CEng IMechE Interview
Discussion
I have my CEng interview with the IMechE in a couple of weeks. Just wondering if anyone has any tips?
I'm planning to take a copy of my application in with me and make sure I'm up on the code of conduct. I've been told to think of it as a chat about the projects I've done rather than being like a job interview. Is that about right?
Is it normal to wear a suit? Interview is at work and I wouldn't normally wear a suit so was going to go shirt and jacket...
Thanks for any advice/tips!
I'm planning to take a copy of my application in with me and make sure I'm up on the code of conduct. I've been told to think of it as a chat about the projects I've done rather than being like a job interview. Is that about right?
Is it normal to wear a suit? Interview is at work and I wouldn't normally wear a suit so was going to go shirt and jacket...
Thanks for any advice/tips!
It was suggested to me that I you should take in few examples visual aids if you like to allow me to support my application and allow me to expand on what I said in application now you're limited to 400 words per section. Pictures of test rigs you built, parts of things you designed or failed components that back up that failure investigation and make it more interesting for the interview panel.
Good luck, I always wear a nice jacket....tweed
Good luck, I always wear a nice jacket....tweed
My IChemE many years ago was with the Chairman of the institute..it must be very similar!
Don't worry, you only need to articulate clearly your involvement in projects and processes.
Avoid stating we did this, we did that etc. They want to know about your contribution; Show some enthusiasm (if possible
)
Don't worry, you only need to articulate clearly your involvement in projects and processes.
Avoid stating we did this, we did that etc. They want to know about your contribution; Show some enthusiasm (if possible
)Wear a suit (at least a jacket and trousers) because it can't do any harm, you don't know what some people on the panel might judge you by.
When I had my interview (British Computer Society) about 15 years ago, I got asked some strange questions about a product I didn't recognise, turns out he was working on something I had written 10 years before, it got renamed and was still being supported - my name was all over the code. It can't have been too bad because I passed the interview and achieved C Eng.
Russ
When I had my interview (British Computer Society) about 15 years ago, I got asked some strange questions about a product I didn't recognise, turns out he was working on something I had written 10 years before, it got renamed and was still being supported - my name was all over the code. It can't have been too bad because I passed the interview and achieved C Eng.
Russ
I did this 4 years ago, and for me it was a piece of cake, although I was mid 40’s… I was asked as to why it had taken me 10 years to get there…
An ex-boss of mine is a Fellow and did a lot of interviews of at Birdcage Walk, some of which involved weeding out some people who clearly had not done any engineering at all.
You must stress what YOU did, keep away from “the team succeeded”, “we did”, the company accomplished, it’s YOUR chance to say to what YOU did/do in engineering.
As others have said, take pictures of what you have done, try not to take drawings with the companies copyright all over them unless you have authority to do so.
Be prepared for some left of field questions, although I didn’t get any. Some of the newer requirements, like sustainability, green issues etc… need to be thought about.
Dress as for an interview, the others will have. If it’s at Birdcage Walk, have a look around the library, the whole place is nothing but mechanical engineering books and journals. It’s almost like falling into a well of engineer porn…
Wait for the letter to come through with your certificates in it, and then do what everyone else does, start looking for a job that pays more money!
An ex-boss of mine is a Fellow and did a lot of interviews of at Birdcage Walk, some of which involved weeding out some people who clearly had not done any engineering at all.
You must stress what YOU did, keep away from “the team succeeded”, “we did”, the company accomplished, it’s YOUR chance to say to what YOU did/do in engineering.
As others have said, take pictures of what you have done, try not to take drawings with the companies copyright all over them unless you have authority to do so.
Be prepared for some left of field questions, although I didn’t get any. Some of the newer requirements, like sustainability, green issues etc… need to be thought about.
Dress as for an interview, the others will have. If it’s at Birdcage Walk, have a look around the library, the whole place is nothing but mechanical engineering books and journals. It’s almost like falling into a well of engineer porn…
Wait for the letter to come through with your certificates in it, and then do what everyone else does, start looking for a job that pays more money!
Good tips above.
It's been mentioned but be prepared for questions about green issues, safety and the code of conduct. Well worth having thought of some examples for those.
Otherwise - think of it more as an opportunity to talk about how you've met the criteria (read and structure your approach to hit the competences). You'll be far more credible if you do most of the talking and hit all the key areas than if the interviewers have to drag you through them.
Your local IMechE group will be happy to give you some tips and are likely to have some of the interviewers in the group. Possible a bit late if it's two weeks away but worth asking.
Good luck.
It's been mentioned but be prepared for questions about green issues, safety and the code of conduct. Well worth having thought of some examples for those.
Otherwise - think of it more as an opportunity to talk about how you've met the criteria (read and structure your approach to hit the competences). You'll be far more credible if you do most of the talking and hit all the key areas than if the interviewers have to drag you through them.
