10 Job Interview Question for a Civil Engineer

This article will help you to prepare for your next civic engineering job interview by helping you to understand the commonly asked job interview questions for a civic engineer.

Civil Engineer Job Interview

Civil engineers day to day job duties include the design and managing, in collaboration with others, of construction projects. The company you are applying for may specialize in bridges, buildings, foundations, transport infrastructure and a specific niche such as culverts used for drainage

So, it’s fair to say, that most of your job interview questions will be based on your engineering and design knowledge and expertise

10 Civil Engineering Job Interview Questions

1. What is your experience working as a civil engineer?

2. How do you decide if a new project proposal is worth taking on in terms of cost, risk and profit?

3. What is your approach to working with a new client to plan a new project?

4. Do you have experience of analyzing surveys, testing and mapping data using computer modeling software?

5. Give me an example of creating blueprints using computer-aided design (CAD) What are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?

6. Give me an example of checking the effects on the environment prior to a project start? What do you have to consider?

7. How would you prepare bids for tenders?

8. How do you ensure the accuracy of technical drawings?

9. What steps do you take to ensure projects are following government health and safety processes?

10. Do you have any questions for me?

To prepare for a civil engineer job interview give as many real examples while quoting engineering models and theories

If asked any problem-solving question, the process for solving the problem is more important then the answer, so focus on this element of the interview answer

Job Interview Advice Resources

April 16, 2020April 16, 2020

Job Interview Question: why did you leave your last job

There’s a love hate relationship with job interviews. We love that we have the chance to prove ourselves to a new employer, and hopefully get a new job with a big new salary…but we hate the job interview; its scary, horrific, terrifying

These job interview articles will teach you how to pass the job interview by explaining how to answer tricky job interview questions

How to Answer “why did you leave your last job?”

Do you feel awkward when you are asked the ‘why did you leave your last or current job?’ interview question?

Most of us have learnt that employers respect loyalty and that they want to employ someone who will be committed to their organisation. So, when we are asked the reason for quitting the current position, our toes curl up!

How to Answer the Interview Question

First thing first – this isn’t the year 1920! Company loyalty, as you are thinking, no longer exist; you don’t get a gold watch when you retire after 50 years of working for one organization, boy and man.

Most people will have 3 different careers in their life. Many of us will be working in a job in the next 20 years that currently doesn’t exist. It is common for employees to work for a company on average for just 5 years before moving onto the next, often better paid, position

So, what I am saying is …that it is OK for you to apply for another job

This job interview question is asked for 2 reasons

1) the employer has staff retention problems (and if they do I would ask questions to the interviewer about the reason why, before accepting a position with them)

2) they want to understand your character; are you ambitious, motivated by money, enjoy managing short-term projects or do you have values similar to the organisation?

In short, they are looking if your character matches who they perceive to be the best fit.

To answer this job interview question you simply need to be honest. You can fake it, yes, but you might not enjoy the organisational culture once you have accepted the job offer.

Step 1 – Start by explaining what you like about your previous/current position “I am currently in charge of…”

Step 2 – give the reason for you leaving “I specialize in X and want to work for an organization who mainly works in this area…”

Step 3 – make it relevant to the employer “that is why I applied here, as you are the world leader in…”

These 3 steps create a strong structure for the job interview answer, framing the reason for leaving the previous employer, as a positive, while highlighting your unique selling point.

Job Interview Advice

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020

Job Interview Question: give me an example of teamwork

How to Answer “give me an example of teamwork”

The teamwork interview question is important as we all, in one form or another, work within a team.

This includes contractors, self-employed or outreach staff. We may complete the duties alone but we are always part of a bigger project.

It’s surprising how many job applicants struggle with this job interview question. The way to answer it is to give a teamwork example – wrong! Well, yes you are correct but to impress an interviewer you need to give more than an account of a previous teamwork experience

How to Blow Away The Interviewer

Remember the job interviewer isn’t just wanting to hear the team task, they want to know what your part within the team dynamics was; leader, creator, mentor, doer, communicator, problem-solver?

