Job Interview Tips - Job Interview Questions and Answers

Ideas to Prototypes to Production | Stratasys 3D Printers 2013

Be Inspired & Inspire Others

What have you got in mind this year?

Healthier Lifestyle… Work harder … Lose weight… Get a job… Get promoted… Pay rise… Make more friends? We all welcome the New Year in our own way. We set Goals … and higher hopes and expectations just follow. January is a funny time as some of you are very trying to focus on exams when others are looking for opportunities to develop.

But I am taking this chance to reflect on myself. Where I stand and how I can improve. And this time I am ready to

Be inspired and inspire others.

First of all I would like to thank Claire Gott for agreeing to give a quick insight into her views about Engineering and what it is like to be a role model for young engineers.

Claire is an exceptional young female engineer who has witnessed several achievements in a very short course of time. She graduated from the University of Southampton in year 2010 and has been working as Graduate Structural Engineer at WSP UK. The Co-founder of the Cameroon Catalyst has also been winner of the NCE Graduate of the year 2011, finalist of the WISE excellence Award 2011 and IStructE Young Structural Engineer International Design Competition 2011. She religiously contributes to the industry as part of the Institutional board representative for IStructE and Green Construction Board promotional working group, Imagineering, WSP Launchpad school engagement scheme and STEMnet ambassador.

Claire Gott has all the qualities for being the role model for the coming generation and therefore the best person to ask all the right questions. That’s exactly what I did.

1.                  With such an impressive list of achievements – it must be had to choose but can you share what you are most proud of so far in your life?

Helping lead the Cameroon Catalyst team to successfully deliver the medical and educational center in Bambouti, Cameroon in 2010 and seeing the continued positive impact that the charity is still having on the lives of hundreds of villagers.

2.                  Most people don’t show courage to step forward and take challenges in life. Was there anyone who encouraged you to take the initiative or was it entirely your decision to take the part in the competitions mentioned above?

From the age of 16, when I helped rebuild an orphanage in Tanzania, I decided that I wanted a career where I could make a difference and I grabbed every opportunity presented to me to gain a better understanding of how I could achieve this.

3.                  Everyone has a role model. Who do you look up to in the industry? Who is your inspiration?

My appointment on the Green Construction Board Promotional Working group last year made me realise that there are a great number of role models in our industry who are pushing the boundaries and trying to make a difference and I am privileged to sit alongside them and learn from them.

4.                  As we can see you enjoy challenges. So what have you planned next?

I flew out to Cameroon last August to review the last three projects that we (Cameroon Catalyst) have constructed. I am now working alongside Architecture Sans Frontieres who will be accompanying us to help assess the positive impact of our contribution within Cameroon and help identify where we should focus our efforts next.

5.                  From your personal experience what do you think are the requirements of current industry from new generation of engineers?

It’s not just about technical skills anymore; clients want more value for their money, and so young engineers are learning that the development of management and communication skills and an understanding of the commercial aspects are just as important.

6.                  How do you expect the construction industry to change over the course of your career?

The industry has more of a focus on exploring and applying sustainable concepts and technologies to tackle the problems associated with energy consumption and carbon emissions in the built environment. However, our challenge for the future and something we must address soon is how we use and promote these developments to achieve greater harmony between the natural and built environments on a global scale for all parties involved.

7.                  So what is your advice to our friends currently seeking / or will be seeking an opportunity in the near future?

Make the most of every opportunity that is thrown your way; you never know how it may impact your career for the better, and don’t be afraid to talk about your achievements; companies are looking for confident and passionate engineers.

It’s amazing how through simple communication we can learn from others. I wish good luck to Claire for her future plans and many more achievements.

Engineering is an interesting field – we engineers are even more interesting. Creative… Always seeking new challenges… Solving problems…

We have the ability to Engineer futures. So keep your hopes high.

Ethical challenges: the conflict between design brief and sustainable principles

Hi All! I am going to use today's post as a learning session. In my previous post i mentioned taking part in the ICE Apprentice competition. It required writing essay on the subject of ethical challenges. I wrote the following. I am willing to learn so please read and share your opinion about the subject.