Your local IMechE group will be happy to give you some tips and are likely to have some of the interviewers in the group. Possible a bit late if it's two weeks away but worth asking.
Good luck.
Sorry to hijack OP, but can I ask what is actually needed to apply and is it worth it? I have an MEng in mechanical and hopeful that not long after Christmas I should finally have my PhD. Currently working at a small company where it's all very hands on and all hands to the pumps. Great experience and I would guess plenty of material for the CEng, but the company is too small to support me through. Last I heard they had you writing large reports and jumping through hoops.
Is that still the case? Can I do it alone? And at the end of the day is it worth it? Bar being able to have those letters at the end of your name and that warm feeling they bring?
Is that still the case? Can I do it alone? And at the end of the day is it worth it? Bar being able to have those letters at the end of your name and that warm feeling they bring?
Otispunkmeyer said:
Sorry to hijack OP, but can I ask what is actually needed to apply and is it worth it? I have an MEng in mechanical and hopeful that not long after Christmas I should finally have my PhD. Currently working at a small company where it's all very hands on and all hands to the pumps. Great experience and I would guess plenty of material for the CEng, but the company is too small to support me through. Last I heard they had you writing large reports and jumping through hoops.
Is that still the case? Can I do it alone? And at the end of the day is it worth it? Bar being able to have those letters at the end of your name and that warm feeling they bring?
Just wrote a similar reply in another thread-but to someone looking at technician level. It varies from industry to industry speaking anecdotally it's made bugger all difference to my career in terms of earnings and progression. This IMO has a lot to with how the tile 'engineer' is devalued in the UK by allowing everyone man and their dog to have the word engineer in any old job title title, Sky Engineer FFS...Is that still the case? Can I do it alone? And at the end of the day is it worth it? Bar being able to have those letters at the end of your name and that warm feeling they bring?
I did it alone although the company support in paying fees, and will provide a mentor should you wish but I waited until I was reasonably established in my career so had masses of evidence. It's internationally recognised, and coming over someone's desk or bidding for work within an organisation it should put you at an advantage.
Is it worth it? It's down to the individual IMO, some people might argue that experience in industry will get you further ahead than doing a PhD.
Does it make a difference?
It depends.................................................
Do you work in oil and gas or nuclear? In that case it does, and increasingly so.
Chartership SHOULD be for those engineers who do more than just clever back room boy stuff. There’s too many who don’t see the commercial imperative in their work, or the wider implication of what it is they are doing. If your company won’t support you in this, (and that is by no means uncommon - they don’t want you to leave for more money for starters) then you have to go through the hoops on your own. There’s the issue of the MPDS scheme which is fast track to chartership and gets the fortunate few on it to C.Eng. by 25. This is far too quick in my opinion, unless they are at a truly amazing workplace. I have met too many of these types who are truly excellent at doing the MPDS scheme and not much else - like getting the product shipped profitably.
Join up as Associate, and get your self out there. Go to a “get chartered evening” - find yourself a mentor, and get writing that log book/ report. It takes ages, and it is something that gets passed over for something to do later. One of my biggest regrets in life is not going for chartered earlier by about 10 years. Don’t repeat my mistake.
The I Mech E (IMHO) have been fiddling with the goal pasts for years now, and people who got chartered years ago, wouldn’t have got in now. Also those who get in now, wouldn’t have got in 15 years ago say when the emphasis was somewhere else. Over the decades they really haven’t helped themselves, and I fundamentally believe the institutes (not just the mechanicals) are part of the problem - NOT the solution.
As I have said elsewhere and previously, I’m chartered, and the obvious question is why? It costs me £264(?) a year for 12 magazines with increasingly shoddy articles in them, and a recent one was of a place where I used to work which was laughably inaccurate. The evening talks can be quite good, and are sometimes worth going to, but many of them are PR exercises. I sometimes think the I Mech E is very good at serving the I Mech E and as a distant secondary effort - maybe its membership. Perpetual motion as it were…..
I am in it because I “have” to be for my job.
As others have alluded to, the engineer can be an abused term here in the UK. “Chartered Engineer” isn’t. Whether chartered engineers are any good at being engineers is another topic for another day.
It depends.................................................
Do you work in oil and gas or nuclear? In that case it does, and increasingly so.
Chartership SHOULD be for those engineers who do more than just clever back room boy stuff. There’s too many who don’t see the commercial imperative in their work, or the wider implication of what it is they are doing. If your company won’t support you in this, (and that is by no means uncommon - they don’t want you to leave for more money for starters) then you have to go through the hoops on your own. There’s the issue of the MPDS scheme which is fast track to chartership and gets the fortunate few on it to C.Eng. by 25. This is far too quick in my opinion, unless they are at a truly amazing workplace. I have met too many of these types who are truly excellent at doing the MPDS scheme and not much else - like getting the product shipped profitably.
