Finding an engineering job as a graduate engineer

9 min readJan 19, 2021

Engineering is an exciting field. It lets you explore your creativity on real world problems. As you finish your studies, it is important to start thinking about your career now. Use this guide to get an amazing job as a graduate engineer in 2021. This guide is aimed towards jobs in the UK (and for civil, mechanical, aerospace fields etc), but students and graduates from other countries may find it useful.

To long, didn’t read version:

start looking for a job before you graduate
get some experience through placements, internships
get loads of volunteering experience
build up your network
research the companies before you apply
write a killer CV and cover letter

How to find a graduate engineering job

The best time to start looking for a job is before you have graduated. It can be hard to match the skills that recruiters require, but you can show that you are enthusiastic. Build your skills by doing (engineering) work experience, summer jobs and by volunteering.

Most employers want a 2.1 degree — coupled with a good mix of work experience, volunteering and hobbies to show that you are a well rounded person.

To find an engineering job:

Use websites such as : monster.com, indeed.co.uk or engineerdeck.com
Speak to your university careers advisor, they are a resource, you’ve paid for university. Be pushy — get them to look at your CV and cover letter.
Speak to your professors for any recommendations
Use your network to speak to speak to engineers about different roles. Ask them what they enjoy about their day. If you don’t have a network, create a LinkedIn account.
Improve your presentation and communication skills. Practise interview questions and presentations in front of your family and friends.

Before you jump in and apply, make sure you’ve researched the company and role. Speak to as many people as you can. Are you applying because you want to do the job — or just because you need a job. Time is your most important commodity, do you really want to do something you won’t enjoy?

Finding engineering work experience

Having relevant work experience goes a long way towards separating you from other candidates.

Placements and internships are usually advertised on company websites. If you’re struggling to find one at a large corporation, call up small/medium enterprises in your local area. Ask if they are willing to take you on for a few months. They may not be advertised, but some companies are more than happy to help graduates out (in exchange for work).

Resources to find work experience:

https://www.etrust.org.uk/
https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/students-teachers/nuffield-research-placements
https://www.ratemyplacement.co.uk/

Average mid-level engineering salary is around £50k

Finding Volunteering Roles

Volunteering gives you transferrable skills to use in your engineering role. It helps show you are a well-rounded candidate with real life work experience. Even if that experience is not in engineering.

Volunteer to:

Help the less fortunate
Build your skills
Socialise
To give back
Help the environment
Feel part of a team
Enhance your skills
Develop skills and knowledge
Engage with your local community
Enhance your CV
It’s fun

Resources:

Effectively, the point of all this is to show: there is a person beyond the exam grades.

Skills needed to be an engineer

Skills engineering recruiters are looking for include:

Problem solving
Teamwork
Creativity
Leadership
Project management
Computer literacy
Computer modelling
Creativity
Problem Solving
Ability to visualise
Critical thinking
Quality control
Research
Technical skills
Technical writing
Communication
Planning
Attention to detail
Interpreting and creating drawings
Presentation skills
Negotiation
Risk management
Managing pressure

When you see a list like this in a job role, take note. You will need to incorporate them into your CV and cover letter. CVs and cover letters are read by a machine to filter out the best matching ones before a human looks at them. Therefore, always remember to incorporate keywords from the job description.

How to write an engineering CV

Things to include (in order):

Name and contact details. There is no need to include a photo, or your full address, just your city should do. Also, your date of birth also isn’t required.
Statement. A brief statement of who you are, and what role you are looking for.
Education and professional qualifications. List relevant education in reverse chronological order. Don’t list all your grades in secondary school, just an overview.
Work Experience. Any relevant work experience including any volunteering, in reverse order. Make sure you align this to the job requirements and list what skills you’ve learnt.
Interests and skills. Link any relevant skills (software etc) you have to the job description.
You don’t need to provide any references at this stage.

How to structure a cover letter

You write a cover letter to:

catch the attention of the hiring department;
distinguish yourself from other candidates;
show that you have the necessary skills and experience;
explain and make your CV stand out; and
show your enthusiasm and that you’re the ideal candidate.

Before you send off your application:

Research the company. Use LinkedIn, twitter and glassdoor to see if this is a role you will enjoy and if the company is right for you. Secondly, try to contact someone at the company (hence why it’s important to build your network). Researching the company now will also help you later on when you get an interview. Ask other graduate engineers that have applied.
Don’t make your cover letter generic. Read the job description carefully, pick out the keywords, and link to your complementary skills. Write a fresh one for each job you apply to.
Make sure it is well-written, concise and to the point. Aim for around one or two A4 pages at most. However, follow any guidance on this if it’s given.
Talk about what you’ve done, how that’s relevant and what you can bring.
Convey enthusiasm.
Proof read, read and read again. Get a second opinion from someone else and don’t leave it till the last minute.
Send your cover letter as a pdf unless asked otherwise.
Choose a font that is easy to read.