Ethical challenges: the conflict between design brief and sustainable principles

Rapid transition from rural to urban habitat demands modern cities that can fulfill the most complex manifestation of human activities - in commerce, finance, service industries and cultural enterprises. Factors as such define client’s requirements including expectations of high living standards, financial growth, space utilisation and aesthetics.

Whether to include sustainable principles or not and the extent of its application tends to vary between sectors, depending on the investors’ priorities. E.g. private owners dictate their requirements depending on their budgets and planning constraints whereas, public sector shows wider interest in both capital investment and whole-life costs. In contrast a developer’s attitude is driven by the expectations of their target market demanding flexibility for alterations by its occupants leading to uncertainty in effectiveness of sustainable design. Therefore, the need to incorporate and appreciate sustainable principles within the design brief can never be overemphasised.

Sustainability principles such as Eco-design, green buildings and triple bottom line, which were merely catchy phrases, have now been developed into integrated strategic framework in order to lessen the strain on the world’s natural resources. These needs have also been identified at national and corporate levels in form of “Securing the future – the UK Sustainable Development Strategy” and “Corporate Citizenship” respectively, ensuring the establishment of benchmarks for values and policies. However, can it be assumed that the current guidelines and regulations are sufficient or do we need a more thorough approach to ensure that an ethically responsible decision is made during the design process? Is there a scope for shifting design focus to embrace ethical standard of care?

A design brief often conflicts with the sustainable principles when the criteria are to be justified solely against economic factors. Also, codes, regulations and guidance in their current form simply provide minimal criteria. Therefore an ethical responsibility from a designer’s perspective becomes core for engineering design solutions to achieve a balance between the two. A holistic approach should be adopted to ensure economic prosperity, environmental stewardship and social responsibility. When responding to the call for sustainable development, designers should opt out costly technological features with creative smart solutions. E.g. inclusion of sensible choice of construction methodologies, responsible sourcing of the materials, utilising material properties (exposed concrete soffits), mass design, renewable energy resources (daylight, natural ventilation), passive design methods, etc. have the tendency to eliminate negative environmental impacts simply through skilful sensitive design. Where the investors are keen to explore innovative long-terms solutions, decisions should be made through considerate evaluation and optimisation of systems in order to minimise possible financial risks emerging due to departure from traditional mode of practice.

It can be assumed that advancement in technology along with a greater availability of durable environmental materials will lower the capital cost of sustainable elements encouraging Eco-efficient designs in the future. Design for Sustainability strategies (DfS) and codes should be interlinked with more stringent regulations introducing penalties and promoting forms of incentives such as lower taxes to enforce sustainable action in design. Otherwise, in the foreseeable future, these principles will remain largely in conflict with design due to economic constraints.

DON’T LET IT … STOP YOU!

Being a novice in the construction field it’s not that easy to achieve what you desire. If you feeling that it’s just impossible to … nail your goals or even to secure your first chance then STOP and THINK AGAIN. Don’t even think of giving up just because you’re facing difficulties and failures! If you seriously want to drop something then let it be the idea of backing off.  

Something interesting I stole from Benjamin Frempong-Mensah, a graduate fellow on the LinkedIn Group GradEng Network.

“To every sag (recession) there will be an equal and opposite crest (boom).”

Truuuuueeee… I definitely agree with him. Just because there are hurdles ahead doesn’t mean there is no scope to grow and develop your profile. There were two recent opportunities to show what you can do different than others, which I m sure a lot of you have missed.

1.     ICE Apprentice 2012

2.     IStructE Bridge Design Competition for an iconic bridge in Castlemeads, Gloucester.

It does not matter whether you win or not. Not at all! It’s no big deal if you lost! What does matter is that you take that you grab every chance that is thrown in front of you. You WIN the very second You TRY.

Another stolen quote (don’t even know whose is it)

“Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.”

