Can you tell me about a project you've worked on?

How to Answer
Answer Example

Often interviewers will ask Mechanical Engineers to walk them through a project or problem that they've worked on before. They might frame the question in a way to focus on a specific type of problem. Choose a project you are confident about and remember well in case the interviewer decides to ask follow up questions. It's often useful to outline the task, then discuss your process, and finally present the result. It's okay if the project did not succeed - the most important thing is what you contributed and how you learned from the experience.

"In college, I was part of a Capstone team working on a solar desalination machine. The machine reflected sunlight onto a copper pipe, which heated up seawater to produce water vapor. Unfortunately, the mechanism for rotating the mirror was broken and needed to be rotated by hand. It was my job to repair it while my team focused on other improvements. I decided to research mechanical clocks in our school's library. Through this research, I realized that there was a critical design flaw. The escapement anchor's axis of rotation had to be aligned with the suspension spring. After realizing this, we were able to restore the solar tracking functionality. This project taught me the importance of understanding the theories behind a particular design. I hope to remember this lesson as I proceed throughout my career."

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How to Answer: Can you tell me about a project you've worked on?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Mechanical Engineer job interview.

25. Can you tell me about a project you've worked on?

How to Answer

Often interviewers will ask Mechanical Engineers to walk them through a project or problem that they've worked on before. They might frame the question in a way to focus on a specific type of problem. Choose a project you are confident about and remember well in case the interviewer decides to ask follow up questions. It's often useful to outline the task, then discuss your process, and finally present the result. It's okay if the project did not succeed - the most important thing is what you contributed and how you learned from the experience.

Written by Jason Toby on October 12th, 2020

Answer Example

"In college, I was part of a Capstone team working on a solar desalination machine. The machine reflected sunlight onto a copper pipe, which heated up seawater to produce water vapor. Unfortunately, the mechanism for rotating the mirror was broken and needed to be rotated by hand. It was my job to repair it while my team focused on other improvements. I decided to research mechanical clocks in our school's library. Through this research, I realized that there was a critical design flaw. The escapement anchor's axis of rotation had to be aligned with the suspension spring. After realizing this, we were able to restore the solar tracking functionality. This project taught me the importance of understanding the theories behind a particular design. I hope to remember this lesson as I proceed throughout my career."

Written by Jason Toby on October 12th, 2020

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