Here's how you can present your past engineering design projects during an interview.

I think candidates should pick a project in which they have fully involved since all design stages till commissioning, if not atleast they must aware with system type, equipment sizing, equipment type, safety measures of the project and how efficient is the system. How dedicated you involved, what you learn and how you manage during the close deadlines. Involement in client meetings, internal interfaces discussions etc.

Its important to select project which had significant impact (time, money, customer focus). Should highlight what were major challenges and how those were resolved. The final outcome and what was overall impact.

Often the question comes up similar to, "What is one project failure you've had?" Or some variation of the question (could be a communication failure with stakeholders, calculation failures, etc...). I find it helpful to prepare for the interview with a project failure in mind, but use that example to highlight how you turned that failure into a win. If you can find failures in multiple topics and have the win conversion included, that prepares for the different variations.

At the beginning, I would suggest to focus on the skills and experience interviewer is looking for. Based on that it is crucial to show your potential employer how you gained and developed those skills and experience on a particular projects, emphasising the results achieved and lessons learnt. This will show you ability to reflect and learn on your past experience which is essential transferable skill for further development and avoiding repeating same mistakes again and again.

Adopting a narrative approach when discussing projects is crucial. Start with the context: the problem you aimed to solve or the project’s objective. Guide the interviewer through the process: how you approached the design, the challenges faced, and how you overcame them. Highlight any innovative solution or unique design element implemented. This narrative style not only makes your explanation more engaging but also demonstrates critical thinking and project management skills. Reflecting on outcomes and learnings provides insights into adaptability. Using visual aids enhances clarity and impact, showing how challenges were effectively addressed and overcome.

To apply this strategy you should start in a chronological order based on ur role and the show the problem solving skills. It is great to start with how the problem emerged, how you collected the facts about the problem and analyzed them to reach solutions . Finally, how the approach is applied and verified. This would demonstrate your problem solving ability in structured way.

Begin by briefly setting the stage for the project its scope, objectives, and your role in leading or contributing to it. This provides a framework for the interviewer to understand the scale and complexity of your involvement. Also, make sure to be credible in the discussion about the scope of the project.

When you discuss topics from a story teller’s perspective, the topic being discussed can be heard much easier from the listener. You are able to articulate the big picture this way, and show the listener’s exactly how it started, all the way through how the project was concluded, making it much more interesting to listening. This approach also grabs the listeners attention, if done well, and they are drawn into the project.

Yes, the narrative approach helps us to travel the path we trekked through project implementation and quickly reveal incidents of what happened how it was resolved and why we choose to do it that way.

Visual aids can be highly effective in conveying complex engineering designs. Bringing diagrams, photos, or prototypes of your projects helps the interviewer grasp the complexities of your work and the impact of your designs. These aids must be clear and professional, complementing your explanation without overwhelming. Describing what is shown is crucial, as the interviewer may not share your technical background. Visual tools enhance understanding and clarity, demonstrating your ability to communicate technical concepts effectively. Building your brand in engineering through continuous education and establishing yourself as a thought leader strengthens your profile, highlighting your ability to lead and educate in innovative practices.

Choose visuals judiciously. Discuss your approach to selecting the most appropriate visual aids to support your presentation goals and the audience's needs. Highlight your ability to create clean, uncluttered visuals that focus on the essential information without overwhelming the audience.

Very simply, stay away from acronyms. Understand your audience and stay away from chasing molecules unless asked. Be very clear on the technical aspects of your discussion but not in the weeds. Once again, know your audience.

One thing I have found helpful from my experience is to explain with ease so that everyone can understand irrespective of his stream. The more you have knowledge about the technical details, the more you will be able to forsee the challenges and cross checking points to avoid those. Off course you should have a clarity on the subject blended with theoretical and practical exposure.

You want to prove your expertise without breaching confidentiality of the project data. Its a balancing act. To effectively do this, talk more about the skills you used to tackle challenges of the project instead of revealing detailed technical data and showcasing your memory power !! Highlight the engineering process, tools, and software you employed. If you succeed at this, the interviewers will definitely appreciate your approach to the question.