When you try and fail – you learn and improve. And that makes you different – that’s shows you have the courage to step ahead. I did have a go at the competitions I mentioned above – and it helped me learn what I lack and off course the standard that today’s market holds. Honestly speaking it was a totally random email I received from IStructE about (Gloucester bridge) competition … I popped at my colleagues / now good friends Niri Arambepola, Nicoletta Galluzi and Antony Chiha… and there we were designing an iconic structure … At least we tried! [I will post our submission here in my next blog]

It’s a lot easier when you tell yourself, there is always a next time! And next time it can be you.

I am going to emphasize the importance of standing out like Glen Cooper did, in his last post “Engineering Graduates – Please Wait Here. No Crossing”

It’s about time you plan ahead and what you need is a strategy that WORKS!!!!! And yes the key here is for the strategy to work for you, you need to work on it – develop it and test it. I do sometime fell into the trap myself of believing I can do it or I will do it.

No! No! No!!!!!!

DON’T JUST SAY IT, DO IT!

My way is to compete! For fun! To see what I am capable of! To get noticed! To make new friends! And sometimes win as well :P

Find Yours!

Reason behind this post is to make sure that YOU my friends do not give up trying finding your way forward. Times are hard but you need to believe in yourself and keep trying and the success will be yours.  

A blind leading another blind!

The above statement is something what my director once told me when I was firing questions at a colleague at work. At that time I was the blind who was following the path chosen for me but today I experienced leading others (hopefully not at the wrong path).

I officially stepped into the world of INSPIRING THE YOUTH.

 So I guess it’s a milestone achieved another one added to the things I want to keep doing in life. Surprising yet interesting how the next generation is a lot more focused and determined as compared to we were at their age.  I mentored some GCSE / A-level students aiming to develop a career in Engineering. Just an afternoon and they showed some very impressive attributes

·      The crave to learn about new things

·      Not just absorbing new information but the ability to use it

·      Confidence to speak up and share their thoughts

·      Good sketching skills

A simple puzzle that people take years to solve they taught me in one afternoon. ENGINEERING is not crunching numbers it’s the development of an idea into something more INTERESTING. No they didn’t tell me how to do my job but they definitely showed me the thirst of knowledge – desire to do something and I am looking forward to see more of the young ones off course for very selfish reason i.e. STAYING MOTIVATED.

What is the true form of examining an engineer’s skills?

Whether it is the University examinations or the graduate recruitment system – we put our maximum effort to achieve the best. But what bothers me the most is does any of this actually test our engineering skills? How do we know where we stand?

120 credits per year – 480 credits MEng degree – spent 4800 hours of study time (well some spent more and some spent less) but what we all had in our minds was to just pass the exams – we had ours own ways to get rid of the exams. In my four years at the University I met only one person who said I am here to learn and it doesn’t matter if I do not get high grades. Being honest, at that time I was shocked with that response. Having a look back at my time spent at the University, I can’t recall a single exam, which tested if I am capable of being an engineer. I barely remember anything except for what I learnt and applied on my design projects – and at all times I was just guessing (applying common sense – checking if something sounds right).    

In the same way, being through the very mind-numbing job hunting procedure, was I tested if I am a good engineer? No! At least not until the last interview i.e. the very last stage of recruitment process. So, whether I know how to design something or not is the least concern? 

The reason I am raising these questions is not because I am questioning the system. It has been there for a very long time and I do not expect any changes in the very near future. Instead it’s because, I am trying to develop an idea of how to test the skills I have gained. To see what my current level is and what will be a practical target. Its funny how we all say I have effective communication skills. Well, what we should be asking ourselves is how effective are my communication skills. What is the level of complexity up to which I can solve problems? How much stress can I deal with? To what extend I justify the industry requirements.