As well as identifying your role, you need to set out the scene. So many interviewees simply jump into the task without explaining the reason for doing the task – by stating this problem you can create intrigue; with intrigue, you have an engaged audience

How to Answer the Interview Question

Step 1 – explain the problem. Make this sound exciting! The opening credits to a film do this really well; the beginning is mysterious, you don’t know what will happen but you want to find out

State something like “the company was just about to go bankrupt” “customers were all complaining” “no-one knew what to do”

These opening lines are so ambiguous, that your audience – the interviewer, will want to listen to what you have to say

Step 2 – give more detail about the problem, explain in enough detail (but don’t get carried away as there is nothing more boring the listening to all the details of a problem) what the actual problem was

Step 3 – explain what you did to achieve the solution or objective; what was your role; what action did you take; how did your idea make a difference?

Step 4 – finally end with a positive outcome. Did you make a profit, create a new piece of technology, decrease overhead cost?

This storytelling technique is not only interesting but shows the employer what you can offer to their team. The key here is making it clear what you did – the skill set you are offering the new employer

Job Interview Advice

101 Job Interview Questions for FREE

How to Pass Every Job Interview

How to Persuade and Influence

April 5, 2020April 5, 2020

Job Interview Question: Tell me about yourself?

How to Answer “Tell me about yourself” To Increase Job Offers

This is one of the most common asked interview questions, but its the easiest job interview question to answer

Personally, I love this open job interview question, as it gives you the chance to say anything you want to say. Don’t miss your chance smack the employer in the chops with a couple of unique selling points!!

Ok, so most people mess up this opportunity. But today I will teach you have to start the job interview with a big bang by smashing this first introductory job interview question

How to Blow Away The Interviewer

Employers follow a set of rules when interviewing potential employees. Rule 1 make the applicant feel at ease by asking as simple open question designed to get them talking

The interviewer isn’t expecting anything of substance here. They predict that you will stumble over your words, stutter and simple mess up until you get the confidence to start talking with confidence

So, to stand out, all you have to do is start with a killer job interview answer that will influence the rest of the job interview…resulting in more job offers…resulting in a higher salary

How to Answer the Interview Question

Don’t be an idiot and start talking about how much you love your pet dog! This has actually happened in a job interview I was leading on

The interviewer isn’t expecting fireworks, but the answer must be related to the job position you are applying for

To answer this question you need to think of 3, industry-related, unique selling points. What is you are offering that others aren’t? What can you bring to the business? What knowledge or expertise do you possess?

Think about it when you are buying a house the estate agent doesn’t start off talking about all the little irrelevant details. No, they tell you about the 3 key strengths of the property; location, price, the converted loft! You need to get your interviewer interested in you from the get-go

Once you open with a killer line then you can give some extra details. Explained what it is you can bring to the organisation, discuss those additional skills (you may be an expert in excel, project management or customer service

You may choose to talk about your work ethic or values. Once you have sold yourself you need to end with a summary “If I was offered the job it is these 3 things I would bring to the company; A, B and C”

Job Interview Advice

101 Job Interview Questions for FREE

How to Pass Every Job Interview

How to Persuade and Influence

March 23, 2020March 29, 2020

A new approach to job interviews for 2020

The job marketing is changing

Employers are looking for a new style of employee for 2020. Ok for the basics; to pass the job interview you need to have the required qualifications and the experience for the job you are applying for – you cant be a doctor without the training, right?

To be offered a job interview, you have already gone through the application process, so your skills, qualifications and experiences have met the minimum criteria for the job position. But at the job interview, you need a new approach for 2020

How to Blow Away The Interviewer

Inspire – to get offered any job you need to inspire your interviewer

The problem with interviewing 6 applicants with similar skills and experiences, is that they all say the same thing, give similar examples and ….put the interviewers to sleep

To leave a lasting memory… inspire your audience. You need to show them a positive future. You can do this very simply by explaining how a new technology, that you have researched, can change their business saving overhead costs or creating a new product.

