I Got Hired: Graduate Civil Engineer

Posted on: 22 December 2022 by Richard Finch in Graduate stories

Daniel Helm completed his Meng Civil Engineering in 2021 and is now working as a Graduate Civil Engineer at Jacobs Solutions.

HOW DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE ROLE?

I found out about the opportunity on Gradcracker - in my opinion the best resource to find graduate STEM roles!

HOW DID YOU GET TO WHERE YOU ARE NOW?

I completed a four-year Civil Engineering MEng Master’s degree at the University of Liverpool. I started researching and applying for engineering graduate schemes during summer 2020, one year before completing my degree.

I completed a 12-week summer internship with Egniol Consulting between my second and third year at university, offering invaluable on-site experience and AutoCAD software practise, reinforcing my ambition to pursue a career in Civil Engineering. The application process guided me through multiple rounds, including submitting my CV and cover letter, completing online behaviour-based assessments and online interviews.

YOUR FAVOURITE EXPERIENCE AS PART OF YOUR ROLE?

Working for a multinational corporation gives you the opportunity to work with a diverse range of people, spanning all ages and levels of expertise. I have a great working relationship with my Senior Chartered Engineer who possesses a wealth of experience, across a vast range of large-scale projects, in many locations around the world. His experience and knowledge of the ICE attributes has undoubtably accelerated my chartership journey progress.

Moreover, a large cohort of graduates across different disciplines started at the same time as me, making it easy to make new connections and provides an active social scene.

THE MOST CHALLENGING PART OF YOUR GRADUATE JOURNEY?

Jacobs Solutions has fully embraced new hybrid working policies, enabling employees to work from both home and the office dependant on personal preference. This offers a fantastic work-life balance however, collaborating and communicating with colleagues can often be challenging. I would strongly encourage you to visit the office as much as possible, you never know who you will bump into at the coffee machine. I recently started working on a new project and already knew a large majority of the team just by working in the office regularly and attending networking events.

TOP THREE TIPS FOR OTHER STUDENTS?

1. Be proactive and apply early. Do not wait until the deadline, companies start processing applications straight away and often stop receiving applications once a certain number of candidates apply. I applied to 25+ graduate schemes, therefore I would strongly recommend creating an Excel spreadsheet, logging the actions you need to complete for each application and the corresponding deadline date. You will quickly start receiving multiple emails daily from different companies regarding cognitive tests and assessment centres, making it very easy to lose track if you’re not organised.

2. Try to secure a summer internship and don’t be afraid to use any contacts you have to achieve this. It really doesn’t matter how you get the experience. Placements demonstrate genuine interest in your desired industry and gives you plenty to talk about at interview. If this is not possible, attend webinars, lectures and online courses related to the industry you’re applying for. Unfortunately, every applicant will have a first or second-class degree, hence extra-curricular activities often differentiate candidates.

3. Invest time into creating a professional set-up for online Zoom/Teams interviews. Good lighting, ensuring the camera is at eye level and dressing smartly will distinguish you from other candidates, again demonstrating that you care and have put time and effort into the interview. You only have to worry about the top half, I got away with wearing joggers and sliders!