To structure a cover letter:

Write it like a letter, with your contact details at the top (name, phone, email and location). Address it to the hiring manager if you know their name — this may be difficult to find out in large corporations.
Subject: list the position and date of application.
Opening line: a summary of why you’re applying and what you will bring.
Why are you suitable for the role?
Explain how this fits in your career path and what you can bring to the company. Summarise what’s in your CV, but go beyond by explaining why it’s perfect for the role
Closing: ask them to get in touch if they have any further questions. Reiterate that you looking forward to working with them.
Sign off: ‘Yours sincerely’ if you know the name of the person hiring, ‘Your faithfully’ if you don’t.

Interview Tips

Types of Interviews:

Telephone: used early in the process to gauge your understanding of the graduate engineer role.
In-person: you’ll be asked to attend a face-to-face interview if the recruiter likes your CV and cover letter. They last around an hour. This is a good opportunity for them to show you around the office, and for you to also ask questions.
Video: increasingly popular in this post-Covid world. Make sure to dress appropriately and sit in a quiet-room with adequate lighting. Inform your family or housemates that you have an interview to reduce distractions and noise.
Assessment centres: used by corporations to assess a large number of candidates. Be prepared for group exercises, presentations and a series of interviews.

Before your interview:

Research the company
Research your role, what department you’ll be in, talk to people who work there
Get a good night’s sleep
Prepare anything that you may have been told
Dress appropriately
Plan your journey to the interview, when is it taking place, how will you get there?
Practice job interviews
Bring a copy of your CV and cover letter

In the interview:

Be punctual
Relax
Sit naturally and confidently
Think about questions you would like to ask
Be concise with your answers, if you don’t know, don’t waffle
If you don’t understand, ask them to repeat the question or explain in a different way
Believe in yourself

Example questions to ask:

— What training/progression opportunities are there?
— What is the best thing about working here?
— Can you tell me who I would be working with?
— What’s the best project you have worked on whilst working here?

Competency based questions:

This is when interviewers are given a series of questions focused on the core competencies required for the role. Companies use competency based interviews to compare candidates based on existing experience. And, on the confidence of their answers.

Competency based questions let employers see whether you have the relevant experience. They understand as a graduate you will not meet all the requirements. Competency based questions also let them see what kind of personality you are, and if you are aware of the skills required for the job.

To succeed to competency based questions:

Find out what competencies the employer is looking for (read their website, it’s often written in the job description)
Practice common competency based questions. Correlating these with the competencies that the employer is looking for
Look at your experience and pick out a few examples that showcase these competencies
At the interview, pick the closest experience that matches the question

Common competency questions start with:

— “ Describe a time when…”
— “Give me an example when you…”
— “What did you do when…”
— “Have you ever been in a situation when”

Search the web for more examples.

Other common interview questions include:
— “Why do you want to work here?”
— “Tell me a bit about yourself?”
— “What are your weaknesses?”

Be prepared for these, even if they aren’t asked.

The STAR method:

Use the STAR method to prepare your answers for common competency based questions.

STAR stands for:

Situation: set the scene, where did this occur
Task: describe what you were required to do in this situation
Action: what steps did you take
Result: what was the outcome of the actions

These four steps provide a framework to give compelling and focused anecdotes without straying on tangents.

How to succeed at assessment centres

Applying for graduate engineer roles at corporations sometimes requires partaking in day-long assessments.

A large number of candidates are assessed by HR and team leaders within the company. Tasks include role playing, group exercises, presentations, individual interviews and tests.

To succeed:

Thoroughly research the role and company you are applying for. Use the company website, LinkedIn, Glassdoor and any other connections you may have.
Practice for interviews.
Practice your presentation skills
Wear a suit or appropriate business attire (unless told otherwise)
Relax on the day, and get a good night’s sleep

Key skills that assessors are looking for include:

Communication: Can you clearly present your ideas on paper and face to face? How pleasant are you to talk to, and are you someone they could imagine working with for 8 hours a day? Since you will be with your fellow graduates on the day, expect plenty of group tasks. This allows HR to see how you adapt your communication to different nationalities, genders and seniority. Remember, communication is more listening than talking — but that doesn’t mean you should stay quiet.
Teamwork: engineering work rarely happens solo. Even if the task is small, you will have someone checking your work. Assessment centres are a great way to show how open you are to working with others (almost everyone will be a stranger). Furthermore, try to remember, that all the graduates are in the same boat, so try to relax and take part to achieve the best result.
Problem-solving: recruiters understands you are smart and everyone will have similar education to you on the day. What will separate you from others is your problem solving. Can you take the data given, extract the relevant parts and plan the task set to you into smaller chunks? As you progress with the task, remember to monitor your progress. Finally, one common mistake is to start doing something without realising this wasn’t in the brief, so pay attention to the finer details.
Motivation: it is important to be passionate and enthusiastic about your work. Whilst you may have some down days in your real job, on the day, it is important to look like you want to be there. First impressions matter.

Assessment centres are a great way to learn more about the company you’re applying for. Remember, whilst you are being assessed, you are also interviewing the company.