Trainee Engineer Interview Questions & Answers

Download PDF

My favourite part has to be the practical elements of the job, especially when I solve problems hands-on to make a machine work. I’m not always a massive fan of the tedious paperwork side of things, but I also understand that it’s key to the smooth running of any project. You can’t have one without the other.

Stating a clear and concise answer here is crucial. The employer is looking to see that you are interested and ready to invest your time into such an opportunity. Be specific about your goals and expectations, discuss how you believe your qualifications are in-line with those required of the position, and be ready to explain why you chose this particular company when applying.

You should tailor this to the responsibilities of the role you are interviewing for and try to keep your answer centred on the positives.

Your interviewer is trying to understand “Why us?” This is your chance to tell him what you know about the company and express a genuine enthusiasm for the role. Take a look at the company website and any recent press releases.

You should research a career path that would flow from the position for which you are interviewing and ensure that you emphasise the intention to master the demands of that position first.

The interviewer knows that everyone, including you, has a weakness—and probably more than one. To provide a good answer to this question, you should focus on a non-essential skill, highlight skills you have improved, and turn a negative into a positive

The interviewer is asking this question to gauge your own initiative in keeping your knowledge and skills up-to-date. Engineers have to keep pace with changes in the industry and technological advances.

It is imperative that you do not complain about the workload in your previous job, even if it was taxing. Illustrate your efficiency; explain how you manage your time and prioritise tasks.

It’s best to not focus on behaviour of previous bosses you might not have got on with; you’ll look like you’re harbouring resentment and that won’t work in your favour. It is however, fine to praise the traits of a good leader or manager you’ve had in the past. Think about what traits a good manager has. A good answer would be something along the lines of: “I appreciate when managers and leaders are understanding of the needs of their employees, as well as knowledgeable about their strengths. This builds a strong team.”

Your new employer is going to invest a lot of time and money in your training and development, and they don’t want to hear that you get bored easily and will likely look for opportunities elsewhere before too long.

Obviously excellent problem solving and communication skills are absolutely vital for any engineer. But I think good judgement is also really underrated. Even with all the right training, you need the experience to tell exactly what’s needed for a project – not to mention have the bravery to ask for help or go back to the drawing board when things aren’t working.

This is essentially a way of telling how happy you’d be in the real role compared to your dream role. It’s also a way of the company telling whether the candidates aims are in sync with the offer on the table. Again, research is key. Answer in a way that is aligned with the way the company operates. Does the company offer appealing work, technology and advanced career opportunities? Mention those. Refrain from mentioning benefits or schemes the company does not offer.

If you have had experience in the engineering sector then an example from that time would be best, but an academic example would also be good and would probably provide you with the most to talk about. This is an opportunity to really talk yourself up, so extend your answer and go into detail. Discuss the skills that you used in the project and say how those skills would be transferable and beneficial to a potential employer.

This can be a bit of a trick question and the interviewer they may be testing your commitment to the role you are about to take on, and whether your ambitions tie in with the scope of their plans. You could say that the role you are applying for combines all the skills you have learned so far as well as presenting the opportunity to progress in your sector.

This is an ideal opportunity to depict several key qualities such as attention to detail, effective communication and creative thinking. You should come to the interview prepared with an example.

This is not a question that mid or senior-level applicants ever get asked. Writing and communication in school is very different from that in the professional world and the employer is checking to make sure you know the difference. If you’ve had experience communicating with full-time employees in your internship, let them know. Otherwise, hammer home the point that you know how to write clearly, concisely, and respectfully.

For most graduates the use of an academic example would be best here unless they have taken relevant work experience and can therefore use a practical example. This question gives you a good opportunity to display your knowledge about engineering and discuss skills that you possess which an employer would value. The ability to problem solve effectively is key to an employer so go into depth on how the overcame initial difficulties.

Your interviewer knows that not every job is perfect. Every job has some sort of undesirable component, but when you’re picking your least favorite activity, try to choose something that is not within the core responsibilities of the job

Your interviewer has probably seen at least a handful of candidates with the same qualifications as you. Make sure to sell yourself and mention any special skills you bring to the table.

☛ Why do you want to join our company?
☛ What do you think we do here? What is the role of an engineer?
☛ Outline the career progression of an engineer.
☛ What do you hope to achieve working for this company?
☛ How can you demonstrate this company’s values?
☛ What significant value adding tasks have you performed before?
☛ What was your favourite and least favourite project you've ever done?
☛ How do you employ problem solving skills in practical situations?
☛ What do you think innovation is? And how would you apply it in the workplace?
☛ Give an example of a time where you demonstrated good attention to detail.
☛ Give an example of an unsafe situation and how you rectified it.

☛ Why did you choose engineering?
☛ Do you do any engineering related activities outside of work?
☛ What motivates you? What makes you stand out?
☛ What subjects did you like at uni and why?
☛ If you retired tomorrow, what would you want to be known for?

☛ What is your knowledge of basic engineering principles and techniques?
☛ What engineering concepts are you familiar with?
☛ What are the softwares you use?
☛ Describe the engineering design process.
☛ Describe system and requirements analysis.
☛ Describe how to fix a basic LED schematic.
☛ Draw a bending moment diagram for a structure.
☛ Describe how to test a circuit board.
☛ How would you design a tower out of these pieces of spaghetti?
☛ If I represent the City of Sydney wanting to redevelop a landfill site, what questions would you ask of me to formulate your bid for acquiring that work as a designer?
☛ What is your knowledge of the Sydney basin?
☛ How would you help the issue of water scarcity in Australia if funding happens to be limited?

Detail any particular skills that you developed whilst at university and describe how you obtained them. Finish up talking about your willingness to learn.

If you don’t have internship experience, feel free to skip this one, as they probably won’t ask it. Otherwise, if your internship experience was directly relevant to the current role you’re applying for (i.e. the same general work), your answer should focus on the specifics of the internship work. Otherwise, it’s wise to focus on any experience you had working on a team, meeting deadlines, and communicating effectively.

Draw upon a specific example – one that showcases your strengths as an engineer, such as the ability to think on your feet.