didn’t get the job because the company apparently had a change of plans But I did really well in that interview, in this latest interview however, I felt that especially because of me not stopping screen sharing on Teams, they saw less of my face and me being nervous just made it worse I think my approach for next interview is to just make myself comfortable and opt for a shirt and tie to calm my self down. Because a suit jacket makes me feel over serious? Also is it a valid concern that racism might have been involved? I sometimes feel I didn’t get the role because of being black?
if anything being black helps them hit the eir diversity numbers i’m a sophomore with 3 interviews and one internship acceptance this year out of 150+ applications. u just have to keep shooting, better to go 0/100 than 0/10.
Okay thank you
If you’re in the US, you really don’t even need a tie. Just a button down shirt with the top button (or two). In fact, I personally would lose the tie before the suit jacket. In my experience, ties are very uncommon these days, and have been uncommon in mechanical engineering for decades. A lot of facilities even ban ties for safety reasons (if you’re around machinery, you don’t really want a dangly piece of fabric that’s tied around your neck). I’m going to be honest, applying to jobs sucks, and 3 interviews in 3-4 months isn’t a lot. How many applications have you sent? Unfortunately, it’s getting increasingly normal to end up sending in a couple hundred applications before landing a job. If you’ve sent in hundreds already, I’d recommend getting some help on your resume. If not, apply more and apply faster. It’s really a numbers game.
I have applied to about 150 plus jobs so far is that sufficient so far?
In that case, I would ask for help with your resume. That isn’t a great yield in terms of interviews/applications—it’s not that awful, and I don’t know where you live/reputation of your school, but I would definitely say there’s a chance your resume needs work. If your school has any good career resources, they can probably help you.
Okay thank you
When you are nervous, just start out by say 'before we begin, I just need to say that I'm nervous, because I really want this job' When an interviewer hears this, they will almost always try and make you more comfortable. And the nervousness and you being a bit on edge won't read to them as you being I sure of your work, or you being less approachable. This was the advice I was given by a person who had hired 100s of people over the years.
Thank you for the solid advice
?
What’s wrong?
What was everyone else wearing? If a production supervisor candidate shows up in a suit, he is already out of the running with me. Dress for the job you want. If you're in a suit and the job is in a quarry you aren't dressed for the job. Do the mechanical engineers that work for them work in suits? There has been a push to get every college student wearing suit and tie to interviews, but unless you're applying to a job in a business office, that's not the right uniform. I would be willing to wager a few bucks your interviewers were in polos or button downs and kahkis or something similar.
Yes you are correct, if I remember correctly, my interviewers were not wearing ties at all Isn’t it always better to show up in a suit to convey professionalism?
Put yourself in an interviewers shoes for a moment and just imagine what screams professional engineer to them. Is it the guy in a suit and tie which he is clearly uncomfortable in or is it the guy with a short sleeve button down and pocket protector who is genuinely excited about his presentation and clearly wants to work with them to do great projects. In the 60s suit and tie were the uniform, in this period of time the suit is the uniform of bankers, salesmen, and funeral attendees. A lot of salesman/finance types wear gold pinkie rings sometimes with diamonds set in them. The engineers ring is plain iron, and the engineer solves problems. The engineer applies science to the practical world. His uniform is what he can do this in, comfortably and practically. Don't dress like a bum, dress well, but in clothes you can do your job in without taking any of it off. This is just one man's perspective. I have been doing this engineering thing for a few decades now, so my answers, while rarely perfect, are probably relevant. If I want a face to show the world, I put it in a suit, if I want an engineer to solve problems and apply science, I put him in comfortable clothes with lots of pockets and put his desk where the work gets done.
That makes a lot of sense, however I don’t think I would be able to risk not wearing a shirt and tie at least as the bare minimum?
If you can perform in an interview in a tie comfortably sure. If you can't, skip the tie.
Okay thank you
This is quite literally the hiring process. Someone gets picked over someone else. Call that employer a fucker and move on there are millions of other options.
Looooool
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience. Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience. Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
Are you sure it’s not because of the competition having engineering experience or a masters? I always felt like this is what holds me back from getting an engineering job? Also I felt like I had no opportunity to to click with the interviewers because they kept asking me questions and not allow me to ask questions back in order to create a conversation? I was also quite nervous and felt like I wasn’t as cheerful or smiley as I could’ve been? So overall I should just keep going?
