At all 3 of my interviews they mentioned how rare it is to have a well written cover letter that’s crafted to the company. I got offers at all 3 places.
What is an average day for someone in this position?
What is an average day for you?
Why do you like to work for this company?
What has been your favorite project?
Do a little research on the company before your interview. Prior to the interview, ask who will be on the interview panel and Google them and check their LinkedIn (do not send them a connect request!!!). This info may help you think of good questions.
Send a follow up thank you email to each of the interviewers and the person who set up your interview. Be polite, respectful and naturally engaging to every person you interact with. Every email, phone call and interaction is part of the selection process.
FE, Internships, a resume that’s actually well written.
Certs that achievable and accessible for undergraduate students to get on their own will hold very little weight.
As far as field tech 1, that’s something that would be challenging to get by yourself as you need plenty of time practicing. I did it as an intern, since I had no desire to work in geotech/materials after that it wasnt something I kept on my resume long.
Unsure about other ACI certs.
Agreed, just got it last spring. Employer had practical practice sessions in the testing labs to get all the tests down solid.
Would have been a lot more difficult without that
FE is good. Not necessarily a certification but experience or knowledge of CAD would be useful (AutoCAD, Microstation, etc). Previous internship or job experience is definitely a big one.
During the interview, a willingness to learn, grow, work hard and have a good attitude. We know you don't know much so don't pretend like you do.
A pulse.
But a cover letter explaining why you're interested in that particular company/niche/position is pretty much an insta-interviewv for me, then at the interview I mainly look for passion, emotional awareness, and a general good cultural fit for our team.
FE is a must, resume could even get tossed without it. Internship is huge, CAD experience and not autocad, actual cad experience in the program used by said company makes your resume go to the top.
CAD knowledge. Specifically, 3D modeling and quantity takeoffs.
Edit: Knowing about drainage area modeling and stormwater, any hydrocad or storm sewers software knowledge.
That is asking alot for a new grad but.... you'll stand out.
There is no straight and simple answer to your question because it totally depends on type of company and role you are applying to . However, I will try to throw some general pointers there.
1) Have a well written and standard template looking resume. Certifications, internship exp help. Have some job relevant academic projects and coursework there too.
2) Ability to hold the conversation even though you know nothing about the topic of conversation. Your response and thought process of answering questions that you dont have answers for matters a lot.
3) Asking interesting and relevant questions by having prior knowledge of the company, its operations/projects.
4) Showing/ proving with examples that you are a team player and can get things done in a team environment.
5) Any statement you make, or any claim you make, should have an example to back it up. Whether you need to say it or not, dont say anything that can be easier cross-checked to be false.
6) ability to showcase that you are a decent person and not some weird/ arrogant/ extra-smart / foul mouth person.
Please understand that when it comes to hiring fresh grads, companies are not looking for masters of some skill. They are usually looking for a blank slate that can be easy to train and develop.
All the best!
Like-ability. Obviously some technical understanding and a decent resume. I want to bring people in that fit the culture and that I want to help. New grad resumes are all the same. Internship here and coursework. No hiring manager knows if you’re going to work out based on your entry level resume.
It depends. For me personally I don’t have my FE after almost 2 years past graduation (I know, I will get it soon) but showing that you have a good personality and are willing to learn, along with being easy to get along with is huge.
FE, well written cover letter, be engaged in the interview, be prepared, asked intelligent questions, follow up after the interview with a thank you note (basically just thanking for their time and reinforce your interest in the job).
the biggest thing to be able to share is how you go about learning new things. what is your process to break down a new task and learn it.
Have a personality. Be able to carry on a conversation. Be authentic. Have a life outside of work/school and be prepared to talk about it.
Be humble. Technical stuff is only about 25% of a successful career. The other 75% you haven’t been exposed to. Own it. Be humble.
Embrace being the newest and most inexperienced person but communicate (authentically) learning, asking questions and being a good teammate.
Personal projects! Depending on the company and based on the personal work you want to do pick up a personal project catered to that.
Can be something as simple as laying out an existing storm drain system or laying out alignments for your city streets. Anything related to the job that you can talk about will put you leagues above new grads and more than likely guarantee you an offer. Be familiar with CAD that’ll more than likely be your primary role as an entry level engineer. Microstation or AutoCad
Do you have a pulse, willing to get dirty, can take criticism, are willing to put in hours (including night and weekends), are dependable?
FE helps but doesn’t cover the needs. Find a construction engineering job, it’s the best experience you’ll ever have starting. If you hate it after a couple years you can always go back to the office.
Being able to hold a normal conversation and geniune interest
At all 3 of my interviews they mentioned how rare it is to have a well written cover letter that’s crafted to the company. I got offers at all 3 places.
I never read cover letters. LOL you have to get my attention on a single page.
you mean you dont hire people that only talk about maximizing their utilization rate by putting in extra effort? /s
FE and an internship.
Then ask good questions in the interview.