Join up as Associate, and get your self out there. Go to a “get chartered evening” - find yourself a mentor, and get writing that log book/ report. It takes ages, and it is something that gets passed over for something to do later. One of my biggest regrets in life is not going for chartered earlier by about 10 years. Don’t repeat my mistake.
The I Mech E (IMHO) have been fiddling with the goal pasts for years now, and people who got chartered years ago, wouldn’t have got in now. Also those who get in now, wouldn’t have got in 15 years ago say when the emphasis was somewhere else. Over the decades they really haven’t helped themselves, and I fundamentally believe the institutes (not just the mechanicals) are part of the problem - NOT the solution.
As I have said elsewhere and previously, I’m chartered, and the obvious question is why? It costs me £264(?) a year for 12 magazines with increasingly shoddy articles in them, and a recent one was of a place where I used to work which was laughably inaccurate. The evening talks can be quite good, and are sometimes worth going to, but many of them are PR exercises. I sometimes think the I Mech E is very good at serving the I Mech E and as a distant secondary effort - maybe its membership. Perpetual motion as it were…..
I am in it because I “have” to be for my job.
As others have alluded to, the engineer can be an abused term here in the UK. “Chartered Engineer” isn’t. Whether chartered engineers are any good at being engineers is another topic for another day.
bucksmanuk said:
Does it make a difference?
It depends.................................................
Do you work in oil and gas or nuclear? In that case it does, and increasingly so.
Not to derail the thread but I'm in nuclear, and stand by my original comments above. There are a lot of people (some are very experienced) without degrees in the industry who are very capable. It has become a bit of a free for all in the last 5+ years in terms of salaries for roles which tbh are little more than glorified admin positions. You can be a chartered engineering earning ~38k (which is very good money) but you can also be planner earning the same-the difference being I know which one would be fIt depends.................................................
Do you work in oil and gas or nuclear? In that case it does, and increasingly so.
ked if redundancies were to ever kick in. There really aren't any standards in place which further devalues chartership and also academic qualifications. Anyhow I digress. If your employer will back you, and in my case your membership fees it's worth doing. I just wouldn't expect it to be be a magic tick in the box that will necessarily progress your career. I'd be interested to hear from those other chartered engineers if/what difference it's made.
Well it seems it went well as I have just read an email telling me I'm a chartered engineer.
The interview was pretty much as they said it would be - a chat amongst engineers.
Some of my colleagues seemed to get a bit of a hard time with some awkward questions but mine was fairly friendly and more of a general chat. Quite technical but I knew the subject so not an issue.
Thanks for all tips!
blank CEng MIMechE
The interview was pretty much as they said it would be - a chat amongst engineers.
Some of my colleagues seemed to get a bit of a hard time with some awkward questions but mine was fairly friendly and more of a general chat. Quite technical but I knew the subject so not an issue.
Thanks for all tips!
blank CEng MIMechE
I'm looking for a bit of advice regarding an application I recently made with the imeche for professional registration. I had my interview 2.5months ago and recently I received my letter informing me that I was unsuccessful.
I have been a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry for the last 15 years. In the past few years I have moved into project management and engineering management roles.
I thought my written application was strong which demonstrated a good level of technical and commercial/leadership experience and so did the two sponsors who put their names in my application.
They say that when you get to the interview stage, the pass rate is quite high so it would seem this is where I couldn't get through. There was only two assessors, one of which also fulfilled the role of facilitator. The first part about my interview that I wasn't really comfortable with was that the main assessor was a manager for a company I had worked for previously whom I knew. The two assessors assured me this will have no bearing on the interview and that was in line with procedure. I recall the last time I spoke with this manager was when he tried to recruit me for a job which I turned him down.
The reason given for being unsuccessful was that I didn't demonstrate sufficient mechanical engineering design competence. What I remembered about the interview questions was that it focused very much of my last 3 roles which have been predominately engineering management roles/responsibilities. There were questions surrounding some technical projects I had worked on 5 years or more ago which I had included in my application for my technical competences which at the time I thought I had answered them well. But certainly the questions were more weighted towards my recent roles so more towards the management side.
At the moment I'm just considering my options. I can accept their decision and have the option to reapply which I'm trying to determine when that will be possible and hopefully get someone I don't know! Or consider going through the appeals process. I'm not 100% certain if there was some conflict of interest from the fact I knew this manager from a previous role. I felt some of the questions he asked he wouldn't of asked had we not known. Also because the questions focused more on my recent roles, I felt there was less opportunity to discuss the technical competence if they felt that was where I failed. There's not much information on the appeals process though and searching around doesn't show any one that has gone through it. Any advice is appreciated.
I have been a mechanical engineer in the oil and gas industry for the last 15 years. In the past few years I have moved into project management and engineering management roles.