Something large companies use as a second stage of the recruitment process – psychometric tests. I had an interesting conversation sometimes back on LinkedIn about how numerical and verbal reasoning tests determine your engineering skills. And personally I think they don’t, they are used as a tool to cut down number of applications. They have what so ever no link with the engineering but they do have a strong connection with our performance attributes.  A response I got from an engineer, Richard Morgan, which I found very beneficial was, “What is this capability of engineers you speak of? There will be a graduate in one field who knows much more than me, and a director in another who knows much less than me. It all depends on your degree, the University you went to and your experience. Engineering in its most base form is good judgment, reasoning and argument. Beyond the first year in a company tasks will begin to fall on your desk, which go beyond the standard rules you have learnt at University education. University is the basis of your education as an engineer, but it doesn’t necessarily give you the skills to "be" an engineer. 

That's what these tests are. They test your ability for problems solving, and your understanding of numerical and verbal problems.”

Ok this sounds promising but how do I test my judgment and reasoning. Yes, this is something that develops with experience and the more we are exposed to the situations – the better we become as an engineer.

I am looking for a way to test mine. What do you feel has been an effective tool? This question is not targeted at any particular group but to every one?

Graduates and Students: What do you think can be a good way of examining your capabilities?

Senior Members (this does not mean old but with experience, please don’t take it personal): What is that you think has been successful for you in past and what do you expect to see in future?

Is your Vision your Mission?

So what is your vision? Where do you see yourself in 10 years from now?

Something that I find very interesting is listening to people sharing their dreams. What they want – their ideal world and how they fit in it. People who know what they want are usually a step closer to their dream let apart the desire to turn their dreams into reality.

I admire the ones with a VISION in their life

It’s a great feeling knowing what you want from life and how will you get it. Having a purpose in life defines who you are and what you are capable of becoming – as an individual and as a part of your surrounding.

When you know what drives you - your strengths your weaknesses, and more importantly what is the purpose of your life, you naturally develop the potential to unfold the unknown. You start asking yourself WHY NOT? If someone else can do this so can I. And if no one can do it then why can’t I? But I think having just a VISION with no MISSION is like a lock without a key. A burning desire to prove your potential works as a catalyst that drives us forward.

Now… For those who know me well will already know that I am not talking rubbish. Every time I say something, which seems utter non-sense, it’s because I am onto something new but not yet prepared. I am setting myself more challenges. Goals. A new MISSION towards my VISION...

Work alone is just boring – every one does that but if your work becomes part of a bigger picture than it becomes interesting.  Remember a powerful vision is the best motivational and inspirational tool.

I am planning ahead. Are you?

My Journey So Far!

What have I learnt?

In my previous posts I have highlighted the challenges that new graduates face whilst looking for the very first chance and challenges we have as engineers explaining to others about who we are. However, in today’s post I will share what I have learnt so far. For those who are now in the industry – first of all CONGRATULATIONS for getting through the very first hurdle. 

Yes! I mean it. This was the initial barrier towards your career. It’s just a beginning of a very long journey ahead. I have always heard, “your first impression is your last impression”. It’s true but what no one told me was that it doesn’t mean once you are in, you stop impressing. No, now it’s time to work towards your career. For those already working, you must have already realised by now that being a new graduate in the industry is like going back to middle school again. It’s a beginning of a new learning curve. Learning to be PROFESSIONAL. Learning to be PRACTICAL. A phase where you put together every thing you have been taught over the last decade into practice. And try to make sense out of it. 

It’s DAUNTING but REFRESHING.

This I can say from my own journey so far. Getting a new job, especially in the current market situations – is well earned. Still when I first received the offer, and not forgetting my first day at work was full of excitement, but I was also very nervous. A strange mix of ‘yay I can’t believe I got my very first job’ and ‘will I be able to do this job?’ Every thing was new and different from the university life. New responsibilities, corporate culture, good mixture of people with varied experience, from all age groups – exposing me to an open platform to shadow experience from people who have worked on amazing projects throughout their career.  Allowing me to go as an engineer as a child does at school. Interaction / communication is the key here. Meaning totally up to you how to do it. Give yourself time to learn and pickup industrial practices before trying to prove your worth but do not loose track of your goal. I find that it’s good practice to keep record of: What have you done? What have you learnt? Where can you use it in the future? So you can go back and review it. 

