If you’ve made it through the application and online tests, it should now be time to meet your potential future employers.

Are you ready to be interviewed?

Across the engineering and technology sectors, employers use a mix of video, telephone and face-to-face interviews to assess candidates. Although the medium might differ, your preparation needs to be equally thorough for any type of interview. Start by working through the tips and commonly-asked questions in our interview guide and use our interview simulator to review and practise interview questions.

For telephone and video interviews, make sure you’re in a quiet space where you won’t be disturbed and speak clearly. Check your webcam/laptop/phone works in preparation for any video interviews and remember that ‘broadcasting skills’ are also important, i.e. positioning of the camera, lighting in the room, lighting on your face, sound etc. Think about potential visual distractions for the interviewer, e.g. patterns on clothing, wallpaper, background etc. You could stack your webcam/laptop on books to ensure your face is well in shot and to avoid looking down into the camera, which puts your face in shadow.

Assessment centres

The culmination of many selection processes for large companies is a half-day or full-day assessment centres, where candidates are invited to spend a day with other applicants and a group of assessors to complete a series of practical exercises and group activities. Many candidates feel a little anxious about the prospect of attending an assessment centre, but it’s important to remember that you already have lots of experience of working in a team (e.g. from work, your studies and extracurricular activities) and that an assessment centre is a great opportunity to meet company representatives, ultimately helping you to decide which placement would be right for you. Researching the different types of exercises can also help you manage your nerves – our assessment centre guide and the information on our Careers Zone 24/7 platform are a great starting point. You can then also search online for feedback from previous assessment centre participants on websites like Glassdoor or student forums.

For any further questions about your placement search and applications, please call into the Byrom Careers Zone on the ground floor of the James Parsons Building (next to the building reception).