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r/EngineeringStudents • u/lazydictionary • Jan 20 '26
Here's a guide for your internship, co-op, or job search. It is targeted at US job applicants in the private sector. Resumes and applications for academia, the federal government, and niche industries may require different approaches, so do your own research for those specific paths.
If you've been applying for jobs recently but haven't been getting hired, you need to figure out why. If you aren't getting interviews, something is wrong with your resume. If you are getting interviews but not landing the job, your interview skills or personality need work.
Go to /r/EngineeringResumes.
They have templates, a Wiki/FAQ, and offer free critiques if you follow their posting guides. Any advice I could give is just regurgitating what they've already written. If you are serious about your search, read their materials. A proper resume is the most important step in this process. Even if your current resume is getting you interviews, it could still be improved.
If you are struggling to write bullets for jobs or projects, you can use AI to help. LLMs are decent at resume writing, but context is everything. Give the AI as much context as possible: your major, fields of interest, specific details about the project, tools/software used, and the types of jobs you are targeting. I personally write my resume in LaTeX because it's easier to cut and paste or have LLM CLI tools interact with the document.
If you are applying for a variety of roles that are very similar, consider having multiple resumes. For example, my undergrad was in ME, but my masters is in materials science. I have both an ME focused resume and a materials focused resume that I start out with, depending on the job(s) I'm applying for.
Now that your resume is updated, your LinkedIn should match. You can cut and paste your resume bullets, but feel free to add more detail than a one-page resume allows.
Get a nice headshot for a profile picture. Don't have one? Put on a nice shirt, do your hair, and ask your friends for help taking pictures. Clean, not busy background. Smile.
Connect with friends, classmates, professors, people you've worked with before.
Fill out everything you can. Don't go crazy with AI, no "thought leader" "entrepreneurial spirit" bullshit. Just be a normal person.
LinkedIn exists so people can look you up and verify you're real. Your Indeed page should be the same. Upload a high-quality PDF of your resume there; I’ve found that Indeed’s resume import for job applications often works better than LinkedIn’s. Some recruiters prefer Indeed, some prefer LinkedIn. It doesn't hurt to use both.
The modern job hunt is a nightmare for both applicants and employers. It's just how it is. To give yourself the best chance, you need to make it as simple for the employer to find your application, your information from your resume, and to contact you.
Never use the quick apply features of LinkedIn, Indeed, etc. Always apply on the company website, if you can find it. Why? You need to get your application and resume into the companies Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Sometimes companies use API from the big job boards to pull that info into their own ATS, but not always. And who knows if it will format and input everything correctly. Just do it manually. If you updated your Indeed and LinkedIn in the previous step, this shouldn't be that difficult or take that long. Double-check everything imported is correct. Formatting is less important here, but make sure job/project bullets are formatted well.
Aim to be one of the first applicants. Everyone is applying for entry-level jobs. Last years grads, upcoming grads, entry and mid-levels who were laid off. If you're the 300th person applying for a job, your resume isn't going to get seen. Set up job alerts on Indeed and LinkedIn for job titles/saved searches so that you are notified within 24 hours of a job being posted. If you're the 10th application, you have a much better chance of someone actually seeing your resume.
Use social networking whenever it is available. Hopefully you have some friends, family, classmates, professors added on LinkedIn. Whenever you are applying for a job, check to see if you know anyone who already works at the company, or is a friend of a friend. If you have a direct connection, obviously reach out and let them know you applied and if they can offer any help. If you have a friend-of-a-friend connection, think about using it, especially if you think it's a good role for you. As a last resort, you can reach out to complete strangers in the company, but you'll probably want to be bringing something truly unique to the position, or have something to talk about other than "I really want this job, please help". Most people are willing to talk to you if you are brave enough to talk to them.
University job fairs should be a top priority. Every online job posting is inundated with hundreds of applications. Now, more than ever, companies are using recruiting efforts at schools to sort the wheat from the chaff, and get immediate face time with job applications.
Do job and company research. Weeks before a job fair, the career office at your school should have released a list of the employers attending, possibly which jobs those companies have openings for. Find all the jobs that interest you, and do research on those companies, and the job role and job descriptions. Take notes. On the day of the fair, even during the fair, before approaching an employer, read your notes on the company and job. Think about specific projects, work, or classes that might be relevant to bring up. Things that interest you about the work there. Have some questions to ask the employee working the fair. Many times they are engineers, so they can speak with good detail about the work. Sometimes its just an HR rep or recruiter, but you can still ask about the company culture and vibes. Show interest and that you prepped for the fair. Do not be one of these fools who show up to the job fair and ask the employees "so what jobs do you guys have?" Instead, be the person who asks "I applied for the Mech Eng internship this summer, what kind of work do you think I would be doing there? Would it involve [topic you researched about the company]?"
