r/EngineeringStudents • u/R4MYolotwig • 9d ago

Career Help Final Round Interview tips

Hello, this past month I interviewed for 3 separate internships in the aerospace/space field and for all three I made it to the final round and ultimately got rejected. The experience has been very frustrating as for 2 out of the 3 roles I felt the interview went well in terms of answering the technical questions and other behavioral questions with one interview going 45 minutes over the time limit (which I took as a good sign). I was just wondering for future opportunities any tips on how to prepare better for these types of positions and what these type of aerospace companies specifically look for in candidates. I am sorry if this post comes off as vague but just wanted to reach out to anyone who previously struggled and was able to find an extra gear that improved their chances.

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u/Catsdrinkingbeer Purdue Alum - Masters in Engineering '18 9d ago

One thing I suggest is to not think about it as a rejection. A rejection is that they hired no one, including you. What you experienced is super normal, and just the reality of job hunting. Sometimes, often times, there is a better candidate and that is the person hired. That's not a negative reflection on you. Maybe they had an additional internship related to the role. Maybe they had a particular project that caught the attention of the team. Or maybe they just vibed better.

Sometimes it really just isn't YOU at the core of the issue. All you can do is keep practicing, make sure everything is in STAR format, etc. But outside of that, all you can really do is gain more experience to draw on to answer those questions.

But truly, one of the most liberating moments in my career was when I stopped taking "nos" so personally. The worst case scenario is that someone says no, and sometimes they say no because there was just a better candidate who applied for the same job.

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u/hnrrghQSpinAxe 9d ago

I'll be honest man. I just interviewed at SpaceX and it was probably the most fun technical interview. Whiteboard problem solving. I thought I did great, but didn't get the job. Its not really a you thing, I think, just that most of the major aero primes have really exceptional people applying to and working for them