What is the best way for a mechanical engineering student to prepare for job interviews?

Taken from a post I madeSince I graduated from university in 2016 and got a job in good company too, I thought I’d share my activities of Final Year to help others who seek the same goal.1. Apply everywhere for jobsThis is the first, most important aspect of getting a job for a fresh graduate. Everyone knows you don’t have work experience and they don’t expect you to have any. During your final year, you will notice a lot of Graduate Trainee Engineer or Management Trainee jobs coming up. They will be displayed in the universities notice boards, newspapers, job portals, facebook groups, linkedin. What you have to do is simple, apply EVERYWHERE. Even if the company is not to your liking, apply in it. Send your CV or do what they ask and apply for the job. Even if the job specifications are not suited to you and even if you don’t meet all qualifications, you should apply.Why? You need experience. Yes, getting jobs is a game. The more practiced players will go ahead while the ones who laze around will remain in the back. You’ve never given a job interview before. So applying everywhere will give you the chance to give interviews, job tests, assessment centers and this will only add to your experience.And don’t lose heart when you don’t get the call for an interview. You’re only just beginning.2. Make a good CVThe CV. The thing you learnt to make in your 1st year of undergrad. Now is the time to polish it up. Firstly, make a CV and fill it up with all the awards, contests, activities, internships, projects, sports, hobbies, skills and qualifications you have.Now you have a big bad CV of everything you’ve ever done. When a job opens up, check out the company. See what they want. Now alter your CV to fit those things. That’s how I did it. There will be a dozen companies asking for CVs so you need to be prepared. A default CV will be helpful as you will only need to trim some content and mail it to them.3. Learn interview tricksLearn how to give interviews, some tips and tricks from online resources e.g. business insider. You can talk to your teachers who have been in industry. Learn from them. Never turn down an interview, giving interviews adds to your experience. Smile, be nice, be confident, be determined, don’t get worried and don’t be rude in an interview.4. Seminars and WorkshopsMost good universities hold seminars and workshops that prepare you for your life ahead. These range from CV making to entrepreneurship. Always take part in these seminars as you’ll come out having learnt at least one new thing.5. ProjectsDo a few projects if you can. These can be from your internship too. Industrial projects look good when you are applying for an industrial job. The projects can be something you did in your free time. You should always be prepared to back up your project when the interviewers ask about it.6. InternshipsThis is very important. You should have at least 1 internship. You should have done some project or learnt a lot in that internship. And you should have made suggestions to improve something during that internship. The interviewers ask about internships and what you did during them quite often. They don’t expect you to make a big change in the industry. They want to know if you know what you’re talking about and like to learn and whether you used your time well in the internship.7. Improve your soft skillsIt may seem to a lot that technical knowledge is everything but that’s wrong. In the current day and age, industries look for people who are more overall, can work as a team and be a good representative for the company. So you should have a nice personality, team working spirit, determination to do something, not afraid of problems and hurdles and you should be confident in what you do and not be stubborn.Industries can teach you the technical stuff but they can’t teach you how to be a good team worker or how to work effectively with others. That’s the key thing in working in an industry.8. Prepare an IntroductionThe most asked question in interviews, “Introduce yourself”. Prepare a good introduction beforehand. It should comprise a little info about your family and tell what you do from morning to night in a normal routine. You can add internet, social networking, sports, movies but don’t make them the main point of your routine.For example, “I wake up around 7 or 8 AM and study about my field and hobbies in the morning when I’m active. Then I take a nap in the afternoon and go play football with the team in evening. After that, I do some assignments, homework from university (if it’s on) OR I work on any project, spend time with family, go out with friends (if vacations), then I do a little social networking before sleeping around 11 PM.”You can add movies, games too but add them in a sense that they are just for fun and it’s not a habit. The interviewers know you are a graduate and you do use facebook. Don’t try to hide it.The thing is to be honest but not too good to be true.9. Good and bad habitsThese are something interviewers ask a lot. “Tell us something good about yourself, tell us any bad habit you have”. These are mostly related to character. An important point is to prove your character with examples.For example, “I am a team player. I played in my universities basketball team and enjoy playing football with my friends in the evening.”And when stating a bad habit, don’t say smoking, arguing, fighting and stuff that is actually bad. Say stuff that is bad but also good in disguise. An example is “Perfectionist”. It’s not a bad thing to want everything to be perfect but it’s a bit annoying when you can’t move ahead unless it’s perfect. So always say that you are fixing this habit and have made progress. “I am a sort of perfectionist. I used to do everything perfectly and expected that of others. But as I progressed in my university life, I realized not everything goes as you want. So I have now begun to control this habit and have been able to successfully work as a team on various projects, both curricular and extracurricular.10. Extracurricular ActivitiesYou’ve studied all you could in the first three years. Your CGPA is what you now have. It won’t go down much and won’t go up much (unless you blow it really bad). So you should take part in activities outside from your coursework. Take part in projects, join some society in your university.The companies aren’t looking for nerds. They are looking for people who can work as a team. Are overall. Can work under different situations and have lived a little. But studies come first and don’t sacrifice them for fun.Lastly, I would like to state that don’t get disheartened when you are rejected. I myself got called to so many interviews, I was famous in my department for it. But I didn’t get called for the job once. A lot of people will make fun of you. Believe me, there’s nothing to be ashamed of.In the end, I got called to one of the biggest companies in my country. I don’t mean to brag and boast about it, but it feels good. Really really good.So best of luck to all final year undergrads and I hope this helps you guys a lot. I will entertain any questions you might have.Note: The saying “GPA doesn’t matter” is the most untrue thing I’ve ever heard. A good CGPA will be above 3.5. But above 3 is also good. You only need to show that you are constantly improving and are not stuck at a single place.