Dress business casual. For those presenting as men, this means chinos/slacks, a belt that matches your shoes, a dress shirt/flannel/sweater, possibly a blazer, and usually some kind of Chelsea boot or similar brown or black shoe. A nice, clean pair of sneakers may also work. Just Google business casual male attire and figure out the vibe you want to match. You do not need to wear a suit, and almost no one should be wearing a suit unless you look the absolute balls in one. For those presenting as women, I don't have specific advice. Ask around and/or Google. Maybe some commenters can offer specific suggestions.
Hygiene. Take a shower, get a haircut, trim the beard, wear deodorant, comb your hair, clean your glasses, use moisturizer on your skin. Look more human than you normally do.
Practice an elevator pitch. This is a 30 second intro, saying your name, your major, things you've done, and things you'd like to do. Something else that can be googled or workshopped with AI. Practice it out loud dozens of times. It should come naturally and comfortably. Don't rush to get it said as quickly as possible, aim to be understood.
Apply to the jobs beforehand. Print out more copies of your resume than the amount of jobs you applied for. When you approach the employees, introduce yourself, let them introduce themselves, and launch into your elevator pitch. At the end, mention how you applied for XYZ job, could they tell you anything about it, or a specific question you wrote down beforehand. Then you just have to be a normal human. Listen. Make eye contact. Nod your head. Active listening. Ask more questions. Maybe they'll ask you questions. Answer them as best you can. Sometime during the conversation, they might either ask your for a resume, or you can offer them one. Maybe it's best to give them a resume during or right after your elevator pitch. You'll have to feel it out. You're going to be doing this more than once, and hopefully at least 10 times, so it will get easier. Many times, employees will take your resume, and after the conversation, mark it - maybe they give you a big star, underline work or a project you did, take notes. They then give this to HR or the hiring managers when they go back to work. They'll have a small stack of people they've already vetted, and your resume should be in that stack. And because you already applied, you're already in their system.
Relax. Everyone wants you to succeed. The employees want to find good people. They want you to be a good candidate. I know talking to strangers can be really hard for engineers. The people you are talking to are likely engineers too. Some of them may even be as terrible socially as you are. This is a no pressure environment. If you misspeak, don't present well, just get nervous - it's fine, and totally normal. It gets easier the more you do it.
Generally speaking, cover letters aren't very useful unless specifically requested. Most people use AI for them now, and recruiters know it. Only write one if you need to explain a perceived "weakness" on your resume (e.g., why you are a fit for a role despite having a different major). Note that no one will read the cover letter if the resume doesn't interest them first.
Okay, so you passed the pre-screens and are doing an in-person or virtual interview. Again, remember that they want you to succeed, they want you to be the candidate they hire. Relax.
Business casual again. Unless you're getting a completely different vibe that would mean everyone was wearing suits, this will rarely do you wrong. If you are likely to tour a manufacturing facility or job site, wear closed toe shoes that you wouldn't mind getting slightly dirty.
Soft skill prep for the interview. Do more research on the company and job role. If it's an internship, there's not much to research about the role, but for entry-level, there can be a lot to dive into. I've had decent luck posting job descriptions into LLMs and asking them give me topics, technical knowledge, tools, and techniques I should know about for an interview. Anything you don't know, start learning the basics of. You don't need to be an expert, but if something comes up in the interview, you should be able to say "I don't have professional experience with [topic], but I'm aware of the basics, like [details]." Show an interest in learning.
Be able to nail basic interview questions. This is especially relevant for internships. They know you have minimal to no work experience, so a lot of times they're going to have to default to basic stuff like "Talk about your strengths and weaknesses", "talk about how you overcame personal conflict as a member of a team", "why us?", or "preferred work environment, individual/team, many projects, single project", etc. Look up common interview questions, and practice answering them out loud. Sit in your room and talk to yourself, multiple times. Practice. Figure out what you will say. Think about how you can tie in school, work, teams, or projects in your answers.
Bring a notepad, a folder, and pens. Take notes when you ask questions, even if you won't look at them later. Have more copies of your resume in the folder. If you are interviewing at a manufacturing facility, consider bringing your own safety glasses if you have some. Look prepared and like you are taking it seriously.