The psychology behind this is simple. People are more motivated by what you can offer then what you have achieved. Many interviewees focus on their previous successes, whereas if you create an image of how you, once employed, can make a profitable difference within their current business setup, you will create desire

The power of rapport

Research has proven that people are more likely to hire people who they believe are similar to themselves

The truth is, that the best teams are made up of different people, different temperaments, different personalities. But in a job interview, the employer doesn’t think about this. Instead, they think at a basic level – do I like this person? And if they like you, because they can see themselves in you, you are more likely to score higher during the job interview process.

Creating likeability is easy. Simply check social media for your interviewer’s interest and talk about how you share the same hobbies during the interview introduction. That is level 1 – basic rapport building.

Level 2 takes this a little further. Research the company mission and values, and talk passionately about what you believe in (strangely what you value will link very nicely to the company mission) But ideally you need to take rapport building to level 3

This final level requires a bit of practice. First, you need to understand that each person has a unique perspective on the world. What I mean by this is that two people can listen to the same job interview answer and create a different opinion about the interviewee….even though they heard the same words! What the hell is that all about?

Because our past experience shapes our reality each of us has a differing perspective in each situation. Someone who was bullied by the big kid at school we view a “bigger” person as more threatening than a person who, at school, hung out with the “big” kids.

Our motivations and stresses affect how we view the world. Some people see the galls half full, or half empty. There are problem solvers and firefighters, goal setters and action takers

All these small elements, and more shape people’s reality and underpin how they will view you the interviewee. So how can you understand this complexity of humanity? The answer is you don’t need to – unless you want to spend 3 years in higher education studying psychology. Instead, I share with you a quick cheat; a short cut to rapport building

All this complexity comes through in the language people use. Proactive people, for example, are likely to say “let’s go for it” whereas a reactive person would say “we need to take time to think about what has happened” Goals setters will use future achievement language “take action” “objective” “possibilities” and those who are motivated by problem-solving would say “avoid” “exclude” “get away from”

To influence somebody, in this case, the interviewer, all you need to do is copy the language – the actual words they say, in your job interview answers. This creates a short cut in their mind to their decision-making process. In short, they will want to hire you but consciously understand why

Job Interview Advice

101 Job Interview Questions for FREE

How to Pass Every Job Interview

How to Persuade and Influence

April 26, 2019January 12, 2023

Common Asked Housing Officer Questions

A housing officer will often be employed for housing associations or the local authority, supporting clients with the assessment of needs in terms of housing applications.

The housing officer may also specialise in working with homeless people and/or service users with additional needs.

How competitive is a Housing Officer job Interview?

Interview Specifics

This article will list the commonly asked job interview questions for a housing officer.

By understanding the job interview structure and by knowing the commonly asked housing officer interview questions, applicants can prepare answers that highlight their level of competencies within this industry.

Common Asked Housing Officer Interview Questions

Can you tell me about your housing officer experience?

This housing officer interview question is asked for two reasons; 1 it is an open question to get you talking/feeling relax at the job interview start. 2, to gain a general overview of your experience (generic because the follow-up questions will go into more detail)

To answer this job interview question, start by summarising your experience as a housing officer, your relevant qualifications and a key unique skill relevant to the industry – something that makes you stand out, this could be a specialism you have IE working to house homeless service users.

How do you assess the needs of a client?

This interview question is key because this is the crux of the job role.

Split this answer into two sections. Section one is your people skills; explain how you build rapport, how you use effective listening skills, how open and closed questions have a powerful impact, and how you remain calm in stressful situations. Give a short example to highlight your level of expertise and competencies.

Section two should explain the interview structure; the questions you should ask, the information you need to collate, and how you follow GDPR, data protection and confidentiality legislation.

What does customer service mean to you?

You may be asked several customer services-related interview questions.

In the housing association sector often the service users can be stressed or angry. Some service users may have alcohol or drug addiction. In some cases, you will be speaking to clients who are struggling with finances and have been turned down for financial support.

When answering interview questions relating to customer service and communication, explain how you can handle these situations;

What was the situation – why was the service user angry or upset?

How did you handle the situation – what did you say or do to help calm down the client?

