I'm not stupid or an idiot because I don't have a 3.0 or higher. To combat that anxiety many colleges and universities have career workshops or conduct mock interviews. Schools put students in real-life situations to prepare them for what could be ahead. At Virginia Tech, where about 36 percent of the 5,000 engineering undergraduates are minorities, the professional development for students goes so far as to give them hints on dining etiquette. So, what do you do when the interviewer asks a question and the fork is half-way to your mouth.
Students appreciate that kind of simple information.
Edmund Tellez, the director of minority engineering at the University of Arizona in Tucson, adds that some engineering students are worried about their interpersonal skills. They wonder because they've spent so much time enveloped in the technical ABCs of engineering that their communications skills may be lacking. For example, employers want to know whether you can work on a team where you will come in contact with a variety of genders, levels of experience and styles. It's very important that you can get along with a variety of personalities. That has to come across in the interview.