Do employers care about what engineering students build outside class?
Yes. Depending on the company and role, employers may consider projects or activities engineering students pursue outside class. Some employers may look beyond the size or appearance of a finished product and ask about problem definition, technical decisions, a student's role, or the improvement process. Participation alone does not determine an evaluation; academic work and relevance to the position may also be considered as part of an overall assessment.
Key points
- Projects can provide evidence of the ability to apply knowledge and technical skills in practice.
- Being able to explain your role, decision-making process, results, and improvements may be useful.
- Evaluation may consider relevance to the position and academic work, not simply whether a student joined an activity.
Things to check
- The weight given to these experiences and the aspects reviewed vary by company, role, and recruiting year.