I thought my written application was strong which demonstrated a good level of technical and commercial/leadership experience and so did the two sponsors who put their names in my application.
They say that when you get to the interview stage, the pass rate is quite high so it would seem this is where I couldn't get through. There was only two assessors, one of which also fulfilled the role of facilitator. The first part about my interview that I wasn't really comfortable with was that the main assessor was a manager for a company I had worked for previously whom I knew. The two assessors assured me this will have no bearing on the interview and that was in line with procedure. I recall the last time I spoke with this manager was when he tried to recruit me for a job which I turned him down.
The reason given for being unsuccessful was that I didn't demonstrate sufficient mechanical engineering design competence. What I remembered about the interview questions was that it focused very much of my last 3 roles which have been predominately engineering management roles/responsibilities. There were questions surrounding some technical projects I had worked on 5 years or more ago which I had included in my application for my technical competences which at the time I thought I had answered them well. But certainly the questions were more weighted towards my recent roles so more towards the management side.
At the moment I'm just considering my options. I can accept their decision and have the option to reapply which I'm trying to determine when that will be possible and hopefully get someone I don't know! Or consider going through the appeals process. I'm not 100% certain if there was some conflict of interest from the fact I knew this manager from a previous role. I felt some of the questions he asked he wouldn't of asked had we not known. Also because the questions focused more on my recent roles, I felt there was less opportunity to discuss the technical competence if they felt that was where I failed. There's not much information on the appeals process though and searching around doesn't show any one that has gone through it. Any advice is appreciated.
kungfuman said:
The first part about my interview that I wasn't really comfortable with was that the main assessor was a manager for a company I had worked for previously whom I knew. The two assessors assured me this will have no bearing on the interview and that was in line with procedure. I recall the last time I spoke with this manager was when he tried to recruit me for a job which I turned him down.
This really isn't on at all....I would want answers to this.
as for the design experience, there's loads of Forces people get in with zero design experience, so this doesn't wash with me...
somethings up...
bucksmanuk said:
This really isn't on at all....
I would want answers to this.
as for the design experience, there's loads of Forces people get in with zero design experience, so this doesn't wash with me...
somethings up...
That's what I was thinking too, I know a few guys who admit they have very little design experience and yet still manage to get chartered through their MPDS in 4-5years.I would want answers to this.
as for the design experience, there's loads of Forces people get in with zero design experience, so this doesn't wash with me...
somethings up...
I went in with a folder of photo's and technical CAD drawings of jobs that I worked on which I explained some of which were my own designs. So I thought I cleared that part well. The other thing that bugged me was he asked for the job code for the project I used as an example. Because he still works for the company that I did the work for, he has access to that information. I answered my questions honestly and truthfully so there shouldn't be anything wrong if he did go through the job files. But this annoyed me as it doesn't have any bearing on the interview.
I have requested the feedback and scoring so I will see what they come back with.
kungfuman said:
That's what I was thinking too, I know a few guys who admit they have very little design experience and yet still manage to get chartered through their MPDS in 4-5years.
I went in with a folder of photo's and technical CAD drawings of jobs that I worked on which I explained some of which were my own designs. So I thought I cleared that part well. The other thing that bugged me was he asked for the job code for the project I used as an example. Because he still works for the company that I did the work for, he has access to that information. I answered my questions honestly and truthfully so there shouldn't be anything wrong if he did go through the job files. But this annoyed me as it doesn't have any bearing on the interview.
I have requested the feedback and scoring so I will see what they come back with.
I would want some answers from the I.Mech.E. on this – but in a tactful way – they can be rather academic and hence incredibly petty at times….I went in with a folder of photo's and technical CAD drawings of jobs that I worked on which I explained some of which were my own designs. So I thought I cleared that part well. The other thing that bugged me was he asked for the job code for the project I used as an example. Because he still works for the company that I did the work for, he has access to that information. I answered my questions honestly and truthfully so there shouldn't be anything wrong if he did go through the job files. But this annoyed me as it doesn't have any bearing on the interview.
I have requested the feedback and scoring so I will see what they come back with.
You are interviewed from someone within your field – this really shouldn’t happen, for instance I had someone from the nuclear engineering analysis side and a senior aerospace project manager. I’m in rotating equipment mainly. Fail number 1
He has met you previously in a professional capacity. Fail number 2
You turned him down for a job, so maybe he thinks that you consider yourself too good to work for him. If he’s this petty, then your original decision not to work for him was correct. This alone should have meant he wasn’t suitable for the interview task. Fail number 3
And this job code nonsense, why ask about it, unless if he wants to go back and started trawling through past files snooping away? If what you said in the interview is truthful, then there’s nothing to fear. Blimey – Fail number 4
PM me, I wouldn’t mind getting to the bottom of this myself….
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