3 answers
Katlyn
Student
Statesboro, Georgia
1
Question
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How to get engineering internships?
What is some advice for how to get summer internships as a mechanical engineering major looking to enter the aerospace field? I am attending UNL this fall, but I will most likely need a good summer job or internship, hopefully to help pay for housing. I have also had some advice about pursuing an MBA alongside Mechanical Engineering. Any advice from someone who has taken this route?
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3 answers
dharm Patel
Design engineer
2
Answers
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Updated
dharm’s Answer
I'd say that your best bet is your parents, friends ,known one because if you compare the chances of getting intership via applying online vs getting internship by reference, later one has great success rate. I am not trying to discourage you but it's very common practice. Visit seminar,career fairs , Events make connections. You'll meet some upcoming businesses, Management employees etc. wherever they are investing now or they are pursuing that field, go for it. People will say a lot of things but do other things, so trust their actions, investments over their words. For mechanical engineering i'd say learn python along side solid works,autocad , ansys. Few of my friends works in mechatronics in canada with 85k+ starting salaries.
Kristine Johanning
Marketing Communications Specialist
12
Answers
Olathe, Kansas
Updated
Kristine’s Answer
Hi Katlyn!
An internship is an awesome idea to look into early! The earlier you can start, the better set you will be (both to get your first internship and to get a full time role down the road). I do recruiting at colleges and look for a few items when selecting engineering candidates for internships. First, is the resume neatly organized? Second, does the person have confidence when introducing themselves? Third, what kind of experience (relevance is helpful but not required) is highlighted? This can be in the form of work, school projects, or personal projects. It is especially helpful to have completed items listed that can be discussed fully. For example, "I worked on a project to build a robot with my team. I specifically did X. By doing so, I solved Y problem and increased our speed by Z." When you are explaining your work, be excited! Recruiters want to know you are interested in the field and want to learn more.
An internship is an awesome idea to look into early! The earlier you can start, the better set you will be (both to get your first internship and to get a full time role down the road). I do recruiting at colleges and look for a few items when selecting engineering candidates for internships. First, is the resume neatly organized? Second, does the person have confidence when introducing themselves? Third, what kind of experience (relevance is helpful but not required) is highlighted? This can be in the form of work, school projects, or personal projects. It is especially helpful to have completed items listed that can be discussed fully. For example, "I worked on a project to build a robot with my team. I specifically did X. By doing so, I solved Y problem and increased our speed by Z." When you are explaining your work, be excited! Recruiters want to know you are interested in the field and want to learn more.
Bryan Mayberry
Mechanical Design Engineer
14
Answers
San Diego, California
Updated
Bryan’s Answer
I have no advice for the MBA portion of this question sorry! But I will answer about the internships:
Everyone in college is going to have pretty much the same course load and skills and lack of experience on their resume early on. What you need to do then to stand out in the pack is:
1 - Be part of some sort of club at your school where you get to showcase your engineering on a project.
2 - Spend a lot of time at career fairs and talk to as many people as possible. Again you will have the same skills and knowledge as everyone else, so the way to stand out here is to be personable, ask good questions, show you are interested and a good fit for the company.
3 - This is always a sucky one to hear, but hey if you know someone at a company that can get you to the front of the line on hiring, that always helps. Plenty of people get jobs without this, but this definitely helps.
Everyone in college is going to have pretty much the same course load and skills and lack of experience on their resume early on. What you need to do then to stand out in the pack is:
1 - Be part of some sort of club at your school where you get to showcase your engineering on a project.
2 - Spend a lot of time at career fairs and talk to as many people as possible. Again you will have the same skills and knowledge as everyone else, so the way to stand out here is to be personable, ask good questions, show you are interested and a good fit for the company.
3 - This is always a sucky one to hear, but hey if you know someone at a company that can get you to the front of the line on hiring, that always helps. Plenty of people get jobs without this, but this definitely helps.