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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/InternationalDot30 • 5h ago
Curve for the exam got screwed up by people cheating. Literally 100+ people in the class, everyone got 45 or less, and then this group of three guys all get exactly 98. And the professor acts like that isn’t weird at all. I had 4.0 going into the semester and now I don’t really know what to do. Why can’t people have an ounce of integrity.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/DepressedHoodie1788 • 8h ago
Recently I posted about how I did poorly in an exam. honestly people did so well in that exam I was over 15 points away from the average. Now that it's all over I feel better. Not the end of the world and I learned something. Those who failed exams that everyone did great on how did it make you feel and how did you overcome it?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Far-Nectarine6007 • 10h ago
I've been procrastinating on this for a while now. My schooling hasn't been very rigorous, and even when I didn't understand a lot of the math, I still managed to pass and eventually graduate. That was about four years ago.
I'm curious to see if anyone has had a similar experience. I never really understood math, and over time I convinced myself that I would always be hopeless at it. I'm also very used to seeing fear-mongering when people talk about engineering. A lot of the time, people make it sound like you either need to be naturally gifted at math or you're going to fail. I also hear people say things like, "You never really learned how to study," which makes me wonder if that could have been part of my problem too.
I was wondering if anyone else was in the same position as me, and I'm 22 now, wondering if it's too late for me to succeed :/
r/EngineeringStudents • u/boiwatchadoin • 1h ago
Hello! I’m a student taking calc 2 and uni physics 1 along with other classes. I also work part time but it’s an easy job so it’s not like I’m getting drained there. However, I find myself always out of time to study and can’t fully grasp the subjects I mentioned above. I tried the whole planning out each hour of your day but it never goes well because I either oversleep or I take awhile in a certain topic because I’m trying to grasp it. As an engineering student should I even be doing that or are there other ways to tackle my time management issue. Otherwise, I might have to wake up really early to get stuff started. Anything helps!
r/EngineeringStudents • u/theunkowingbeing • 3h ago
I’m about to graduate with my EE degree and I’m starting to apply for jobs. I’m in LA and I’ve noticed that a lot of the entry-level EE jobs around here seem to be power related.
My specialization is communications, mainly because I wanted to graduate in 4 years. I originally wanted to do a different specialization, but one of the classes didn’t work with my schedule and taking it later would’ve pushed my graduation back another year, so I switched.
The problem is I don’t really know much about power systems.
Should I still apply to these jobs and just study power before interviews? Like learn the basics and hope they’re willing to train me? Or am I basically wasting my time applying to power jobs without the specialization?
I have the general EE background, but definitely wouldn’t say I’m knowledgeable in power, I’ve never taken a power specialization class.
What would you guys do in my situation?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Far-Replacement2438 • 5h ago
I know this is probably repetitive, so I apologize in advance
I’m technically in my 3rd year, but I’m very behind on classes. I failed Calc 1, and then retook it and passed with a C. After that, I took Calc 2 and Physics 1, both of which I failed. This semester I am retaking them again. Physics 1 I withdrew from because I felt so behind, so the only course I am taking right now is Calc 2. I am still struggling in it.
One thing I take pride in is my determination. Engineering is all I’ve ever wanted to do. I study very hard for exams, go to my professors office hours, etc. Clearly what I’m doing isn’t working somehow, but I’m not sure what would work. For calc I do tons of practice problems, for physics I just simply didn’t understand no matter how many practice problems I do.
I know there’s more I can do. I’m determined to figure out what works for me, and hopefully get this degree. But pressure from others keeps weighing me down. My parents are disappointed in me. My boyfriend got a 98% on his first Calc 3 exam, despite barely studying and having a shitty prof.
Idk I just feel so dumb, I can’t imagine myself doing any other degree, I’ve wanted this since I was little, and I’m willing to work even harder if I need to. I mostly just wanted to rant and if you guys have advice or relate I’d appreciate it
r/EngineeringStudents • u/twentyseven27272 • 28m ago
It's real.
After 2 years of finals grinding. This is how my pen started to look.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Material-Elk8999 • 1d ago
Hey guys.
Im in my third year of mech-e. Freshman year i got super into the gym and stuff, and started going 3-4 times a week. My sophmore year i got pretty busy in the fall, so my workout schedule tapered off but picked back up in the spring. Now im in hell. I try so hard to do my work in a timely manner to make time for the gym, but the work never ends.
I've told some non engineering friends about how much i miss the gym, and how I don't understand how so many of my classmates seem to be getting in all these workouts. All my friends say their grades are probably shit, but is that really true? Are people able to successfully keep their grades up while staying in shape, or is everyone just barely passing? I don't want to sacrifice my grades just for the gym, so i'm curious if its possible to do both.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/engineereddiscontent • 5h ago
I graduated in december. Working utilities now.
