OfferDrill.

Jobs › Continental

Engineering Summer Interns 2027

Continental · Mount Vernon, IL · Full time · Engineering

Posted Sep 24, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026

Apply at Continental

Likely interview questions for this role

Written from this job description, not a generic list. Each one notes what the interviewer is really checking.

About your past

You will have one individual project and one group project that get evaluated. Tell me about a school or work project you owned from start to finish.

What they are checking: Whether they can drive a project to a result without someone walking them through each step.

Tell me about a team project where people were not pulling their weight. What did you do?

What they are checking: How they handle group work, since part of the internship grade depends on a shared project.

Why do you want to spend a summer in a manufacturing plant in Mount Vernon?

What they are checking: Whether they really want plant engineering work and have thought about the location, since no relocation help is offered.

What would you do

You are timing an operator and they seem uneasy about it. How do you handle that?

What they are checking: Whether they can build trust with hourly workers, which plant engineers need to get honest data.

If you had to cut cost on one step in a production process, how would you figure out where to start?

What they are checking: Whether they look at data first to find the biggest loss instead of jumping to a favorite fix.

Safety is the top priority on this floor. How would you act differently on a plant floor than in a classroom lab?

What they are checking: Whether they understand basic plant safety around moving equipment, forklifts and hot presses.

You found a change that would save time, but the operators say it will not work in practice. What do you do?

What they are checking: Whether they listen to the people who do the work and test ideas instead of pushing a desk solution.

About the work

You will do time studies and methods studies on the floor. How would you set up a time study on a tire building operation?

What they are checking: Whether they understand how to break a job into elements, observe fairly and gather enough cycles to trust the data.

What do you know about Lean manufacturing, and where have you used any of it?

What they are checking: Whether they know Lean ideas like waste, flow and standard work beyond the buzzwords.

What engineering classes or tools do you think will be most useful in a tire plant, and why?

What they are checking: Whether they can connect their EE or ME coursework to real problems in a manufacturing plant.

Practice this interview out loud.

Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Continental from your resume and this job description, asks the questions one at a time, and tells you what landed. The first one is free.

Practice this out loud

The full job description

As published by Continental.

The Plant Engineering Summer Intern will: This position is a training position, where under the guidance and control of the Plant Engineering Manager, experience is gained in the use of Plant Engineering Tools and Methods used in optimizing the manufacturing processes and reducing costs. Analysis of production, Lean manufacturing methods, time studies etc will be used to acquaint the trainee with the tools and methods used in optimizing manufacturing processes. • Assists, in conjunction with other Plant Engineering Personnel, to complete an assigned Individual project & one group project which will be evaluated. • Support other daily tasks and projects. • Perform floor time and methods study of both existing systems, and new systems. • Ensure all ESH procedures, policies and legal requirements are implemented and monitored. NOTE: May not be inclusive of all work required and may be updated as needed. Qualifications Basic Qualifications • Candidates must be enrolled in an accredited degree program in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field. • Minimum GPA of 3.0 • Legal authorization to work in the U.S. is required. We will not sponsor individuals for employment visas now or in the future for this job posting. • No relocation assistance is offered for this position ENVIRONMENT • Safety is our highest priority and safety procedures/ guidelines must be always adhered to. This includes safety wear such as hearing protection and steel toe shoes. • New Hires will likely be placed on a shift that includes evenings and weekends. • The job is within a non-climate controlled environment where you will be exposed to temperature swings (hot/cold), forklift and pedestrian traffic, and noise. Majority of work completed in a high heat environment. • The role involves various physical tasks, including lifting, bending, stooping, pushing, pulling, and operating machinery, with comprehensive training provided. THE PERKS • Diverse & Inclusive Work Environment with 20+ Employee Resource groups. • Future Growth Opportunities, including personal and professional • And many more benefits that come with working for a global industry leader! The starting hourly rate for this position is as follows: (Tech rates) Freshman: $18.00/hour Sophomore: $19.00/hour Junior: $21.00/hour Senior: $23.00/hour Master: $27.00/hour Ready to drive with Continental? Take the first step and fill in the online application. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines. EEO-Statement: EEO / Disabled / Protected Veteran Employer. Continental offers equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals, without regard to unlawful consideration to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, religion, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. In addition, as a federal contractor, Continental complies with government regulations, including affirmative action responsibilities for qualified individuals with a disability and protected veterans, where they apply. To be considered, you must apply for a specific position for which Continental has a current posted job opening. Qualifying applications will be considered only for the specific opening(s) to which you apply. If you would like to be considered for additional or future job openings, we encourage you to reapply for other opportunities as they become available. Further, Continental provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability. If you need assistance in the application process, please reply to Careers@conti-na.com or contact US Recruiting at 800-821-2727. This telephone line and email address are reserved solely for job seekers with disabilities requesting accessibility assistance or an accommodation in the job application process. Please do not call about the status of your job application, if you do not require accessibility assistance or an accommodation. Messages left for other purposes, such as following up on an application or non-disability related technical issues, will not receive a call back. Ready to drive with Continental? Take the first step and fill in the online application.

Apply at Continental