Manufacturing Engineering Intern
Department: Technical Services (Facilities & Maintenance)
My experience
Overview
My main project was to update the standard work and creat process maps for our chemical maps. I worked a lot with the operators, the engineers who had installed the equipment, EHS about recurring issues to resolve, and the maintenance team that complete WOs and PMs. I also assisted in small other projects, like inventory counting.
Aside from the lack of work and guidance, I spent a lot of time on my own learning about the site and company internally (six sigma initiatives, corporate structure, company priorities, the sites product portfolio, etc.). I would probably not work in this department, but would come back as a n actual manufacturing engineer.
Pros
Great pay & housing/relocation stipends (get to keep excess), very cool industry, lots of people more than willing to show you what they do and be honest about their experiences. The silver lining to having no work is that I got to use a lot of free time to learn about the inner workings of the company, network with others in the company, and work through the Raytheon Six Sigma coursework.
Cons
My specific internship at this site felt like a budget filler. I had very little guidance on my project (no introduction, no personal meetings, little structure). Also took a long time to move forward in project because of red tape and waiting on approval/input. Personally cannot believe I was paid as much as I was to do very little work and barely monitored. The other interns in this department and I were often scrolling through socials for hours on end even after asking for more to do. It was alright for a first internship, something to put on my resume but I wish I had gained more from the experience.
Impact of work
Time spent working
Interview advice
How did you find the job / apply?
Interview Rounds
Interview type
Interview questions
Standard behavioral questions to pick at your ability to work in teams, in manufacturing; also questions about familiarity with assembly of a product (“What is the most complex thing you’ve worked on in your house?”); since I’m a woman I also got questions about whether I would be able to navigate a manufacturing environment where conversations may not be corporate-level professional or proper
Advice on how to prepare
Be able to convey the fact that you will be able to work with and respect operators. The operators knowledge in their work is respected (even if they may be difficult to work with). You also will need to get used to hearing cursing or talk that is not “politically correct.” I’m a woman of color so it was dumb and a nuisance but I generally minded my own business and it would not affect me further than that.
More questions? Send the reviewer a message!