What was the positive outcome – how did the client respond to you?

What do you look for during a housing inspection?

Competency-based job interview questions require you to fall back on your experience.

Give an example of when you have carried out an inspection that had issues (you need to pick an inspection with issues to show that you can deal with this in a professional way)

In the example explain what you look for during a general inspection, the inspection process you follow and quote safeguarding regulations, and how you, when required, challenge a service user.

Follow this up with the example “one time during an inspection I saw…” Give details of what you found, the potential safeguarding issue, and what you did to address this

How would you have a positive effect on your colleagues and team?

A big part of the housing officers’ job criteria is to have the ability to work as part of a close-knit team. You will be asked one way or another about your ability to work within a team.

Open the teamwork answer by simply explaining how you enjoy working as part of a team and how in all previous housing roles teamwork has been an important aspect of the role. This opening confirmation statement shows how you have this required skill.

Now you have ticked the ‘teamwork’ box, you need to give a real-life example. A good frame for this job interview answer is to give a ‘helper’ perspective.

Describe how a colleague was having a problem with a housing issue and how this problem affected the output of the whole team.

Go on to describe how you took action and explain the action you took. Follow this up with the positive outcome focusing on how the whole team benefited from your quick actions.

You can also talk about the larger team – in this role, you will need to work with a range of agencies and stakeholders, including social services, jobcentre plus, citizens’ advice service.

Which other agencies would you refer a service user to?

Part of a housing officer’s job role is to work with the tenants to help them to be successful.

To be effective in this job duty you will need to work with, signpost or refer to a large number of partner agencies from social services to the local job center, from doctor surgeries to career advice officers.

In your answer list the relevant agencies you would partner with and give an example of when you would make a referral compared to signposting.

The example has to be specific. First, explain the service users situation and the key block that was holding them back. Explain the limitations of your roles and how the service user required expert advice.

Go on to explain how the service user had attempted to get support but had failed. End the interview answer by stating what you did to ensure the client got the support and advice they required.

Do you have any questions for me?

A guaranteed question is the “do you have any questions for me?” question. And your answer should be YES! Always ask a question.

Good questions to ask in a housing officer job interview are;

What is your approach to supporting service users with their many barriers?
What development opportunities do you have to help upskill a housing officer?
How many hostels/houses do the organisations look after?
What is the best part of your day?

November 6, 2017December 5, 2020

Aristotles Teaches How To Persuasion in a Job Interview

Aristotle’s Persuasion Technique

Persuasion is the goal of the job interview.

In the job interview, you need to influence, persuade and motivate through the answers of your job interview answers. You naturally persuade all the time, through the words you say and how you say these words. The problem is you may persuade people not to recruit rather than persuade them to offer you the desired job position.

Aristotle was a master of the persuasive language. We have taken the leanings of Aristotle’s rhetoric and made it relevant to the job interview.

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Ethos is your character, how you come across to the interviewer. In a job interview, you need to be seen as credible, an authority. If the job interviewer believes in you, they will listen to you, if they listen to you, they will want to buy you (offer you the position) Aristotle said “We believe good men more fully and more readily than others.”

An example of an ethical appeal: “What I have learned from working in this industry for over 28 years is…” Your duration of experience has a direct path to your Ethos.

Pathos creates an emotional response from the interview panel. In the job interview situation, you need to appeal directly to the interviewer’s emotions. The great interviewee controllers the employer’s emotions throughout the job interview, taking them on an emotional roller coaster.

An example of an emotional interview answer is “have you ever been in a situation when a multi-pound deal was just about to be lost….what I did to turn things around was…” By getting an employer to imagine/remember a negative situation stirs up their negative emotions, before you create a positive emotional pull, by explaining your positive outcome.

Logos is a way to use logic; reasoning, data, statistics and even debates and arguments. Imagery creates an emotional pull, logos allows you to give the facts to back up the story. “This technique increased profit by 35%..” “9 out of 10 people benefited from X”

August 19, 2017

Job Interview Questions for a Job at Rise in Manchester

Rise Manchester offers a tailor-made space for the FinTech community, drawing together the city’s vibrant startup culture and its rich industrial past. In staff they are looking for friendly and fun staff who know there coffee and who can improve their customers experience.

