Mechanical Design Intern (Year Round)
Posted Aug 27, 2026 · We last checked this listing on Oct 6, 2026
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
Tell me about a time you found a mistake in your own work after you had handed it off. What did you do?
What they are checking: Whether they own errors quickly and openly, which matters when other people are building from their drawings.
Tell me about a project where you had to follow a set procedure or standard you didn't fully agree with at first.
What they are checking: Whether they can follow standard operating procedures while still raising concerns through the right channel.
What would you do
An engineer asks you to revise a drawing that's already been released. What steps would you take before anything changes in the system?
What they are checking: Whether they respect change control, since an Engineering Change Notice protects everyone already building from the old version.
Pierce builds highly customized apparatus, so almost every truck is a little different. How would you keep your work accurate when the details change from job to job?
What they are checking: Whether they build habits like checklists and double-checks that hold up in a high-mix, custom environment.
You get three requests from three different engineers on the same morning, and each says theirs is urgent. How do you handle it?
What they are checking: Whether they ask for priorities openly rather than quietly guessing and disappointing two people.
This role runs year round alongside school. How would you keep your engineering work moving when your class schedule gets heavy?
What they are checking: Whether they can plan ahead and communicate early so the team is not left waiting on half-done work.
About the work
Walk me through a part or assembly you modeled in CAD, from the first sketch to a finished drawing someone else could build from.
What they are checking: Whether they understand that a model is only done when another person can make the part without asking questions.
When you make a 2D drawing from a 3D model, how do you decide which dimensions and tolerances actually need to be called out?
What they are checking: Whether they think about how the part gets made and inspected, not just how it looks on screen.
What goes into a good bill of materials, and what happens on the shop floor if one line on it is wrong?
What they are checking: Whether they connect paperwork accuracy to real production problems like missing parts and stopped lines.
How would you pick a material for a bracket that lives on a fire truck exposed to road salt, heat and constant vibration?
What they are checking: Whether they weigh corrosion, strength, weight and cost together instead of defaulting to whatever is familiar.
Have you ever read or prepared an electrical schematic? Tell me what you understood and where you got stuck.
What they are checking: Whether they are honest about the edges of their knowledge and curious enough to learn outside mechanical work.
Practice this interview out loud.
Offer builds a real interview for this exact role at Oshkosh Corporation 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 loudThe full job description
As published by Oshkosh Corporation.