What do you say would be the most difficult task within applying for jobs?

I’m lucky enough not to have had to have a job interview for a few years but I’ve been through interviews for certain roles and most recently my Chartership, and I can’t actually think of a time where I’ve faced criticism or sexism in these situations. I’m very sorry if this is not the experiences you’ve faced and this should definitely not be accepted! I think it’s quite common to feel that women have to prove themselves as being a good engineer more so than our male counterparts, and unfortunately the only real way to prove this is through experience. So get some good, hands-on, experiences. Depending on the field of engineering you’re interested in, this could be volunteering with a local company or using any connections you may have, be that personal or through your school. It’s always good in an interview to be able to reference back to this. Having worked with many larger companies I believe the general feeling, right from senior management, is that female engineers are a good asset to any team. There are of course some people with different views, but I think you can experience this in most walks of life, sexist comments shouldn’t be tolerated and if you experience this in an interview this should be reported back to the company HR (if they have one). This may not however, be a company you want to work for.

Interview situations are tough for anyone, so try not to worry about any preconceived ideas the interview may have and be confident in your own abilities. Focus on what you’re strengths are and what you can bring to the role.

Do you have an example of something that’s happened to you? I’d be happy to give my opinion on how I’d have dealt with the situation?

Hope this helps!

Joss