Interview Guide for Engineering Master’s Students

Job interviews are crucial conversations that build rapport while matching your talents to an employer’s needs. These interviewing resources support you in showing up at your best—capable, confident, and resilient. We hope the resources we share will guide you in understanding job interviewing norms for the U.S. job market and in showcasing your value and potential impact.

A young graduate putting her best self forward at an interview
Image Credit: @sturti via Getty Images
First round interviews are increasingly held online
Image Credit: @studioroman

Timelines

  • Internship Freakout – 2024 edition: Most of our Master’s of Engineering students don’t land summer roles until between March – May. Read this article to dive into the data, and explore the guides below to learn more about when interviews happen.
  • Recruitment Timeline for Summer Internships or Jobs | Tryfetti: Employers typically post job openings and begin reviewing resumes from Thanksgiving through January. Interviews are conducted from January through February, with additional interviews concluding by the end of March or early April.
  • Industry-Specific Recruiting Timelines | Columbia CCE: Explore this guide to learn about common recruiting timelines for various industries that recruit on campus. This can vary greatly between and even within companies, so check company websites for info, and talk to people!
  • Indeed’s Typical Interview Timeline: This article provides an overview of the average time it takes from submitting an application to getting hired for a job. It covers different phases in the interview process, including submitting an application, screening, scheduling in-person interviews, and more. 
  • Career Mythbusters: Recruiting Timeline Edition: Read this article to learn when most of our graduates secure jobs. The guides above can help you understand when positions tend to appear.

Steps for Success

Vector credit: Freepik
  • 5 Tasks for Interview Success – Curated by your career coaches along with students and alumni, these recommended tasks can help you succeed in your job interview
  • 13 Essential Tips for a Completing a Successful Interview: This article provides practical advice, including behavioral interviewing techniques, preparation strategies, and tips for remaining professional throughout the interview process.
  • The Steps of the Interview Process: Understanding the interview process is crucial. This resource outlines screening, first, second, and third interviews, helping students navigate each stage effectively.

Recommended Models & Frameworks

CAR Interview Method | Indeed– How to use the Challenge Action Result acronym to prepare for behavioral interview questions

STAR Method for Responding to Interview Questions – Check out this resource to master the STAR method (Situation-Task-Action-Result), which will help you provide clear and compelling responses to interview questions by structuring their answers with specific examples

Present Past Future Model for Tell Me About Yourself – Big Interview shares this simple yet effective model.

Tell Me About Yourself – Steve Dalton’s method for answering Tell Me About Yourself in less than 3 minutes.

RAC Method for “Why” Questions | YouTube – This is one handy method for “Why this company” and “why this role” kind of questions!

Useful References

How to Answer “What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?” in a job interview

Ask AI:

– “My top 5 strengths are a, b, c, d and e. How can I leverage these in a job interview?” Use your own CliftonStrengths.

– “What are some other prompts I could ask you so I can learn how to best use my strengths for a job interview for a particular role?”

How to Use GenAI to Prepare for Your Next Job Interview – Harvard Business Review

10 ChatGPT Prompts for Job Interview Preparation – You’ll find the prompts at the end of this Careerflow article.

35 Genius ChatGPT Prompts to Help You Prep for Job Interviews – The Muse, includes pros and cons of using ChatGPT for interview prep

Quinncia for Video Interviews – If you have a pre-recorded job interview, Quinncia can help you prepare. You’ll practice completing recorded job interviews and get AI feedback on your performance.

Big Interview – Come here for interview practice and preparation tools, including AI mock interviews with AI feedback, video tutorials, a random question generator, coursework, and content, designed to help you build skills and confidence for a successful interview.

Big Interview Common Interview Questions (Tips + Sample Answers)

Indeed’s 20 Nearly Perfect Interview Answers (With Common Sample Questions)

Exponent Technical Interviewing Platform – As a member of Duke, you get free access to Exponent, a platform designed to help students land tech careers. It offers a database of interview questions by company, courses on how to prepare for various types of interviews, and the ability to schedule live mock behavioral or coding interviews with real partners who are also practicing for their interviews.

Additional Resources:

Duke:

External:

  • Interstride’s Ultimate Guide to the US Interview : Use your Duke email to log in, go to Learn > Resources > Interview & Negotations > and find this guide plus other helpful materials.
  • LinkedIn Learning: Nano Tips for Mastering a Job Interview – Free for Duke students when you login with your Duke email. Learn tips that can help you through the entire interview process, from preparation before you interview, to calming your nerves, what to do when you get caught off guard, and how to communicate effectively in a job interview.
  • LinkedIn Learning: Job Interviews for non-Native English Speakers – The application process can be stressful for anyone, but interviewing in a foreign language brings unique challenges, and this course aims to help applicants strategize.
  • Coursera: Visit Coursera’s interview preparation courses page, which offers a variety of courses designed to improve interview skills, covering topics from technical questions to behavioral interview techniques.