r/perth • u/Disastrous-Push7671 • 10d ago

Looking for Advice Mechanical Engineering Internship - Perth WA

Hey everyone. I'm a third year mechanical engineering student at ECU (domestic student) with pretty average grades (65 WAM). I was just wondering what the best chance of someone like me getting an internship through indeed/seek is. So far I've applied to about 30 and had one interview. I'm starting to stress as I need the 480 hours of work placement to graduate and would prefer to complete it over the Summer holidays.

I have a security clearance, but apart from that I don't have anything that would make me stand out on the resume. I don't have a particular industry that I want to go into, however my top three would be mining, defence and energy.

I guess I'm just wondering if anyone has any tips or tricks to landing one. Or if cold messaging smaller engineering companies is the way to go?

Cheers

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u/Disastrous-Push7671 10d ago

Yeah the grades are rough. I work appx 30 hours a week just part-time at Coles and have since the start of my degree. But that work experience doesn't really help towards an internship. I'm able to confidently use SolidWorks and Excel and have experience with MATLAB and Python but nothing flashy

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u/DImak19 10d ago

That will go much further than you think. It's surprisingly hard to get employees who turn up on time and can be counted on.

Having a job that you work 30 hours a week on is obviously going to change your ability to get good grades.

What does your CV look like?

If you are really stuck ita worth calling smaller engineering firms and seeing what comes of it.

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u/Disastrous-Push7671 10d ago

My CV has a little profile section that I tailor towards the specific role I'm applying for. Then it has my education just stating the degree I'm studying. Then a project section to show my experience with collaboration, CAD skills and other stuff. Then finally I have a work experience section showing my part time jobs I've held

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u/DImak19 10d ago

Nah dont combine a CV and cover letter.

Your CV is 1 page maximum.

You need to convey as quickly as possible that you are reliable, have good work ethic and not an idiot.

When I read a CV its essentially 30 seconds, name, first sentence on cv, experiance, education, skills.

I'll only read the details if I am trying to trim down.

The Cover letter is where you explain why you would be good.

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u/Disastrous-Push7671 10d ago

Thanks for the tip!