I am fresh in the industry but in this short time I have never seen two days that are exactly the same. Every morning brings something new for me- learn something new to explore. Learning, who is who? How does every thing fit together? Importance of Health and Safety in an organization. What does it mean by Sustainability in the real world? Policies, Strategies, rules and regulations etc. that when all put together will guide your future path. Learn where you stand in the company structure and how can you contribute towards something which will transform into reality.

Personally what I enjoy most is the flexible hours – working at hours that suit me the most. Most companies are very flexible with working hours – see what suits you and agree with your employer.  Secondly, see what training is available to you as a graduate and make the most of it. Luckily, I started work just before the graduate programme for the year began. A mentor, who explains to you what to do and checks your work to ensure you have done it right is extremely beneficial for successful transition from academics to work. I have been given the chance to learn how what we design on paper (for those who don’t know I am on a design based role) relates to what is built on site. I have produced a set of calculations first with hands, then with software, and now learning different analysis packages not only giving me a chance to compare how all methods are interconnected but also to have a feel of what actually is built. I have also been on site visits. Visual observation of construction is an extra ordinary experience. 

MORAL: IT’S JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE LIFE LONG LEARNING JOURNEY.

Dear Employer!!! I am [Confused]

Thank you for your showing interest in joining us as a potential graduate. After careful consideration, I regret to advice you that we are not taking your application forward. Please note that due to high volume of applications received we are unable to provide individual feedback. However, I am happy to inform you that your CV has been added to our database for any future opportunities. 

DEAR EMPLOYER! WHY AM I BEING REJECTED???

Is it My Degree?

My University?

My skills?

My Experience?

My Location?

But I have everything you asked for? All that is required for the position. What is it that you are looking for? What am I missing?

What do I need to do in order to be selected and work for you?

I am CONFUSED!

Dear Employer! When I was at University / College I have received many Awards and Achievements for my extra-ordinary performance in core-engineering subjects. I am an exceptional mathematician and I was given engineering award by ABC institute. I am interested in the position and I think I am a very competitive candidate as my knowledge about the subject is well developed. I targeted my focus to be the best within the department and invested my full-time on education including my holidays. Is that not enough?

Dear Employer! I got my degree in engineering from ABC University. Department of Engineering at my university maintained its position in top ten for last decade due to the quality of education it provides for its students. I went to one of the highest ranked universities. Is that not enough?

Dear Employer! I have always been a high achiever. I always got high grades when I was at school; when I was at university. I have the University Grades. Is that not enough?

Dear Employer! Every summer, I got myself signed up for activities and work placements. I grabbed every opportunity I got to gain Work Experience working on site, working in offices, paid, even unpaid. Is that not enough?

Dear Employer! I live within your area. My Location is within the commute from the work place, as it was mentioned in the job advert. Is that not enough?

To see what employers base their hiring decision on I started a quick poll, a few months back. “If you were an employer who received a huge amount of equally good applications, how would you narrow them down?” The screen shot of the results is shown below.

Many of you have been let down on several occasions, especially in last few years and have been left with unanswered questions. Being rejected is not a good feeling let apart not knowing why. But you must not let that discourage you because IT IS NOT YOU, OR YOUR DEGREE OR YOUR LOCATION OR YOUR UNIVERSITY. It is the current market conditions. There are a fewer positions in the market with higher demand. In such hard times nothing is enough. You have to look beyond your limits – expand your horizons.

The five things I mentioned above are the most common factors we take into account when we are looking for a position. Am I qualified enough? Have I got a degree from a reputable University? Did I get the best grades I could possibly get? Do I have enough experience required for the position? Do I live nearby?

