I mentor a number of students towards CEng, both with IMechE and other institutions, and I wanted to be able to prepare them better for the interview. Sitting on the other side of the table helps me understand the potential pitfalls, and
reinforces how important it is that people structure both their application and the way they reply to questions, to demonstrate that they meet the UK-SPEC competences. 45 minutes sounds like a long time but it flies by and it's important to remain focussed. That's a message that all mentees hear clearly from me.
In addition, the Institution is one of the largest Professional Engineering Institutions working within multiple sectors and communicates and engages with UK organisations across many themes. Where else could I connect with so many different types of engineers?
I'm an ex-university academic so am used to working within an examination and assessment framework, and was impressed by the professionalism and thoroughness which IMechE apply to the process. There may be 100s of interviewers, but there is a clear focus on ensuring that it doesn't matter which interviewer a candidate meets, they will always get the same results.
Gaining professional registration means a lot to many of our applicants, both for personal satisfaction and within their professional lives. It certainly did to me! I feel strongly that the assessment process should be fair, and also that when someone meets an IMechE Chartered Engineer it's clear that they have "the right stuff". I always look at the underlying engineering evidence, the interview isn't a presentation challenge but an assessment of your competencies. We start the interview off by saying that "this is a conversation between engineers" and that's exactly what it is. When I've helped a quieter candidate express clearly what they are able to do, that gives me a feeling of satisfaction.
Some interviews are also very enjoyable; when an applicant is genuinely curious about their field and the wider engineering domain, and has shown autonomy in driving their development, I learn a lot. Those interviews are great conversations. And of course, I want to give something back to the engineering profession!
Many companies have an increasing focus on professional registration, and I bring back my knowledge and experience back to RSSB. We are a multi-disciplinary organisation serving the whole of the rail industry and have Chartered Engineers registered with many of the PEIs. Many of our IMechE Chartered Engineers and Fellows serve on IMechE committees, and some have been honoured for their contribution to the engineering profession.
You can get involved in mentoring by contacting the Institution and coming along to one of the assessment training days. There's no obligation if you decide it isn't for you, and it's a good way to meet other engineers. Ask "what if questions?", it's a fair bet that the Professional Review team have already had that issue come up in an interview, and if they haven't it's a good opportunity to decide what your reaction should be.
I'd then advise coming along to one of the interviews as an observer. I completed the assessment form and then found the IMechE Facilitator checking my work. Yes, us interviewers are also assessed whilst we are assessing the candidates!
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