Hard skill prep for the interview. Again, especially relevant for internships. Internship job postings will usually specifically ask for applicants who have taken certain classes. If those classes are mentioned, brush up on the material from them. If they mention statics, you better do some practice static problems. If they mention circuits, you better practice your circuits. Refresh your memory. They might ask you to solve a problem in front of them, or ask you to talk through a problem. You don't want to be caught completely off guard. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know". They don't expect you to know everything. Instead, say "I don't know, but my educated guess would be [answer]." Talk about how you would find the answer.
You can do everything above correctly, be a perfect candidate, and still not land the job. As I previously said, everyone is applying for the same jobs. If employers want to, they can be extremely picky, sorting through hundreds of candidates to find their ideal match. What usually happens is they look through the first 50-100 applicants (maybe fewer), and start looking for reasons to reject people. They'll give your resume a 10 sec glance, and either trash or pass you. This is someone that's likely non-technical (HR), and they'll narrow it down to 10-20 people. Then they start the phone call pre-screen interviews. Maybe 7 make it past that point. Then they do in-person interviews, maybe a second round, and then they'll make an offer to their best candidate. Maybe that candidate rejects them, and then have to offer to the 2nd, or 3rd, of further down the line.
It's a numbers game. You're going to get rejected far more than you find success. Following this guide should hopefully grant you more success than you would have had otherwise.
tl;dr points of emphasis:
Fix your resume, never been an easier time write one
Be one of the first applicants on the company website (not Indeed/LinkedIn)
Job fairs skip the digital queue and get you face time right away
r/EngineeringStudents • u/attempted-Engineer • 2h ago
It's not that hard guys! Just make your own job with your Master's research advisor and land a client.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Danmansoup • 5h ago
I never thought I'd be able to make on of these.
What I think got me my job:
At my career fair I researched every company beforehand, prepared talking points for recruiters, and printed out specific resumes tailored to each company with the company name written at the top to make it feel special.
I paid for one month of LinkedIn premium and messaged recruiters before and after events. For my accepted offer, I had 3 conversations with separate employees who referred me to recruiters.
I used to be a business student and I had a sales internship at one point which I think impressed the upper management I interviewed with and I think that's what got me the job.
I coded a really nice looking blog with articles on all of my projects.
I joined my school's competition rocketry club.
I emailed all the mechanical engineering professors at my school at the beginning of the semester looking for research projects. I eventually got on an unpaid project building an autonomous vehicle which I think was the reason I got an interview in the first place.
I also speak Japanese and it's a Japanese company.
I work part-time as a office manager at my school.
I'm open to answering questions.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/BedroomOk9676 • 11h ago
I am really good with a lot of things at university, like Physics or Calculus, but i hate Engineering drawing so much, didn't do good with last quiz
I really live to draw with AutoCad, but Manual drawing is so exhausted, lot of mistakes doing it, so much time, which i don't have in exam which is just 90mins, how to deal with it? even my drawings could be curved, which i don't know why.
Here examples of my drawings, and the questions
r/EngineeringStudents • u/virgogre • 2h ago
i am literally typing this in my lecture that ends at 8:30pm but i am so exhausted and I have a calc retake tomorrow and i am so exhausted i dont think i can stay up to study. should i just sleep and hope for the best or what ive been averaging like 3 hours a night for weeks.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Affectionate_Key680 • 8h ago
Hey everyone! Just wanted to share that I got a 2 year long apprenticeship making 50k salary as a manufacturing maintenance technician. I’m only one year into my associates degree for mechanical engineering technology and this is huge for me! I can finally move out of my parents house!!!! And one day with enough experience I can move to my dream states of either Washington or Oregon.
Feels great to see my plans actually playing out and now I don’t feel like I have to be so depressed anymore.
Wish me luck !! :) so nervous…
Anyways is anyone else an associates engineering student and planning on staying that way? Or is that some kind of hated thing by all the bachelors students lol, I understand I won’t be a “real” engineer but whatever.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Beneficial-String560 • 2h ago
I am starting to look at some schedules for next semester, and I wanted to ask if a tightly packed schedule with a short block of lectures back to back would be better than a schedule where I have a class for an hour, a break for an hour, then another class for an hour. I’ve had a mixed schedule where I have two classes back to back in the morning, then two classes in the afternoon that have an hour break in between them, and I feel like the back to back classes are nice, but they are also the easiest ones I have so I feel like it might not be the best example.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Alert_Requirement827 • 4h ago
Hypothetically if I did not get an internship freshman year or sophomore year summers, would it be bad to do a co-op for my junior spring + summer. I always hear about how important the junior summer internship is, but if I do a co-op it would be like 6 months-ish so I'd still be doing the co-op instead of an internship junior summer. Would this put me at any sort of disadvantage? I have enough credits that taking a semester off would not delay my graduation at all, so I was wondering what to do since I'm studying abroad junior fall, as well. Im EE if that changes anything!
r/EngineeringStudents • u/cyderyt • 3h ago
Im a first year, Ive always had bad comprehension when it came to literally anything.
