Mechanical Engineering

The typical skills developed by Imperial Mechanical Engineering students during their degree are highly valued by employers and include:

• Problem-solving
• Analysis
• Project management
• Teamwork
• Communication skills
• Ability to learn fast
• Working under pressure

It’s good to reflect on your abilities and consider what skills you can evidence and which skills you may need to enhance. Use our Self reflection webpages to help you understand and document your abilities.

During your degree you will have many opportunities to develop and learn new skills. Employers will want to see what you have been doing to develop your skills and knowledge outside your course while you have been a student. Experiences such as student societies, part-time work, volunteering and sports can develop your skills and will be valuable additions to your CV. Work experience can also help develop skills and help you decide what career direction you want to go in and may aid in future job or further study applications.

As an Imperial student you can participate, or take a leadership role, in a wide variety of Students’ Union activities where you’ll develop many skills. You also have free access to LinkedIn Learning and can use this to develop or improve your knowledge and abilities with software tools and skills through instructional videos taught by industry experts skills.

You can learn and develop the skills required to be successful in the job or internship market. For example, you will need to know how to create a strong CV, write a good cover letter and perform well in interviews. We can help you to learn these skills. Start with the Applications and interviews section of our website, and by attending our skills training and workshops.

When you understand your skills through self reflection it’s a good idea to then learn about the range of career areas that might be of interest. Our What do Imperial graduates do? webpage contains our Graduate Outcomes data which gives examples of employers and further study options of previous graduates. You can search the data to find what Mech Eng graduates went on to do immediately after graduation and you may also find it useful to explore Imperial College LinkedIn – “Mechanical Engineering” where you can explore the career paths of our Mechanical Engineering alumni as their careers develop over time. However, don't feel limited by what others have done, but instead, follow your own interests.

To help you begin we have listed some of the career areas that Imperial maths students often go into which is taken from our what do Imperial Graduates Do? Graduate Outcomes data. Our Exploring options resources can help you to learn more about these sectors including desirable skills, responsibilities, professional development and salary expectations across different roles and industries. You can also meet employers from many of these areas through Careers Service events and fairs which are advertised on JobsLive and in our weekly newsletter. 

• Banking/finance
• Civil service/government
• Consulting
• Data Science/AI
• Energy Consulting
• Financial services
• Insurance
• IT/technology
• Manufacturing
• Operational research
• Patents & IP
• Risk
• Start-ups
• Teaching/education
• Telecommunications
• Trading

You may be interested in something not on this list and that is fine – graduates go in many different career directions. Many employers accept applications from graduates with any degree subject, so don't restrict your thinking to the jobs listed here. But you can use the list above as a starting point to explore and add other ideas as well.

A professional body, association or society seeks to further a particular profession and the interests of individuals engaged in that profession. The body maintains an oversight of the knowledge, skills, conduct and practice of that profession and can offer accreditation or chartership. You can often use professional bodies to access training or networking events and explore related career options.

Below are some links to professional bodies that deal with various areas related to Mech Eng. Many offer student membership which can give you access to job listings and careers information while offering great networking opportunities. Some memberships may even allow you to register your CV to vacancy matching services or to be viewed by other members of the community.

• The Association of Consulting and Engineering 
  
• Chartered Society of Designers
• The Engineering Council 
• European Nuclear Society
• Institute of Energy 
  
• Institute of Measurement and Control 
  
• Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) 
  
• Institution of Mechanical Engineers 
  
• The Manufacturing Technologies Association 
  
• Nuclear Industry Association 
  
• Royal Academy of Engineering
• Society for the Environment 
  
• Women’s Engineering Society 
  

Aeronautics & Space:

• Careers in Aerospace Royal Aeronautical Society, search employers of all sizes
• Space Careers UK companies of all size in the space sector

Automotive:

• Automotive Supplier Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders website you can search find manufacturing, design and supplier SMEs

Design:

• Design Directory specialist design engineering companies
• Dexigner explore design companies

Engineering and environmental consultants and suppliers:

• Association of Consulting and Engineering search engineering consultants by specialism

Energy specific organisations:

• The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology have an extensive members list of related companies
• The Energy Institute membership directory contains companies from sustainable, renewable and traditional energy industries, and more
• Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment focuses on environment and sustainability, search through corporates, consultants and SMEs partner organisations
• The Nuclear Institute contains a good list of member companies and corporate affiliates
• OGUK is the representative body for the offshore energy sector, and can be used to find contractors and operators in the oil and gas sector
• Rigzone is an oil and gas directory you can search through for SME companies in this sector
• The Sustainable Energy Association search through member organisations of this industry body that focuses on real estate

Healthcare:

• Association of the British Healthtech Industry has a members list of health tech related organisations
• One Nucleus organisation for a cluster of life tech and bio tech companies

Pharmaceuticals and Biotech:

• The Association British Pharmaceutical Industry member list can be used to find pharmaceutical companies of all sizes, including SMEs
• One Nucleus is a membership organisation that brings together life science and health related SMEs. They also have a jobs board for their members
• UK BioIndustry Association could be useful to find companies to research or speculatively apply to

Research SMEs:

• The UK Science Park Association contains a members list of science parks where you can find information on the SMEs based on these specific science parks. Good for research experience

Robotics:

• Automate UK robot manufacturers and software organisations
• The International Federation of Robotics members list contains an extensive list of robotics companies

Climate

• Terra.do hosts a jobs board for climate specific roles, as well as related courses and resources

Career planning often takes time and can sometimes feel overwhelming. It’s a good idea to set aside a small amount of time on a regular basis to maintain momentum. Below are some things to get you started:

• Sign up to the Imperial Careers Newsletter by checking the relevant box on your personal profile on JobsLive;
• Learn about the timescales for applying for further study, work experience and graduate employment;
• See our What's on webpages to find out about the different types of events that we run, including: workshops, careers fairs, career talks  - and hear from alumni and employers about different types of work;
• Learn the skills that will help you succeed on the job market in the Applications and interviews section of our website, and by attending our skills training and workshops.

If you feel stuck with your career planning, you could book a one-to-one appointment to talk it through with a careers consultant. Mark Allen is the careers consultant for Mechanical Engineering but you can see any of our consultants for your first appointment.