Dream Job Interview 2

[purplemonkey]

I thought I would ask the assistance of some well established engineers on this forum to weigh in on this one.

I have been exceptionally interested in collision reconstruction for some time now. It was about 5 months ago that I started actively pursuing this career goal by way of making contacts within the industry, speaking with law enforcement regarding the subject, obtaining texts and registering for some courses on the field. When I first started my quest to become a forensic engineer I came across a company that I was immediately taken with. There was something about the company and after reading the reviews, it seemed that this was the place I was going to aspire to work one day.

I have since then had the fortunate opportunity to get a phone interview (coming up this Monday). However This is a bit nerve wrecking as the two interviewers have tons of industry experience behind them, academic accolades, etc etc.

My background is in design (previous job) and safety (most recent job). I am not the most academically established person in the world but I am deeply seated in my desire to get into this industry and excel.

I suppose what I am looking for is how to situate myself for this phone interview to give me a standing shot at essentially the job of my dreams coming from a background with no collision reconstruction history and not an ideal academic background (I don't have a masters or PhD behind my name, only a professional engineering license).

 

[MintJulep]

say exactly what you wrote here.

 

[JMirisola]

I agree wholeheartedly with MintJulep.

Jeff Mirisola, CSWE
My Blog

 

[jpankask]

MintJulep is right on. Rarely in most engineering fields does a prospective new engineer have all of the qualifications you want for a job opening. Someone with the aptitude and desire to learn and excitement for the job will do better than any PhD that doesn't want to be there. Prepare well for the interview, have a lot of questions ready to ask and demonstrate that you want the job, and I'm sure you will land a face-to-face interview.

 

[TehMightyEngineer]

Yep, be honest and don't be afraid to say "I don't know but I'm excited to learn".

Professional and Structural Engineer (ME, NH)
American Concrete Industries

http://www.americanconcrete.com

 

[SkipVought]

When I first started my quest to become a forensic engineer I came across a company that I was immediately taken with. There was something about the company and after reading the reviews, it seemed that this was the place I was going to aspire to work one day.

I think that most job hunters just look for job offers in their field. Very few research the company. I'd do even more research before your interview. Google the company for stuff in the past week, month, year. I believe that armed as such, with the passion that you appear to have from what you've written and with your other credentials, you could present yourself as a compelling candidate.

Skip,
[sub]
Just traded in my OLD subtlety...
for a NUance![/sub]

 

[1gibson]

Make them aware that you don't want "A" job like everyone else in this economy right now, you want "THIS" job specifically and you want to be doing it for a long time.

 

[tstructural]

I second everything noted above.

Researching their company and having questions specific to their company is critical. I missed out on a job once and the interviewer told me later that he thought I had all of the technical skills they needed but they were unimpressed with my lack of knowledge of their company.

 

[oldestguy]

I'd add one more thing.
Since this deals probably with automobiles, you ought to expound on your knowledge and experience, even if self taught with your cars. Do you have any experience welding, a good weld from a poor one, Spot welds, vs stick MIG, or and know the common ways cars are put together so how they absorb impact, etc? Have you ever examined wreckage and roughed out the mechanics of how it was damaged, as an example of your deep interest? Do you know why some vehicles are touted to be safer than others? Of course physical dynamics of things in motion, kinetic energy, etc. will be mandatory. How about fatigue of metals, welds? What about your mechanical skills? Have you ever built something to show your knowledge of tools? Can you take something mechanical apart to then test its resistance to breakage?

 

[purplemonkey]

I appreciate all the feedback. This was not so much a "make me feel good" venture but an honest opinion of how I should present myself. My obstacle here is myself and lack of confidence for the position, not my ambition to attain the job. I will definitely (and have been) looking up various articles on the company and how they have been involved in various events.

--

On the topic of experience with vehicles I am very hands on. I do work on my own cars (I had the unfortunate experience of having to do a head gasket replacement on my very small sports car...not fun!). I've also taken a preliminary welding course but I don't own a welder so I don't know how much knowledge I've retained from that as that was a couple of years ago now.

I, as with most engineers understand the basic newtonian laws and the derivations for the laws of momentum, kinetic energy, etc. But as far as my expertise in the subject matter, I have yet to develop confidence in anything more advanced than 4th year university vehicle dynamics (even that is a bit fuzzy since its been such a long time since I've used that knowledge)

 

[MacGyverS2000]

LPS for MJ... first, most simple, and best reply.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com