Top 20 Engineering Interview Questions You Need to be Prepared to Answer

Whether you’re interviewing for your first job out of school or you’re an industry veteran, it pays to be prepared for your engineering interview. And with nearly 140,000 new engineering jobs projected to become available by 2026, the opportunities are endless.

To help you or your students get interview-ready, we asked managers to share with us their favorite engineering technical interview questions and the soft skill questions they ask candidates. Plus, we’ve included 10 questions you should ask the interviewer to help determine if the company and position are a good fit for you. After all — interviews should be a two-way street.

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20 common engineering interview questions

1. Tell me about the most challenging engineering project you’ve worked on.
2. Describe a written technical report or presentation you had to complete.
3. Explain a time you had to use logic to solve an engineering problem.
4. Describe a time you demonstrated leadership skills at work.
5. What processes do you follow to catch any mistakes in your work?
6. What engineering skills have you learned or improved upon in the past six months?
7. What software packages are you familiar with?
8. Describe a time you used problem-solving skills to figure out a design problem.
9. What strengths do you have that make you a good engineer?
10. What’s your most successful engineering project?
11. How do you stay current with the latest technology?
12. Describe a time you had to work on a team and something didn’t go well. What would you do differently?
13. Have you ever had an experience with a difficult client, employer, or employee? How did you handle the situation?
14. Tell me about a time you got negative feedback on your work. How did you respond?
15. Why are you interested in this role? Why are you interested in working at this company?
16. What will be the biggest challenge for you in this position?
17. Describe your ideal manager.
18. What are your salary expectations?
19. Do you have security clearance to work on classified projects?
20. Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?

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10 questions to ask the hiring manager during an engineering interview

1. Can you describe the culture of the company and the engineering team?
2. What’s the biggest opportunity facing the engineering team right now?
3. What’s the biggest challenge facing the engineering team right now?
4. What’s the typical career path for someone in this role?
5. Are there opportunities for professional development in this role?
6. What does success look like in this role? And how is that measured?
7. What’s one aspect of this role that has the steepest learning curve? What could I do to get up to speed quickly?
8. If you’re able to share, what are the most immediate projects in the pipeline for this position?
9. What are the next steps in the interview process?
10. After reviewing my resume and speaking with me today, is there anything else I can help you clarify?

READ MORE: Become a Top Professional in Your Own Engineering Design Career

For more engineering interview prep, check out Indeed’s tips for making a great impression during a job interview.