Embora seja importante ser envolvente, n?o se furte a se aprofundar em detalhes técnicos. Explique os princípios de engenharia, materiais e tecnologias que você utilizou, mas mantenha-os acessíveis. Evite jarg?es que possam n?o ser familiares a todos os entrevistadores — em vez disso, explique brevemente quaisquer termos técnicos que você use. Esse equilíbrio mostra sua experiência técnica e, ao mesmo tempo, garante que seu público possa acompanhar, independentemente de sua forma??o técnica.

Be prepared to discuss the technical aspects of your projects. Explain the design process, methodologies used, tools employed, and any innovative solutions you implemented.

I like the words of Plato, which say "no one is wise enough by themselves." You cannot do everything alone. Therefore it is very key to be aware of your contributions towards a team effort, and also essential to take on board other team members ideas. Because collaboration is what makes a team work.

Engineering is a team effort, so highlight your role in a collaborative environment. Discuss how you worked with others, managed conflicts, and contributed to the team’s success, demonstrating your interpersonal skills. Highlighting your individual contributions is crucial, showing your specific value. In my experience, using design techniques and strategic business approaches in teams has been vital. Negotiation skills have aligned team objectives with client needs, ensuring successful outcomes. Building a strong personal brand through continuous learning and thought leadership enhances your ability to innovate in engineering.

Try to demonstrate that you understand what kind of collaboration are necessary for designers to achieve high quality designs. for example besides team collaboration they need to collaborate with manufacturing, production, quality, and customer service departments. Explain why it's important and how can you do it as a team or individually.

Engineering is often a team effort. I discuss how I worked with colleagues, managed conflicts, and contributed to the team's success. For example, in a project, I collaborated with other mechanical engineers to design an HVAC system. By facilitating open discussions and finding common ground, we resolved design conflicts efficiently. I also highlight my individual contributions, such as optimizing the thermal performance, to showcase my interpersonal skills and ability to bring unique value to the team.

Highlight your ability to work in a team by discussing how you collaborated with colleagues, communicated effectively, and contributed to the project's success.

Discussing failures and what you learned from them and how you grew from them is just as important! Provide the circumstances of the failure and the outcome/consequences. Then itemize what you learned and how you put those lessons into practice.

Reflecting on project results is crucial. Discuss any success, how the design was received, and its impact. Don’t stop there; also talk about what you learned from the experience and how it influenced your subsequent work. This reflection shows that you are not only technically competent but also capable of growth and learning from your experiences. In my career, leveraging reflections on engineering design, strategic business insights, and effective negotiation has been invaluable. Continuous improvement through these reflections enhances your ability to lead and innovate, making you a highly valued professional in any environment.

The project is always described holistically including, name, purpose the main elements (e.g in case of infra-structure project include the main road configuration ,length number of tunnels/bridges, and the length of the utilities networks. For sure the budget is to be included) then u proceed forward with the role in the project

Be yourself & don’t “memorize” (don’t sound robotic nor make it sound like that you are reading of a scripture). Try to mention the engineering design that you followed, your testing method & validation, your best approach towards documentation and what was the real life impact. Also, you can always ask back & forth questions to your interviewer if anything is unclear. That’s how you ensure yourself a healthy work environment.

One thing to consider are the challenges that you met, because these are important in identifying areas of improvement for immediate next projects and future projects. The key is to never stop learning from past experience and making continuous improvements on future projects.

To address any topics not covered in the previous sections, it's crucial to be authentic. Avoid memorizing answers as it can sound robotic. Mention the engineering design you followed, your testing and validation methods, your best approach to documentation, and the real-life impact. Additionally, always engage in back-and-forth questions with your interviewer if something is unclear. This ensures a healthy work environment. Share personal anecdotes that highlight your problem-solving skills and teamwork. Authenticity and clarity are key to showcasing your unique abilities and experiences effectively.

Another crucial aspect of working in a team of design engineers is building a relationship of trust and being open to sharing knowledge and experience. Such a relationship is a win-win strategy that improves the overall performance of each design engineer and the team as a whole. In an interview, provide an example of teamwork and how you contributed to the development of the team's collective knowledge and experience.

If possible, do some research on who will be conducting the interview. That might provide some insight into the position, company culture, or personality of the interviewer so that you are better able to tailor talking point and experience for the interview. Social media and LinkedIn are good resources for this.