Is there a book I can read where It can really help my understanding of just being able to understand in general
r/EngineeringStudents • u/SpeeedX • 3h ago
I'm in my third year of an electronics and telecommunications engineering degree. I've done the usual engineering coursework, from circuit analysis and electronics to maths and telecom-related subjects. My grades are good, but I feel like I'm lacking when it comes to practical experience.
Outside uni, I've completed CCNA 1, attended a short embedded systems summer school at an automotive semiconductor company and recently started a Linux system administration course. I also know some basic Python, but I haven't built any substantial personal projects yet.
I have no work experience or internships so far, and I'm hoping to land an internship next summer.
I'm not entirely sure which direction to go in yet - networking, Linux/cloud, embedded, maybe software.
How behind am I realistically? And if you were in my position, what would you focus on over the next few months to give yourself the best shot at an internship? Would you pick one area and build a project, or do something else first?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/squidlybleh • 20h ago
I decided to retake Calculus 1. I could pass with a C, but I’m going to crash for Calc 2 on top of physics. This is way too important of a class for me to just have a sub-par understanding and I’ve got the time. My professor was SUPER supportive, could tell I genuinely want to understand what I’m doing. Asked me tons of questions about my path and gave me a lot of really valuable advice.
I’ve been working with my old algebra professor as my tutor for calculus this semester. This man is so wonderful, has a bit of a drill Sargent/disappointed dad vibe in the best way. I told my therapist he’s not going to take it well and they said “it shouldn’t be too bad, you’re making a good sacrifice for the long run”
Well my old algebra professor caught me coming into the building as he was walking out. Asked how my midterm went, I said “okay here’s the thing…” and went into how I’m retaking it in the spring and need some more time but I’m right on the edge of fully getting it. His face went blank. He said nothing. He turned around and just WALKED AWAY 🤣😭 I felt disowned.
I caught up to him and plead the rest of my case, I’m dropping on the official last drop date but I got permission to sit in for the rest of the classes. I’ve got a plan, better grasp on what I’m working on etc. he’s still hustling down the hallway but finally stopped, smiled and said “call me anytime and we’ll get back to work” I just love the staff at my college, they care so deeply. It’s been nice to build a rapport with basically the entire department at this point, professional and sometimes we just talk about how incredibly cool math is and life stuff. I know one day I’m going to be a great engineer. 🙌
r/EngineeringStudents • u/CharmingGlove6356 • 52m ago
For what it's worth, I am grateful that I have recently been recruited by a student team at my university that competes in a railway competition (we build a small train) and will work as part of the Power Systems sub-team.
My mother works at a quantity surveying/construction consultancy firm and I was considering interning there, even for free, if I had spare time during the holidays, just to get work experience on my resume. The main issue is that this would be a no-brainer if I was intending to work as a civil engineer, but right now, I am intending to major in electrical engineering and work in the power distribution or renewables sector.
Is it worth pursuing the internship or should I try to find something more electrical engineering related?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Visible-Champion1644 • 1h ago
Genuinely the worst class I have ever taken + I had to take it online since the only in person one was an hour drive at like 8 in the morning. Everything is just so overwhelming and I think I am taking the easiest version I will ever get. I feel like I am just about understanding it but no matter how much I slam my head into this god forsaken wall it just doesn’t work out on test day. And the tests are only 8-10 fucking questions with partial credit so it should be really fucking simple to get through it but so far I have made 2 fs with another test on the 6th that I just don’t even feel remotely ready for. Its gotten to the point where my mental health has just completely deteriorated and I started eating really bad, like going to wawa every other day and getting one of those ice cream parfaits thats like 870 fucking calories. Thank god for my good metabolism and going to the gym cause I feel lime that would of ruined me. But even still I am almost suicidal cause of this class which just typing rn feels really stupid. I am contemplating just dropping it but if I have to retake it again next semester at my actual university and I get stuck with a research professor I am not surviving. I know I am not even the only one in this boat ether, for the past like 30 minutes before typing all this out I have just been reading post after post about how horrible this class is, like genuinely why is this class like this.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/greenglitterr • 7h ago
I know micron is a big competitive company, but they have a ton of internships listed, so I thought I might have a shot. I think I will be rejected from all the positions I applied to there, as I have already been rejected from most. What do your qualifications look like for someone who has gotten a mechanical engineering related internship at micron? I'm a fourth year with a 3.2 gpa and I've worked in a materials lab for over a year, I also have years of unrelated work experience. I really want a materials related internship but i feel like its hard to get one without previous internship experience. Any advice is welcome.
