Interview Questions 1) Recruiter Basic questions & Set up an appointment for Phone Screening 2) Phone Screening 3) Test a) Technical

questions related to structural engineering Expected questions: Shear force & bending moment diagrams from various load combinations and be able to do a little bit of design and detailing but nothing comprehensive as they just testing your understanding of engineering principles. Demonstrate an understanding of the behavior of structural members under different kinds of conditions Derive statics equations from 1st principles And be able to carry out moment distribution using hardy cross method They may test basic math like Integration, Differentiation, and trignometric b) Psychological questions related to person 4) In-person interview Structural engineer interview questions are those once that would be asked to a candidate who is sitting in an interview for this job. The structural engineer works in various construction projects such as houses, commercial buildings, bridges, ships, aircrafts or spacecraft etc. Their job is to ensure the safety, durability and stability of the structure. For this purpose they need to suggest appropriate construction materials and inspect the ongoing construction to verify the above norms. The interview questions focus to analyze the skills and qualifications of candidate for the prospective job. Engineers in the US must do three things well: a) Analytical problem solving b) working on multi-disciplinary teams c) Communicating technical ideas well to non-technical people As you can see, two of the three involve the ability to communicate. Effective engineers must be able to ask questions and understand answers. The interview is your stage to prove to potential employers that you have this skill. Be conversational and show your enthusiasm. Interviewers want to see the real you, not a scripted one.

A good type of firm to select when entering the workforce is a firm with a wide range of projects to provide a strong base of structural engineering background. It provides exposure to many different types of projects as well as the various phases throughout. If you already have interest in a specific type of structural engineering you want to focus on, look for those firms with experience in those areas. Specialties can be defined in many ways including:

Materials: brick, concrete, steel, etc. Structure types: shopping centers, pipelines, industrial plants, mechanical plants, chemical plants, roofs, towers, churches, etc. External influences: earthquake, fire, wind, etc. A structural engineer is responsible for the design and evaluation of anything that supports or carries a load. The role of a structural engineer can be divided into two primary areas, buildings and nonbuilding structures or devices. Structural engineers who focus on buildings are responsible for evaluating schematics and ensuring that the building meets the building codes for structural safety, is safe for occupancy and is able to withstand the elements. The daily tasks of a building structural engineer are divided between site visits and design review. During a site visit, the structural engineer inspects the foundation, infrastructure, curtain wall, insulation and building envelope. Through careful inspection and comparison to the approvedbuilding plans, the engineer can ensure that the actual building meets the drawings provided and that any necessary corrections are made. The engineer is called in to inspect at specific stages of project completion, and official approval is often required before the next stage of development can begin. The design review process involves detailed review of submitted building plans and the creation of an issues and deficiencies list. The designer or the builder must correct these items. As the plans are changed, they must be reviewed again to ensure compliance. The approved plans are the basis for all site inspections, so it is very important that they are accurate and complete. Non-building structural engineers work on two types of projects: product design and safety inspections. Any machinery or equipment that is built to carry a load must be reviewed and inspected by a structural engineer. Common projects for this type of engineer include reviews of large machinery, medical equipment and vehicles. In the design phase, the engineer is part of the design team. Responsibilities include defining the structural weak points, providing safety tolerances, determining pivot points and modifying designs to increase the strength of the whole device. Load upper and lower capacity values are based on mathematical calculations, but the type of material used, location of the joint and proposed usage all have impact on the accuracy of these calculations.

Safety inspections are required on all new designs or prototypes. This work involves field tests of the load capacity of the unit through structured testing. For example, the engineer may have calculated the maximum lift capacity of a car jack as 3,300 pounds (1,500 kg). To confirm this value, a prototype is built and then tested, using incrementally increasing weights. The performance and response of the unit are measured and documented. Only when the tests have been completed successfully and the test data analyzed will the values be approved for publication.

