How to Optimise Your University Years to get into Engineering Graduate jobs

Breaking into prestigious engineering graduate schemes hinges predominantly on the art of effective signalling. What you’ve done outside of your degree doesn’t really matter, it’s more about how you frame what you’ve done to signal your passion and capacity for growth. The best part is, it’s easy, you just have to consciously play the game.

You and most of your university peers are playing a signalling game to get into engineering graduate schemes. The key to success is in recognising its broad scope and beginning your active participation as soon as possible.

The internet is teeming with bone-dry guides on how to get graduate engineer jobs, but they’re mostly focused on the application process. They don’t tell you how to start consciously playing the game in the years (or months) before your first application, so we’ve written a guide to fill this gap (which skips the obvious stuff).

Demonstrating initiative to get into an engineering graduate job scheme

Don’t be an inactive member of an engineering society

Participating in societies demonstrates people skills and initiative, proving that you used your time at university productively rather than just watching Netflix. It also shows employers that you’re community-orientated, and likely to participate in their own "extracurricular" activities as an employed graduate engineer.

However, simply being a member of a society means nothing - 99% of other applicants will be too. Clear involvement is key. Being a contributing member of the surfing society carries more weight than being an inactive member of the civil engineering society. Obviously being a committee member is great, but don’t give up just because you don’t have a title, you can still take on formal responsibilities that will give you a good story to tell in your application.

Publish an engineering design portfolio that nobody looks at

A well-assembled design portfolio not only showcases your structural or civil engineering skills, creativity, and dedication but also sets a platform for your professional narrative. By strategically sharing your portfolio with the public, you cast yourself as an ambitious and forward-thinking individual, eager for growth and open to constructive critique. This initiative speaks volumes; it signals your willingness to go the extra mile, seek challenges and critical feedback that comes with wider exposure - all qualities wanted by engineering graduate schemes.

Also keep in mind, you don’t have to create your portfolio from scratch, you can publish your structural or civil engineering course work (without all the academic fluff). The act of making your work publicly accessible, even in the absence of an audience, will push you towards a higher standard of excellence.

Write an engineering blog that nobody reads

Choose an engineering topic you’re interested in (anything from continuum mechanics to the geopolitical impact of a large engineering project). Express an opinion, analyse, or simply summarise, and make your thoughts accessible to the world.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a blog - choose a medium that resonates with you. Just share something publicly to signal an intellectual appetite to engage beyond the academic sphere and subject yourself to public scrutiny. This is particularly powerful if you’re not an engineering major.

This very act of exposing your work to the public gaze serves as a powerful motivator to deepen your understanding, often revealing the gaps in your knowledge that you weren't initially aware of. The process of preparing your content for public consumption will invariably lead you to explore uncharted territories in your research. This journey will hopefully continuously fuel your curiosity, pushing you to continually seek out new knowledge and voices.

Pick up a quirky interest or hobby

Graduate recruiters spend their days sifting through a sea of similar profiles, and are on the lookout for candidates who bring something unique to the table.

If your current hobbies align too closely with mainstream choices like following football or watching popular TV shows, consider trying to embrace more unconventional interests that will make you stand out.

Getting the right skills & experience that will impress on engineer graduate job applications

Prepare to not be able to cheat on your reasoning tests

Almost all graduate engineering schemes make you to take online reasoning tests during the application process. It's important not to have a friend complete them for you, as the company will likely ask you to retake them at the assessment centre.

The one safe route is to get better at reasoning tests by practicing consistently over multiple months. The most common tests for engineering graduate scheme applications are numerical and inductive reasoning tests.

Get some on-site experience (doesn’t have to be engineering experience)

There's often a disconnect between the people in white-collar engineering jobs who prefer staying in the office and field workers. Companies recognise this and value engineering students who show curiosity about on-site operations. Find some way to get yourself onto a construction site; shadow some superintendent, shovel some cement, do anything to capture the vibe and learn. It will signal grit, curiosity and a determination to get into construction.

Don’t let the rich kids hold you back

At any university, you're likely to come across the archetypal rich kid adorned with tales of overseas charity work and engineering internships, all facilitated by familial networks. Don’t let this make you believe you’re at a big disadvantage, which could paralyse you. Recruiters, being human, have a knack for detecting privileged backgrounds, and try to level the playing field for civil engineering students. To them, it’s not about what you’ve done, it’s more about what you’ve done given your circumstances.

Start practising for interview long before you have interviews

It’s never too early to start practising for interviews. The earlier you begin, the more comfortable and confident you’ll be when the time comes. Practising can include everything from rehearsing answers to common interview questions to participating in mock interviews with friends, family, or career counsellors. Additionally, familiarise yourself with the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for answering behavioural questions, as this technique is highly regarded by interviewers. Regularly record yourself during practice sessions to review your responses, body language, and overall presentation. This allows you to identify areas for improvement and become a more compelling candidate.

How to get good advice to get into Graduate Engineering Schemes

Don’t spend loads of time trying to find a professional engineer mentor

Having a mentor is great as they can provide personalised advice. Mentorship varies in levels. At the most basic level, a mentor is someone who offers advice more than once (no need for a formal induction ceremony). High-quality mentorships are those where the mentor is knowledgeable, is a professional engineer, and is deeply invested in your success, and in return, you make them feel good about themselves. However, such mentorships are hard to find.

Rather than wasting loads of time searching for an experienced structural engineer to become your mentor, focus on consuming podcasts and blogs. There’s an endless supply of excellent and effectively personalised advice from industry leaders and career coaches who you could never secure as mentors, but who are competing for your attention.

Don’t waste your time speaking to your university’s career advice team

Nobody quits a successful engineering career to work in a university career advice team. The overused adage, "those who can, do; those who can't, teach," applies here. There’s little advice they can or have time to give you that you wouldn’t be able to find from a quick Google search. Furthermore, as career advice generalists, they may lack specific knowledge about applying to specialised fields such as structural or civil engineering. Instead, consider seeking advice from online resources or civil engineering professors with relevant work experience.

Conclusion

In essence, the tactics above aim to build powerful signals that showcase your potential for growth and adaptability in a graduate engineering programme. Don’t fixate on what you have to offer at the time of applications, focus on presenting a narrative that you’re an individual poised for significant contributions in the near future and leadership in the long term.

All you need to do is dedicate a day a week to focus on the game, which leaves you plenty of time for studying and fun.

And remember, the advice provided here (and everywhere) serves as a foundation, but it's by no means exhaustive or infallible. Your most profound insights and lessons will emerge from your own experiences. Go out and find your own truths.