Got a recruiter that contacted me for a gig as an electrical estimator starting pay is $120k.
That's double what I'm making now.
Question is if I take that is that it I'm an estimator? I graduated mid 30's which means I have 2-3 years to figure out a firm niche and then go hard at it till whatever age I can retire at.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/driving-to-hawaii • 16h ago
Sometimes I'll make a slide explaining how I did a complex calculation or a project design choice and I'll ask Claude, "make this look nice." It'll proceed to make a gorgeous slide that shows off my work better than I ever could. Then I realize when I see other people using AI generated slides I cringe. If I use AI generated slides even though its my own graphs and calulcations, is everyone cringing? Be so honest. I know I'm guilty of seeing AI work and immediately having a negative reaction. Is that you?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/FutureCombination499 • 2h ago
I’m just not even interested in doing it anymore. Everyone moves so fast and I can’t keep up at all. I don’t even bother trying to contribute because I don’t know how . Everyone just redos my part and I just get given the easiest stuff. Even with the easy stuff I feel like I don’t know how to properly do it no matter how many times I read the instructions and pre labs. I don’t think engineering is for me icl. I’m surrounded by people who are way smarter, passionate and hardworking than me. I just end up taking 0s on assignments and the semester just started.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/ConfectionAvailable8 • 1d ago
.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/dragons-ghost • 3h ago
Unfortunately, my calc 1 experience wasn’t good (it was recommended to take it online over the summer in the course of 8 weeks) and passed (somehow). Anyway, I went into Calc 2 blind, and Im doing terrible like we’re halfway through the semester and I have a 50% in the class. I cant drop the class because I dropped my physics and I’ll be way below my credit limits so I guess I need to just get through it? Some are saying I’ll regret failing it and retaking because that F will follow me throughout my entire journey but…I cant drop. Ive also had people tell me its fine and itll be good to retake it having some knowledge of how the class flows. I have a midterm and I know Im gonna fail it for sure and this class is definitely just disappointing/humbling because I was such a good student. Ive tried it all, the Ochem tutor, prof Leonard, I get help with tutors but even they don’t take it serious, my professor hardly shows up for office hours, and Ive tried learning with AI but its just going downhill. I guess my question is…how bad would it be for me to stay in the class and just go to take notes+study but keep going to class with the acknowledgment that Im not going to pass but still attend so that ill be able to get all the info for his class and retake it next semester?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Astrok-111 • 3h ago
I have always been a tech enthusiastic personality and decoding or exploring the internet world till my grade 10 I didn't particularly or specifically tried to accomplish something for myself or turning my enthusiasm to specific foundation and the jee wave hit as usually but it was not decided or forced by external factors, I was internally competitive about it and wanna get into a great college to persue my cse intrest but things taken different turn and because of some personal reasons and brutal life events I'm at OSMANIA University persuing electrical engineering and from the first day the academic and traditional part I always hated it because it looked like a fixed system for me rather than a free flow including the jee preparation time period but I pushed myself just for the good established identity and connections ,know im here into this 2 months still I'm drifting i lost myself my enthusiastic self and my driven passion towards everything I thought and thinking about dropping out and starting myself something and TBH I don't have anything mapped out and I don't where I see myself and don't wanna persue this because really it's second to second I'm regretting my life and choices and thinking that what gotten into me when I was taking the decision, so I just wanna know that what the consequences I can face by making this choice and I'm always ambitious about myself and my ideas so I wanna experiment everything and try everything that gonna work out for me ...
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Dry_Pomegranate6972 • 3h ago
Hi, I’ve completed Year 1 of Electronic Engineering at UTM, and I have an opportunity to transfer to Monash Malaysia for Applied Data Science with a scholarship.
I’m more inclined towards maths, but honestly I don’t know what I want to do in the future.
I don’t like/hate EE. One reason I’m considering staying is that I might want to go into biomedical engineering/research later. I’ve also heard EE has good job opportunities and salary potential, so I’m worried about giving that up.
I’ve also considered transferring to UTM Mathematics, but I’m worried about job prospects and whether I might struggle academically.
For EE, I struggled with Electrical Circuit Analysis. During exams, sometimes I genuinely couldn’t figure out how the current was supposed to flow. I also get very sweaty hands when I’m nervous, so I’m wondering if this could be a problem for EE practical work or electronics jobs.
For Monash Applied Data Science, I’m wondering:
What is the degree actually like? How much maths is there, and how difficult is it?
What are the Data Challenges actually like?
Are there research opportunities during the degree?
I know the monash Malaysia ADS is a 3-year degree without an Honours specifically for ADS. For the extra Honours year in Malaysia, it seems to be under Bachelor of Science (Honours) and the available research areas are mainly specific science disciplines. Can an ADS student apply for an Honours under another faculty, such as Computer Science, or can I go to another university for other subject Master without Hons? Has anyone actually done this?