If you want a job at rise, here is some questions you will need to answer

Below you can also access 101 Interview Questions and techniques to Influence the Job Interview. Good luck with your next job interview.

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Job Interview Questions for a Job at Rise in Manchester

Job Interview Question 1:

“Tell me about your customer service experience?”

The opening question at Rise, will be a generic interview question to gain an insight into your customer service and barista experience. Summarise your experience and have a focus on the key skills required for this position; how you welcome customers, how you promote the rise philosophy and how you go above and beyond

Ensure you mention

customer service skills
strong written and spoken communication skills
the ability to solve problems
the ability to deal tactfully with customers
your friendliness and rapport building skills

Job Interview Question 2:

“How do you handle difficult customers?”

For situational job interview questions, answer using a real life story or example

state the situation – why the customer was angry/difficult
explain how you remain calm and how this calmed down the customer
discuss what you did to support the customer while following processes and procedure
explain the outcome of the situation ***ensure this is positive

Job Interview Question 3:

“When have you gone and beyond to help a customer?”

Rise isn’t just a coffee shop, its an experience. In an employee Rise are looking for staff members who go that extra mile. Answer this interview question by first stating your work ethic and your temperament. Second give a real life example of when you went above and beyond to help a customer. Remember at Rise the customer base isn’t just shoppers, in fact the percentage of customer are entrepreneurs who spend their day at Rise working

Job Interview Question 4:

“What questions do you need when booking a room for a customer?”

Many customers book rooms and the stage area. This task requires a level of organisation. When answering this questions explain your strategy for keeping the administration side of things on point. How do you ensure that you have the correct details; customer detailsl, booking details

Job Interview Question 5:

“Why do you want to work at Rise?”

Be honest when answering this question – Rise has to be the right fit for you, and you need to be the right fit for Rise. What made you apply for this role? Why do you like the environment? To answer this question, start with “The three reasons I want to work at Rise are…” and then give 3 real reasons.

Job Interview Question 6:

“Do you have any questions for me?”

Good interview questions to ask interviewers at the end of the job interview include questions on the company growth or expansion, questions on personal development and training and questions on company values, staff retention and company achievements.

Conclusion

Many people are afraid of job interviews. The truth is if you prepare for your job interview, by predicting the job interview questions, you can easily prepare your job interview answers. If your job interview answers highlight your unique selling point, are stated in the positive and are said in a confident manner, then you can influence the job interview to increase job offer.

Interview Preparation Resources

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September 25, 2016November 21, 2020

Out Of The Box Interview Tips

Think Out Of The Box To Pass a Job Interview

Run of the mill interviewing techniques are becoming talk of the past.

“Tell me about yourself”?, A question that has been out there for so long that candidates tend to just learn the answer to it by heart with minor tweaks here and there.

If the questions aren’t going to change so will the same patented responses will be given during interviews. There is no advancement in the interviewing procedures and no learning for graduates coming fresh out of the universities.

career

Let’s consider a situation where a candidate (you) gets the call from HR representative of the company you applied to.

A unique feature about this call would be (we’ll get into that) but how normally a candidate would respond to one such call:

HR: “Hi, is this Mr. X I’m speaking to?”

Mr. X: “Yes, who’s this?”

HR: “This Ms. Y from ABC Co., you applied for the position of XYZ. Have you got a minute, I have to ask a couple of questions?”

Mr. X: “Please go on”

HR: “Ok, so have been you working somewhere?”

Mr. X: “Both yes and no, actually I resigned from my previous employment and am currently serving my notice period”

HR: “Ok, it says here you’ve been with the firm for last 5 years, what makes you want to switch?”

Mr. X: “Although, I have had no issues here during the tenure of my employment, all I feel is a bit stagnant where I’m and want to challenge myself in pursuit of new and better opportunities”

HR: “Alright, let me schedule an interview with you tomorrow say at 11am?”

Mr. X: “Sounds good to me, will be there.”