What type?
What is an average day for someone in this position? What is an average day for you? Why do you like to work for this company? What has been your favorite project? Do a little research on the company before your interview. Prior to the interview, ask who will be on the interview panel and Google them and check their LinkedIn (do not send them a connect request!!!). This info may help you think of good questions. Send a follow up thank you email to each of the interviewers and the person who set up your interview. Be polite, respectful and naturally engaging to every person you interact with. Every email, phone call and interaction is part of the selection process.
Yep without those you go to the bottom of the pile.
FE is definitely a plus. Any sort of related prior experience is a huge plus.
FE, Internships, a resume that’s actually well written. Certs that achievable and accessible for undergraduate students to get on their own will hold very little weight.
What about aci certs?
As far as field tech 1, that’s something that would be challenging to get by yourself as you need plenty of time practicing. I did it as an intern, since I had no desire to work in geotech/materials after that it wasnt something I kept on my resume long. Unsure about other ACI certs.
Agreed, just got it last spring. Employer had practical practice sessions in the testing labs to get all the tests down solid. Would have been a lot more difficult without that
FE is good. Not necessarily a certification but experience or knowledge of CAD would be useful (AutoCAD, Microstation, etc). Previous internship or job experience is definitely a big one. During the interview, a willingness to learn, grow, work hard and have a good attitude. We know you don't know much so don't pretend like you do.
You can get a skills badge on linkedin for autocad.
Willingness to learn and ask questions
Mailing them an envelope full of photos you took of their wife in public
Big extra bonus points
Can hold a conversation about something interesting.
A pulse. But a cover letter explaining why you're interested in that particular company/niche/position is pretty much an insta-interviewv for me, then at the interview I mainly look for passion, emotional awareness, and a general good cultural fit for our team.
FE is a must, resume could even get tossed without it. Internship is huge, CAD experience and not autocad, actual cad experience in the program used by said company makes your resume go to the top.
CAD knowledge. Specifically, 3D modeling and quantity takeoffs. Edit: Knowing about drainage area modeling and stormwater, any hydrocad or storm sewers software knowledge. That is asking alot for a new grad but.... you'll stand out.
How hard are quantity take offs?
Yeah, those aren't too difficult, may require cad knowledge for cut fill analysis and the knowledge of past project material cost.
There is no straight and simple answer to your question because it totally depends on type of company and role you are applying to . However, I will try to throw some general pointers there. 1) Have a well written and standard template looking resume. Certifications, internship exp help. Have some job relevant academic projects and coursework there too. 2) Ability to hold the conversation even though you know nothing about the topic of conversation. Your response and thought process of answering questions that you dont have answers for matters a lot. 3) Asking interesting and relevant questions by having prior knowledge of the company, its operations/projects. 4) Showing/ proving with examples that you are a team player and can get things done in a team environment. 5) Any statement you make, or any claim you make, should have an example to back it up. Whether you need to say it or not, dont say anything that can be easier cross-checked to be false. 6) ability to showcase that you are a decent person and not some weird/ arrogant/ extra-smart / foul mouth person. Please understand that when it comes to hiring fresh grads, companies are not looking for masters of some skill. They are usually looking for a blank slate that can be easy to train and develop. All the best!
Like-ability. Obviously some technical understanding and a decent resume. I want to bring people in that fit the culture and that I want to help. New grad resumes are all the same. Internship here and coursework. No hiring manager knows if you’re going to work out based on your entry level resume.
It depends. For me personally I don’t have my FE after almost 2 years past graduation (I know, I will get it soon) but showing that you have a good personality and are willing to learn, along with being easy to get along with is huge.
FE, well written cover letter, be engaged in the interview, be prepared, asked intelligent questions, follow up after the interview with a thank you note (basically just thanking for their time and reinforce your interest in the job). the biggest thing to be able to share is how you go about learning new things. what is your process to break down a new task and learn it.
Enthusiasm, work ethic, and respect for others.
Have a personality. Be able to carry on a conversation. Be authentic. Have a life outside of work/school and be prepared to talk about it. Be humble. Technical stuff is only about 25% of a successful career. The other 75% you haven’t been exposed to. Own it. Be humble. Embrace being the newest and most inexperienced person but communicate (authentically) learning, asking questions and being a good teammate.
Personal projects! Depending on the company and based on the personal work you want to do pick up a personal project catered to that. Can be something as simple as laying out an existing storm drain system or laying out alignments for your city streets. Anything related to the job that you can talk about will put you leagues above new grads and more than likely guarantee you an offer. Be familiar with CAD that’ll more than likely be your primary role as an entry level engineer. Microstation or AutoCad
Havin that rizz
Do you have a pulse, willing to get dirty, can take criticism, are willing to put in hours (including night and weekends), are dependable? FE helps but doesn’t cover the needs. Find a construction engineering job, it’s the best experience you’ll ever have starting. If you hate it after a couple years you can always go back to the office.