But what we don’t do is to actually understand what is happening and what the employer is looking for? With the increased level of competition it is even harder to prove that you are the right person. Yes, you do need the right background knowledge (no one is going to trust in you, if you can't trust yourself). Being new graduates, we go through two different phases. 1. Appropriate educational base. If you do not understand the basis you will never know how things are put together. Never think that your education is not important just because the weight has been given to the work-experience. Put in your full effort into getting the right education, yes from a good university (but not just a good university is going to help you). Experience allows developing the skills you gain from academic training. But yes, after a few years in industry your work experience will become more valuable. But due to the current market conditions and graduates, being in the race to win, have skipped those years and requirements are now been modified for entry-level jobs. You are now also required to prove that you not only produce numbers but can also interpret the results into real outcomes. Besides that, you also need an exceptional attitude towards winning. You have to fight ten times harder than people who entered industry some years back. This competitive market has raised the standard of expectations in the industry. You can’t just be good at studies or just have experience. You have to have it all together.

A comment I received for the same polls was, “Good cultural fits are key - get the right people on the bus, then make sure you get them in the right seats - Good to Great”, John Ouellette. This statement is very true. Companies’ prefer people who are a good fit to their culture. You will also have to justify how your skills are transferable to the new type of role they are offering. Before you apply for a position do consider what the the requirements are and be ready to prove how not only what skills you have but also how you can use them for the benefit of the company i.e. valuable in the open market. I would advise you to DO YOUR HOMEWORK - understand what company’s expectations are; understand their core values and vision before you apply for a position. Be ready to answer, “How do you think you fit within the organization” and do not forget to ask their opinion. Ask them what are the weaknesses and strengths of their existing team and see how you fill those gaps and take them in confidence. I believe you must be thinking don’t I need to be there to convince them and for that I need to be invited for an interview. No, you don’t! This is something that can be done as a part of your application system. Think! There are many ways and you need to choose the best one for that particular firm.

Another factor that plays a vital role that I did not include in my survey is ‘PASSION’ - this is what plays a key role when your competitors show the same attributes as you do. Two people can have same qualifications, similar work experience, even extracurricular activities but no other person can have same passion as you do for your career. So be ready if you are asked “Where do you see yourself in next five years?” or “How do you see envision yourself contributing to the business?” Remember work experience is something an employer sees as an illustration of what value you can bring to the company but passion is what makes you unique. And you can show your passion through your extra-curricular activities – relevant or irrelevant. A required set of skills for engineering requires skills such as work ethic, management, peer relations, adaptability, team spirit and leadership abilities that you can develop in many forms. So do it. Another key indicator of how you match them is your goals versus their goals and even if you do not have the right experience, show them you are eager to learn and keep improving.

MORAL:  (EDUCATION + EXPERIENCE + AWARENESS + CAPABILITY + PASSION) is what an employer is looking for. So be ready for it.

“Nothing quite prepares you for actual design work as raw experience”

Some say I know it all – stability, load transfer, structural analysis, behavior of materials, management …  I understood my physics and I know my MATHS!!!! … Do you seriously think, that’s all we need to BECOME AN ENGINEER. But I am gonna say Nope, Not at all. I am a glad you got a degree in Engineering from a highly reputed university, but that’s not enough, Let’s Learn It Now – Learn to Think – Learn to become an Engineer. [Something I learnt through discussion “Challenges faced by the graduates at the start of their career” with David Morris, Principal at Arup].

At many occasions, I have been struck with the question of whether the recent graduates are qualified for the actual work done in the industry? Are they taught the necessary (both hard and soft) skills required to perform in the construction industry? Is the current academic training to become an engineer sufficient to face the challenges waiting ahead? Remember Ronan Point, London in 1968, Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, Oklahoma in 1995, World Trade Centre Towers, New York in 2011, Tacoma Narrows Bridge, Washington, in 1940. Are you capable enough to deal with such situations? Capable enough to avoid them!