Additional info: I am undergrad, and hope to work in semiconductor manufacturing or some type of advanced materials manufacturing. I think this industry is interesting and I want to live on the west coast, and there seems to be an abundance of jobs like this over there.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/IFEELIKEPABLO444 • 1d ago
r/EngineeringStudents • u/CryptographerIcy4686 • 4h ago
had a great initial screening call for a civil engineering/construction management internship with a project engineering company last wednesday. The recruiter seemed super nice, we vibed, and at the end of the call, she told me she was meeting with project managers on Thursday and would get back to me by Friday. She literally told me, If I don't get back to you by Friday, don't be afraid to email me no later than Monday.
Friday came and went with zero word.
Monday comes, I send a polite follow-up email right on schedule. Nothing. Tuesday comes, still dead silence. So today, I decide to call her direct number to check in.
It rings and tells me the line is disconnected.
I also tried calling their main corporate office. Total radio silence, nobody picks up. Second time I call the person at the front desk says she’s out of office right now and that she can’t contact her.
Am I just being impatient or should I just give up on this company?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Pre_Malone92 • 8h ago
Sorry if this isn't the place for it, but I'm thinking of going back to school to earn a B.S. in mechanical engineering. I'm 25 M, work 40-60 hours a week as a manufacturing welder for CAT, I love what I do, but don't make as much as I'd like for the wear and tear on my body, and honestly I don't want to be doing dirty blue collar work till I'm 65. The engineers here love what they do and only work 4 days a week. However, to land one of the engineering jobs though you gotta have a B.S. in some type of engineering.
I'm trying to find a way I could earn a B.S. in mechanical engineering online, but picking an online program is hard. Everyone says either the university sucks (old Dominion or ECPI), or they have hybrid classes where some of the course work has to be done in person. I'm located near Atlanta GA, but it doesn't look like Georgia Tech or UGA have hybrid programs, only fully in person classes.
I'm a very determined person, I don't mind the studying and long hours (I can cut my work hours back to 40 a week max if I need too), and am dedicated to doing something greater to better myself in the long run, even if it takes years to achieve. I just don't know where to start. Quitting my job isn't an option either, bills and rent have to be paid.
Any advice or recommendations from MEs or other students would be super helpful, thank you!
r/EngineeringStudents • u/cozy_cardigan • 19h ago
I'm taking a graphics class at a community college and this week's assignment involves learning animations and mates. Professor wanted something simple but I was having too much fun and got a bit carried away.
I learned how to configure parts, so I don't have to make multiple files just to change certain part dimensions. Then I learned how to connect parts and animate them using Revolute, Fasten, and Gear Relations.
Even though it's basic, it's still something I'm excited about and wanted to share with y'all!
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Serious-Emu-2735 • 5h ago
I’m gonna have an interview with the hiring manager for an entry level, on site application engineer position at Flowserve after an HR screening.
For those who has interviewed with Flowserve, what kind of questions should I expect? Is it mostly behavioral or technical?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/ApprehensivePop6653 • 15h ago
Has anyone here ever tried juggling college and a graveyard-shift job at the same time? 😁
I’m currently a junior engineering student taking 15 units, and I’m planning to work as a BPO agent from 12 AM to 8 AM while also sorting out my boarding arrangements.
I know it won’t be easy, and I have a feeling that sleep and I are about to enter a LD relationship. 😂 But I really want to give this a shot while continuing my studies.
I'd love to hear from anyone who’s been in a similar situation. How did you guys manage your time, classes, work, sleep, and sanity?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/SufficientSnow9859 • 10h ago
College work and deadlines and quizzes and exams and projects are sometimes so demanding that I can't make time to learn skills or make projects that would actually benefit my CV. For those who know who can find a balance, how do you manage skills outside of your college courses while also still maintaining college work and gpa?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/cyderyt • 1d ago
Im in first year, im finding myself getting stuck way to frequently its messing my mental up. Im having a really hard time believing myself.
For example im on the formal definition of limits and I understand the basic idea in a way, but not the wording nor how to solve it, my math reading comprehension is really bad i guess.
And ontop of that ik my studying methods are horrible, I can legit "study" for hours and end up accumulating nothing.
i want to go to office hours aswell for physics but I dont even know waht to ask in the first place because im so lost.
Ive failed my first calc 1 test and first 2 physics quiz.
I cant drop out and I dont want to. Any advice is greatly greatly appreciated
