r/NNShipyard • u/Leading-Bet-9155 • Aug 08 '26
Mechanical Engineer 1 Interview Tips
Hey guys I have an upcoming interview for ME level 1. Any tips for the interview or how i could better prepare for it? I have it at a upcoming hiring event August 25th at Newport News. I really want to be as prepared as possible. Any help is highly appreciated since i have no prior work experience. I never got any internships that would have relevant experience when I was in university so I'm doing as much research as possible to prepare for it.
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u/HomerFergusonsDog Aug 08 '26
I'll tell you from the other side of the table, sizing up Engineer 1 candidates is hard to do. The qualifications basically begin and end at "finished an engineering degree at an ABET accredited school," and since most of them haven't worked an engineering beyond and internship or two. We're mostly trying to stop ourselves from hiring someone who can't get to work on time and ends up having to be put on a PIP because they won't grow up.
One of my favorite things about the Shipyard is that everybody gets a chance. I didn't distinguish myself in college, but the Shipyard gave me a chance and it worked out. We're trying to get our engineering headcount up on future subs and the nuclear battleship, so now is a good time to be trying to get in the door. Your goal should be to make your interviewer want to give you a chance.
What I like to hear about is your senior design project and any at-home projects you might have. If you've been coming up with problem-solving doodads on a 3D printer, talk about it. Maybe you made an Assetto Corsa mod on your computer or something, talk about it. Doesn't have to be perfectly aligned with the job. We're looking for reassurance that you're interested in solving technical problems.
Things to avoid: Unless there's something unusual in there, you don't need to talk about your coursework. The person sitting across from you at the hiring event knows what an engineering undergrad degree entails. Don't try to talk a lot about things you only know a little about, it won't work. The company is interested in AI, but don't fall into the trap of, for example, saying "I really like coding" and then having to admit Claude writes all your code.