CDM Smith Civil / Structural Engineer Interview Questions
& Process

The interview was a series of 5 consecutive meetings, each lasting about 20-30 minutes, with one or two interviewers in each. This setup provided a good opportunity to talk with everyone and get to know them, and for them to get to know me, but it felt like we covered the same topics repeatedly. It was entirely non-technical, focusing instead on my previous experience, what I'm looking for in this role, and some typical interview questions from each person. Each interviewer seemed to have a list from HR with standard questions, and they picked one or two, alongside discussions about my past work. The interviewers included the hiring manager, my potential direct supervisor, and a few people in related fields like geologists, a water treatment engineer (even though this role is for remediation engineering), and another senior mid-level engineer.

The interview started with a phone call with the HR person who's based in Cambridge. She was really helpful and set up an interview for the next week. When I got to the KC office, there was a one-on-one with the Principal, and then a group interview with three other people I'd be working with. They gave me a good idea of what the job would actually be like. We talked about my experience and hands-on project skills. They also told me about the kind of projects the office handles. After that, they asked about my experience with wastewater treatment and design.

A recruiter reached out about a job I applied for two months ago. After talking with the recruiter, I had a phone interview with the hiring manager who reviewed my resume, discussed the role, and asked about my experience. The next week, I went to their Indianapolis office for an in-person interview with the team. They asked about my past work, graduate projects, and some general behavioral questions. They said they'd reply within one to two weeks. A day before the two weeks were up, I was told they weren't extending an offer due to current project demands. The interview itself was good, but the reason for no offer felt weak.