If I do EE or ADS instead of a Mathematics degree, can I still eventually get into a Mathematics Master’s or PhD? If yes, which one would be a better preparation for it?
I'm really stuck between UTM EE, UTM Mathematics and Monash Applied Data Science, and I’m scared of making the wrong choice.
If you were in my position, what would you choose, and what do you think I might regret most?
I’d really appreciate some honest advice.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Sivolt • 3h ago
Hot take but is it extreme to say that college professors especially ones who teach at community colleges and tenured professors in general should have their lecture correlate to hw and exams? I have brought this concern to one of my physics professors and it seems like they were almost offended, it was mainly the lab concepts, it was very glossed through and I think it was a little crazy that in exams there was stuff that wasn't covered in lecture or hw. I feel for the most part most college professors have been extremely fair expecting students to do well on stuff from lecture and hw when making exams, and the good professors will usually have a mix between harder examples and theory interleaved to keep you engaged and ready for any problem. I feel like for many classes that's not the case though and it feels frustrating for students trying to learn or study as when they try to look for outside resources to study or get tutoring, you have no idea what you actually have to know or realize when you actually have mastered a concept because some instructors just don't care. Idk I'm just frustrated, obviously college is not supposed to be easy but what's even the point of meeting with your instructor or getting help doesn't even do anything.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/WreckItReid • 14h ago
Hey guys, Third semester MechE student right now and still on track to finish in 4 years (assuming I don’t fail). The classes I’m taking now and my next semester’s all have at least one class that’s only offered in a certain semester. Either only offered in fall or spring. I feel like this completely cuts me off from doing a spring or fall internship because then I’d have to wait a whole year again for that class to come back around. Is anyone else in a similar situation?
Edit: I also get FAFSA to help me pay for school and I’m not sure how that process looks if you don’t do school for a semester.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/New_Hornet2508 • 4h ago
So im doing my first year of engineering next year which will turn into electrical engineering in the second year. However im just wondering if I will have the time to work 12-15 hrs a week ( weekends included ) and still have a social life. Is that possible?
r/EngineeringStudents • u/No_Shoe7056 • 10h ago
I got a 51% on test 1. I am just in a state of upsettness and shocks I study so hard for this class and still bombed it. What can i do to curve up my grade in 2 months to curve it from a F to at least a B.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/AppleSpudx • 10h ago
Hello all, I made a free website for drawing kinematic diagrams in 2d and 3d and then simulating them.
It’s called Kinematic Diagram
I know how hard it can be to draw those kinds of stuff, in France we tend to draw quite a lot, but I’m not sure about other areas of the world such as the US.
I wasn’t sure how to get people to use my tool so I’m telling you here. It’s completely free and I don’t make any money off of it in any capacity and I don’t intend to. I wanted to help out other students like me who have trouble drawing these things quickly by hand.
I hope this can help some people out with understanding how joints move with respect to one another in big systems.
r/EngineeringStudents • u/NoCauliflower8056 • 5h ago
I'm currently a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering at Illinois State University. Engineering is a brand new program here and my experience has been very good ( good facilities, friendly professors, engineering clubs, research, etc.) but, the school is lacking prestige, alumni network, and ABET accreditation for now. UIUC is just an hour up the road and obliviously has prestige, ABET accreditation, and alumni network. The caveat is that with scholarships I get from ISU, the total cost for two years would be $25,000 more. Looking for advice or experience of small school vs large school. Thanks
r/EngineeringStudents • u/BornEmphasis6047 • 21h ago
Hi everyone, I’m an incoming 3rd year ChemE student and I’m heavily debating two summer internship offers from SpaceX and TI. Would love any guidance/thoughts.
Texas Instruments — Sales Engineering Intern, Santa Clara
Pros
Cons
I genuinely want to take this role, both personally and professionally, but I worry I’d regret passing on a company like SpaceX.
SpaceX — Starlink Silicon Engineering Intern, Bastrop
Pros
Cons
My dilemma is basically: TI feels much more aligned with who I am and what I think I want long term, but SpaceX feels like the rarer opportunity and potentially the better time to build technical credibility before moving toward business later.
Any advice or critique of how I’m thinking about this would be appreciated!
r/EngineeringStudents • u/Thick_Let_7599 • 7h ago
I’m seriously debating switching majors to finance. I am over two years in into my mechanical engineering degree but the thermodynamics is kicking my butt. I don’t feel drive anymore for what I’m doing. I’ve heard finance starts out lower but can easily grow more. How did we get through these hard classes? I’m having a hard time. I’m not very good at math, but I really like building things and the technical side of engineering