How can you prepare for an optical engineering job interview?

1 Know the basics

Before the interview, make sure you review the fundamental concepts and theories of optical engineering, such as geometrical optics, wave optics, optical aberrations, diffraction, interference, polarization, and optical imaging. You should also be familiar with the common tools and methods used in optical engineering, such as optical design software, ray tracing, optical alignment, interferometry, and optical testing. You may be asked to explain or demonstrate your understanding of these topics during the interview, so be prepared to give clear and concise answers.

4 Prepare for common questions

When interviewing for an optical engineering role, you will likely be asked some common questions to assess your knowledge, skills, personality, and fit. Examples of these may include inquiries about why you want the job, current trends and challenges in the field, how you approach a new design or problem, the software and tools you use or have learned, how you communicate and collaborate with others, how you handle feedback or failure, and how you balance creativity and feasibility in projects. It's important to prepare examples or stories that demonstrate your strengths, achievements, and challenges in the field. Additionally, practice your answers and delivery prior to the interview using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses.

5 Ask smart questions

At the end of the interview, you will usually have the opportunity to ask some questions to the hiring manager. This is your chance to demonstrate your interest, curiosity, and enthusiasm for the role and the company. Ask smart questions that reflect your research, knowledge, and goals in optical engineering. For instance, you could inquire about current or upcoming projects or initiatives that the optical engineering team is working on, how they measure performance or impact of the optical engineering team or products, skills or qualities they are looking for in an optical engineer, how they support professional development or growth of the optical engineers in their team, and benefits or challenges of working as an optical engineer in their company. Avoid questions that are too personal, irrelevant, easily found online, too negative (e.g., salary, workload, or problems), and any other inappropriate inquiries.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?