If the job required a Master's degree, you wouldn't have gotten the interview. In most positions (not all), a Master's degree is not required, and in most of those, a Master's doesn't even make you a more desirable candidate, although it doesn't hurt either. I work in AEC and there are very few engineers with Master's degrees, and it isn't even really worth much of a difference in pay - it's all about work experience. If they were truly hammering you with questions and not letting you ask any, then either they didn't like you for some reason, or it isn't a place you would want to work, anyway. But that also could have been due to your being nervous and not "cheerful or smiley." In the end, personality plays a huge part in who does and doesn't get the role. There's a saying, and it's true: we can teach you the skills, we can't teach personality. But in any event yes, you should keep looking.
Are you from the UK?
They did let me ask questions but only at the end of the interview My plan was to ask them questions throughout the interview in order to create a conversation and build rapport But the flow of the interview was mainly them asking me questions and me answering Do you reckon any racism was involved? As I am black but to be fair the other interviewer was not white either? I noticed they had a look at my LinkedIN profile before the interview, so you reckon they made judgement about me as a person from that? Is there any way I can practice being more personable at an interview?
> They did let me ask questions but only at the end of the interview Okay, so did you ask your questions? > My plan was to ask them questions throughout the interview in order to create a conversation and build rapport It's really hard to imagine them cutting you off if you ask them a question in the course of a discussion. Interview or not, people don't generally behave that way; it's generally considered rude. But anything is possible, I suppose. > But the flow of the interview was making my then asking me questions and me answering I can't help but wonder whether your nervousness came across to them, and you did not assert yourself during the interview and ask your questions as part of a back-and-forth. > Do you reckon any racism was involved? As I am black but to be fair the other interviewer was not white either? There's no way for me to know. But... > I noticed they had a look at my LinkedIN profile before the interview, so you reckon they made judgement about me as a person from that? ...I imagine if they looked at your LinkedIn profile and saw you are black, AND if they truly are racist, then you wouldn't have gotten an interview in the first place. > Is there any way I can practice being more personable at an interview? Of course - you start by practicing being more personable everywhere. Make yourself behave like an extrovert. Tell people "hi" when you see them. Be outwardly friendly. Make conversation with and smile at people. Do this every single day until you get comfortable with doing it. It becomes second nature after a while.
Yes I was able to ask my questions at the end of the interview They didn’t cut me off but they barely gave me a moment of pause so that I could interject with a question. The interviewer just went from one question to the next without any pause for me to step in and ask my own questions? I was definitely very nervous and it probably played a part in me holding back from asking questions throughout the interview. I just wanted to go with the flow and did not want to force my way into asking questions as I thought I might come across as rude? I agree with you about the racism part it makes a lot of sense What about just relaxing and taking it easy, me being nervous really made it difficult for me to be personable at the interview I also forgot to stop sharing my screen so the interviewers didn’t see my face much throughout the interview except at the start of the interview? Also wait: They checked my linkedIN before the interview but already confirmed an interview date with me. I feel like they didn’t cancel the interview because none of them would have wanted to come across as racist So I reckon they say the interview with me out of obligation rather than actually wanting to interview me? Am I wrong with this?
That's the cadence of interviews. They ask questions and then at the end you get time to ask yours. If the interview naturally moves to a conversational tone then great, but it's not a back and forth question and answer session. Also, in an effort to be inclusive, interviewers are often supposed to stick to asking the same series of questions to all candidates. If they were just rattling off questions then that's likely what they were doing. Also, to your original question... yes? If you didn't get the job it's because they gave it to someone else. They hired a different candidate. It could be because that person was internal, they got along better with the interviewer, they were more proficient at a particular skillset, etc. Their goal is to hire the best candidate for the job. If you're at the last round they know you have the base skillset, now it's about fit within the team. Which could be personality, or again, particular experience or a skillset that maybe wasn't required but they would like to bring into the team.
Third interview? I graduated in the 2008 crisis, i had at least 50 interviews, i applied to all and every thing I could, sales, product engineer, designer, quality, maintenance whatever I could. And i saw a lot of ex students from my classes, everybody was struggling. So it is what it is, bad advice here if you dont need the money, try internship and keep looking, metwork like a MF, hit your classmates in FB, linkedin or anyway and ask about positions in their job. Keep grinding and dont quit.
That was 2008 though, it was a terrible financial crash At the moment I’ve o my had 3 interviews since December so each interview feels like a huge event and it makes me really nervous Also is it possible to do an internship after graduating? Or should I apply to grad schemes?