HR: “The directions to our office will be emailed to you shortly.”

Mr. X: “Sure thanks. Bye.”

That is how a normal telephonic interview appears as. But if we could improvise and candidate can earn the seat in front row? Startling? We pick it up from point no. 10 above and see how it changes.

Mr. X: “Can I suggest a date, as I have some things to take care of in the days to follow? Hence I won’t be able to squeeze time for the meet.”

HR (based on the availability): “When it would be possible for you to visit, then?”

Mr. X: “On so and so date (suggest a date for 2-3 days ahead)

The idea is to buy time so you can thoroughly search about the company, its stakeholders, review their profile on LinkedIn and prepare yourself well.

HR: “How does day after tomorrow sound?”

Mr. X: “Great!”

Now if the counter argument is not up to your liking, best lock in the day as it maybe that the organization is interviewing other candidates or the interviewing authority may not be available in those days.

At least by making a request you have made your presence felt and that you are not typical instead expressive. Just that is the purpose of asking to schedule at a later date. This gives you leverage in negotiations at the time of offer.

You don’t need to insist on scheduling for the day/date you have in mind or you’ll lose the opportunity, altogether. An attempt suffices and generally employer allows for a day or two in scheduling meets for candidates.

Secondly, the questions needs to be revisited to allow candidates to speak open-endedly and when someone is provided the platform to speak, their frame mind is reflected and the person interviewing can gauge whether or not the person would be a suitable fit for the organization.

Questions could be:

“How much element of fun is part of your life?”

“Do you cater to sarcasm?”

“What if I were to ring up a close friend of yours, will he/she be able to tell me your weaknesses?”

Author Bio

Rayanne Dany is an HR consultant and can be reached for assignment writing service via her twitter handle. She has tons of experience in different organizations amounting to a total of 10 years. Her insight over the years as an HR professional has paved way for writing improvement techniques.

June 16, 2016November 24, 2020

How To Influence The Interviewers Thoughts

Influencing others is an important skill to have especially in a job interview.

Being able to persuade people with words can have a massive impact on the outcome of the job interview.

What you say in the job interview creates a picture in the interviewer’s mind, this internal image feeds the interviewer’s emotional response and it is that emotional response, that gut feeling that has a direct impact on the interview outcome.

Even two sentences with the same meaning can create different responses. The key here is to pick your words carefully.

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The Glass is Half Full or Half Empty

This common saying makes my point clear.

The glass, either half full or half empty, holds the same volume of liquid, but the way you phrase the quantity of water creates a different perspective.

When answering your interview question you need to frame your interview answers in the positive. Imagine you tell the employer that you worked at X organisation, the employer looks disgusted and says “isn’t everyone who works there lazy?” you can easily reframe this response by responding with “yes, that why i want to work for an organisation like yours where you value hard workers like me”

Using Pain to Create Desire

A big mistake most interviewees make in the interview is not creating a painful story.

Because you are selling yourself, you, the interviewee, believe that you have to state everything in the positive. In most situations you do. But when asked to give an example, stay away from the temptation to explain how you did X with success.

Have you ever been to a movie and the whole film was positive?

The storyline simply being the good things that happen to the main character? No, because people like suspense, we want to be taken on a journey, even though we know the film will have a good ending, we still want to hear about heartache, the problems – we like suspense.

For your interview answer to influence, to have a bigger impact tell a story.

Explain the problem that you were face with and the consequences if you fail. Build suspense, even lower your tone.

Create a story of pain, before you, the superhero of the story comes to the rescue and saves the day.

Pick Power Words

‘Tell me about yourself? ‘ This commonly asked question can either persuade or put off the employer.

The words you choose to use to describe yourself will positively or negatively influence the interviewee, even when the meaning of the word is the same.

This is because all words have different levels of emotional intensity

Say these words out loud and notice how they make you feel different even though the meaning of the word is the same;

I’m a good team player or I’m an excellent team player
I try my best or I put my all into everything I do
dedicated or loyal
responsible or follow rules
goal setter or goal achiever
ideas or innovative
enjoy or passionate