Early career job Interview questions
Entry-level, Junior-engineer
After graduating I started my job search with a short list of needs: an established consulting engineering company, a reputation in seismic design and good pay (after all I was heading out west). It was only after starting my first job as a design engineer that I realized how powerful an impact the culture of the organization was having on my experience and development as a structural engineer.
Culture can only be fully understood when you are immersed in the work environment experiencing the values, practices and customs of an organization. I was fortunate to work at an organization that had a culture of prioritizing project responsibility and personal experience for new engineers. Knowing how impactful this culture was for me I might suggest considering these questions during your job interviews.
Is the management committed to helping you get your license? At each of my early annual reviews a principal reviewed my experience and performance over the past year. The principal identified what project skills and material types I would need more experience with to prepare myself for the Professional and Structural license exams. This interaction left me confident my personal development needs would be represented by the principal when future project staffing was being discussed. Licensure adds personal but also institutional value and is an important milestone in your early career development. It is important to look for a firm with a diverse project portfolio that will support you in preparing for the exams and will help you gain experience through project assignments.
What resources are provided to support your technical development? I had a lot of class theory, research, and project work coming out of college, but very little real-world design experience. At the time I remember feeling overwhelmed by the number of building code requirements and design decisions to be made on my first projects. Questions ranged from the mundane; whether to orientate reinforcing bars vertically or horizontally on the outside of a shear wall, to the more complex; how to analyze and detail a coupled shear wall.
I benefited from an in-office work environment where four engineers worked in a cubicle cluster. I could throw any questions at the experienced engineers without feeling insecure. Regular meetings with project managers, access to technical experts, previous work products and a reference library, all helped build my confidence. Given this experience it is probably no surprise that I would highly recommend an in-office experience at the start of your career, this will help you maximize your pace of learning and the impact you can have on the organization. If that isn’t possible then it is imperative to understand the channels for communication and who your cubicle colleagues will be so that you can feel safe in asking any type of question.
What support is provided (and expected) for continuing learning? When I started working the knowledge gained on different projects in the organization was shared internally at regular company lunches. Attendance at regional structural conferences, and other (physical and today virtual) learning events were encouraged. Advances in materials, software, changes in design standards, building codes and new technologies all offer endless opportunities to advance your knowledge and your value. If you want to contribute to the growth of the structural profession, make sure you understand the company's level of support for, and sometimes expectations to engage in, continuing education and industry organizations. It is likely that much of the time spent on these activities will come outside of your regular working hours, so be sure to understand what you want and what the company expects.
In my experience the most valuable learning experience came from performing construction administration. Seeing first-hand ironworkers trying to install your reinforcing design (I learned some choice new words listening to them as they struggled), pouring concrete on your slab designs and seeing your connection designs come together (or not), are where I learned the importance of constructability and details on my construction drawings. If you are fortunate, you may even find an organization that will send you to witness first-hand the impact earthquakes, floods, fires, and storms have on damaged structures after major natural events.
Does the company provide you with an environment you can thrive in? What motivates and excites you about becoming a structural engineer? What unique value can you bring to the company from day one? You might be surprised to realize that beyond your education you have skills and experiences that a company could benefit from day one. I helped my company adopt new analysis and design software (partially to avoid having to keep doing moment-distribution analyses), because I had a passion for software and automation. Today there are many new areas of advancement, from sustainability to artificial intelligence, and even social marketing and communication. If you are interested in working at a place that is receptive to new ideas, technology, and ways of doing things, make sure you ask about the ways you can share, influence and contribute to these ends.
How does the company help build the social culture? Internal rituals like inter-office games, office celebrations, community outreach programs such as Habitat for Humanity, and friendly team competitions between organizations, all provided me with a great source of fulfillment and pleasure. Some of my most enduring memories and relationships developed in the first few years of my career. You should inquire about the company’s efforts to foster fellowship and tradition, particularly where offices are geographically dispersed or most work is done from home offices.
Pay and benefits? In my experience pay and benefits are threshold motivators. You need to know you are compensated fairly, otherwise it's unlikely any other aspects of the job will satisfy you. However, probably more important than starting pay is the potential rate of progress within an organization. To flourish at an organization, you must help the company deliver more value. If you do the company must be able to support your advancement. Ask about the typical range of years and the skills required, to be considered for your first advancement. It is this reason that I feel the company’s commitment to providing you with the right project experience and support of your learning will be the biggest factors in your early career trajectory.
I can pretend I had it all figured out when I was starting out, but the truth is I was much more lucky than good at landing at an exceptional company to start my career. You don’t need to be. Do your research on the company culture and ask informed questions. Remember the interview process is as much about you making sure the company meets your needs as it is that you meet theirs.
Raoul Karp P.E., S.E.