No! As a new graduate in industry, neither am I and nor are you. Just learning pages and pages of theoretical concepts by heart to clear the exams doesn’t really make you an engineer but it does get you an entry pass into the world of engineering.  Questioning my statement? As an example – how many of you have tried cooking? All of you. Whether it was a successful or unsuccessful attempt, that’s a totally different subject. But when you try something you go and find the best recipe available. No matter how well the recipe is written or how many times you have read it before trying it yourself  – you will not know what will happen in real. Will it turn out tasty? That you will only know once you try it. You will do mistakes and learn from your mistakes – and lessons learnt from the mistakes are not easily forgotten. In the same way you might know what is an ideal w/c ratio for the required strength of concrete but with no experience you will have no feel of reality – because there is no such thing as  IDEAL when it comes to the real world. Structural estimations - anyone can put values in equations and get the values but which value is right and what seems to be the no practical answer is something that is crucial in structural industry and not covered as a part of the academics.

“Structural engineering theory can be taught in the classroom and whilst high standards of functional design can be achieved through this teaching I believe that excellence in structural engineering practice can only be learnt, first hand on the construction site. Seeing ones designs on paper is quite different to seeing them executed on site. Experience of how a structure fits together and more importantly the sequence and procedures of how it is constructed will result in designs that are functional as well as practical. [Andrew Heffer, Senior Structural Engineer, WSP Property and Development]

Loads are applied to the slabs, which sit on the beams; beams are connected to columns; columns take the load down to foundations and foundations transfer them to the ground. This is where the teachings of the university curricula limits – theoretical appreciation and some working knowledge of the basics skills. How??? Is what remains uncovered until you have done it yourself. It is the translation of the skills into the real work situations, application of the academic prowess into the practical design solutions, which is required to bridge the gap between academia and practicality. Remember, “Engineering is a career, which requires your life long devotion towards learning”.

Entry-level structural engineers or graduates are indeed hired based on their academic progress but after some years in the industry – experience gained through in-job-action will account for your credibility. Reasons for the primary causes of engineering failure are mainly related to

·      Human factors (Insufficient knowledge, underestimation of influence, ignorance, forgetfulness etc.)

·      Design flaws

·      Material failures

·      Extreme conditions and environments

This is where experience requirements of the structural engineering become apparent to overcome problems related to varied projects and problems.

‘Your first projects after graduation are 100% learning of new things. After a few projects, you start to build up a ‘feel’ for results and also gain some techniques that have worked/not worked before. You never reach the point where you have learnt everything and it wouldn’t be any fun if you did, but the point at which your confidence grows, based on your experience in reaching good solutions, efficiently and creatively is when you start to feel that you are becoming a better engineer’. [Jane Richards, 
Senior Technical Director, Property & Development]

You will go through many phases of the learning cycle. Early days will bring stage where you will learn from experimentation you will find solutions to your problems by trail and error, choosing many right answers and still not knowing which is practical one.  You will write down every thing for your records. Sooner you will start to collaborate with others, initially with the intensions to learn if what you have done is right or wrong and then to develop your ideas through reflection of their experience to develop you own intuition of practical design. 

‘Being involved with building structures you very soon become aware of the bigger picture: how your structural design fits in with the other disciplines and the client’s drivers. You start out designing in isolation but soon enough you design in collaboration.’ [Matt Goswell, Associate WSP Property and Development]

But the key here is to critically assess and evaluate your performance; examine your skills and make them your asset. I never fail to emphasize the importance of challenging your skills. Working in the culture of sharing experience and willingness to pass on knowledge by the huge wealth of mentors and senior engineers; exposing yourself to new concepts and learning methodologies in practice, getting your hands dirty and recording them not just for yourself but to discuss with your managers, senior engineers and reflecting back at your progress forms continual professional development (more rigorous at the early years btw).  

For all the students and graduates in the next coming years. Please focus on getting as much as possible experience in you bank through internships, work-placements etc. to develop the industrial skills as the market is not in a good condition which means you have a lot more competitive market than the graduates in the last decade or so. Good luck!

MORAL - Let’s Learn It Now – Learn to Think – Learn to become an Engineer. Because nothing quite prepares you for actual design work, as raw experience.