1) Job Description Read thoroughly job description and make your resume by using your past or current experience according to job description. 2) Name a specific time when you were working on task on a project and you suddenly got switched to another task. How did you adjust and what were the results? Yes that situation, we face very frequently. When we are working with data we suddenly change from data to test preparation or some clients will come and we need to take care of them and so on. When we have our objective clear it is just a matter of giving 5 to 10 min thought. If you have any questions, first I will get my questions answered and move on. 3) ductility is a solid material's ability to deform under tensile stress 4) compression Loading a member towards center of rod parallel to its axis makes compression member 5) tension 6) Torsional shaft 7) Beam Apply any kind of load transverse (Perpendicular) to its axis makes as a beam. It causes bending. 8) Shear Forces occurs when two parallel forces act out of alignment with each other. For example, in a large boiler made from sections of sheet metal plate riveted together, there is an equal and opposite force exerted on the rivets, owing to the expansion and contraction of the plates. 9) Bending Moments are rotational forces within the beam that cause bending. At any point within a beam, the Bending Moment is the sum of: each external force multiplied by the distance that is perpendicular to the direction of the force. 10) poission ration = elongation in transverse direction / elongation in axial direction

11) Why is concrete strong in compression and weak under tension? Concrete is strong in compression, as the aggregate efficiently carries the compression load. However, it is weak in tension as the cement holding the aggregate in place can crack, allowing the structure to fail. Reinforced concrete solves these problems by adding metal reinforcing bars, glass fiber, or plastic fiber to carry tensile loads 12) Why do you think you are suitable for this position? Explain them how you qualified by relating job description with your experience. Candidates to utilize AutoCAD to produce preliminary and final structural drawings and construction sequence drawings. I used AutoCAD LT most of the time in current project. I used Auto CAD in India and 2008 to 2009 while I was working as a intern in Paloalto. I took training while I was doing my undergrad in India. Review structural engineering drawings and designs to ensure adherence to specifications and standards. Assist in the development and maintenance of specification and standards. In my intern this is what my focus is check drawings and structural calculations. How party is designing what codes they are using and what kind of assumption are they using etc? Assist in performing QC checks on final drawings to verify completeness, clarity and accuracy. MS office Word Excel Power point presentations Since 2010, I am using MS office on daily basis.

Sample Structural Engineer Interview Questions 1. Tell us about tour prior experience in structural engineering field? What type of projects you have handled till date?

2. Can you tell us some of the major projects or big structures where you worked as main structural engineer?

3. Suggest some security measures for the integrity of building and to prevent collapsing and other dangers?

4. What kind of techniques or methods you will use to analyze the pressure, stress and strain resisting quality of construction materials?

5. How the work of a structural engineer is different from architecture and other construction related engineers? An architect comes up with the ideas of what a building should look like, basically closer to an artist. They just draw the picture. The structural engineer is the one responsible for making someone's vision into reality. They have to design the structure; with every portion of the building calculated for what load it will bear. So if you're art-based and creative, then architecture would be for you. If you're more logical-minded and prefer to solve problems instead of coming up with something out of nothing, then structural engineering is for you.

6. Define the key tasks of a structural engineer?

7. What kind of site test and ground test you need to make before making a plan for a structure?

8. Define the different needs of different type of commercial buildings, e.g. cinema hall, malls, office buildings etc?

9. What is the main security and integrity requirement of bridge?

10. How much salary do you expect from this job?

Tough questions:
1) Why do you have no technical work experience for the last 2 years? 2) why are you better than someone with your qualifications (answer: the numbers don't fully communicate the person) 3) What was your toughest interpersonal conflict at work, and how did you go about resolving it? 4) What was the most unethical thing you have done professionally, why did you do it, and how do you justify it? 5) Tell me three qualities that make you a strong candidate for this position 6) Asking about why I applied for NY not LA? Applied everywhere. Willing to go to any company which needs my work. 7) Biggest challenge as an engineer?

Show interest in the firm by asking questions from a list you generated in preparation for the interview and dont be shy to ask about more personal topics as well:

What graduate training and professional development programs are available? Describe a typical day on the job. If its a new city, ask what its like living in the area.