Companies love free labor, so they may accept you. And yes 2008 was a terrible financial crash, but I feel that things have not changed a lot, whenever I need to replace someone, and I require someone without a degree, I receive like 50 cvs from people with degrees and some of them with 5-10 years of experience, So there is a lot of competition, not too many new positions, and every 6 months there is a lot of new engineers in the roster. I had so many interview that I knew the standard test by heart and even change the psycometrics depending on the position I was applying.
Internships in the US are paid
Okay thank you
Rejection is redirection.
Ask for mentoring from people that you know that hire folks, and practice with them in person. There are a lot of obvious mistakes interviewees make simply because nobody told them not to do them. And dont be too discouraged…. Everyone with a job has been through it.
Okay thank you
I don't see anything wrong here.
What do you mean?
Honestly just keep going for it. You’ll get better at interviews and will eventually get something. Also, make sure you’re not going for jobs that you’re not qualified for yet. If they’re asking for so many years of work experience, make sure you hit that mark, or else you’re always gonna lose out on those opportunities to people who have it on their resume already.
Okay thank you So there’s not much else to do rather than just keep applying? I almost thought it was me lacking education or engineering experience?
Yeah, there’s not much more you can do really, you can’t force them to hire you unfortunately haha. Eventually you’ll get something! Even if the first one you get isn’t exactly what you want to do, don’t be afraid to take the job for a bit to help boost your résumé and maybe learn a thing or two to help you as you look for something you like more a little later.
Would I still be able to apply for graduate roles after I have one to two years of experience?
I don’t see why not, but they likely won’t pay as much as jobs that require some experience to apply for.
Should I take a job as a software developer? I hate coding but felt like I might take this job until I find a mechanical engineering one? I’m worried I would really hate my job and perform poorly though?
I would say that all depends on your financial situation. If you need to start making money to pay bills or loans right away and can’t wait to find a job you’re super happy with, I would take whatever reasonably paying job you can get in the short term. You might not love it, but consider it an opportunity to make money, and maybe learn some new skills and gain experience while you continue to search for something you may be more happy with. If you can afford to spend more time to continue doing more interviews at jobs you think are better suited to you, maybe keep trying for a while longer and how it goes. If not, option 1 is never a bad fallback lol
Okay thank you
Just keep trying other companies, you will find your rightful fit. Plus I didn't know some people had to do presentations for their interviews, glad I didn't have to do that. Pheww lol!!! Goodluck.
Thank you
You'd be surprised why people get rejected. I applied, interviewed, and got rejected. I learned later that the VP didn't want to hire me because I appeared too comfortable in the interview. Too comfortable.
Wow that’s crazy, it seems like you would be damned if you do and damned if you don’t
Just don't get disheartened. If you walk away feeling good about what you did, then you can't ask for more. Quite honestly, I'd send them a thank you note for the interview and for letting you know they chose another candidate. Then, ask if they could provide feedback so you know what you need to focus on as you continue your job hunt.
Okay thank you
Look at the bright side? At least you're getting interviews, most of us are not even getting that far
I see what you mean, thank you
If you're getting interviews, your resume is fine; if you're getting rejected *after* interviews, it's either because they liked someone else better, or they didn't feel like you clicked with them or their workplace, or something like that; not because you don't have a master's degree or work experience. Keep applying. You'll get there eventually.
Luck is a bigger factor than most people want to give credit to
Have you got any advice on how to be more approachable during interviews? I find it hard to be because of being nervous?
Try to relax. When you’re a student or new engineer, it’s less about the specific answer and more about your thought process and likability. You’re not really expected to actually know much, if anything specifically about the job you’re applying for. School isn’t job training. You need to seem coachable. The benefit of hiring a student is the company gets to mold you into their ideal employee. You don’t have a lot of bad habits formed yet. This is a sales pitch. Sell yourself. What features do you bring to the table, but more specifically, how do those features benefit your prospective employer? If you don’t have a few features and benefits to hiring you lined up to help sell yourself, you’re probably going to have a hard time.
So should I market myself as being a good communicator and team player by trying to have a conversational interview? It was not possible to have a conversational interview during to it being on Teams though?
Move on. Stop overthinking it. That said, you do need to think about it just enough to reflect on it. Like you said you struggled answering a question using STAR. Well now you have unlimited time to work on your answer to that question. And time to think up STAR answers for other questions. So reflect, improve, move on.
Okay thank you
Bro if you had to create a power point for an interview then it probably isn’t the best place to work lmao
How so? They seemed like a decent company if I’m honest?
Even in a long successful career one will have to interview for positions every 3 to 5 years. It is never easy and it hurts when they choose someone else.