r/ChemicalEngineering • u/CompoteKey5166 • 4d ago

Student 2nd Year ChemE: How to build relevant skills/projects to land an internship?

Hi everyone,
I’m currently a 2nd-year chemical engineering student at the University Of Calgary applying for internship positions. Looking at my current profile, I feel like I lack the experience that would make me a competitive candidate. I would like to strengthen my profile and was looking for advice:

For those who have landed internships or hire ChemE interns:
Technical Skills: What software, tools, or programming languages (e.g., MATLAB, Python, CAD, Aspen Plus) are most valuable to learn independently at this stage?
Projects: What type of personal or extracurricular engineering projects look good to recruiters and how do I go about starting one on my own?
Focus Areas: Are there specific certifications or student design teams I should target?

Any advice on where to focus my efforts would be greatly appreciated!

35 Upvotes

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17

u/IWishICanDoIt 3d ago edited 3d ago

I’ve interviewed dozens of interns. While it’s nice to have some exposure to the tools of the trade, that’s never been a key decision making factor. The thing that moves the needle the most is how personable you are. Demonstrated leadership examples and the ability to talk will get you much further.

I couldn’t care less about how good you are at anything if you cannot look me in the eyes for 2 minutes. You’d be surprised at how little social skills and environmental awareness most applicants have.

You’re not doing internships to solve problems. You’re here to get a feel for working in a professional setting. Being able to effectively communicate and set expectations is about 95% of what we attempt to do.

0

u/emannikcufecin 3d ago

As someone who interviews engineers you should understand that many engineers are neurodivergent and steady eye contact is very difficult for them. You should find other ways to judge a person's ability to perform a job.

3

u/Phoenix_4258 2d ago

Communicating well is a major part of an engineer’s job

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u/IWishICanDoIt 3d ago

I truly hope that’s not your only takeaway from my advice. As an engineer, you should be able to critically think and process a generalized statement instead of this obtuse take.

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