Atkins (SNC-Lavalin) Interview: Process, Questions & Tips

Understanding the Atkins (SNC-Lavalin) Recruitment Process

Atkins, now part of the AtkinsRéalis group following SNC-Lavalin's rebrand, is one of the world's largest engineering and design consultancies. It operates across infrastructure, energy, defence, and transportation — so the exact hiring process varies by business area and seniority. That said, candidates across disciplines tend to encounter a broadly similar sequence of stages.

Most applications begin with an online form or CV submission, sometimes accompanied by a covering letter or motivational questions. Shortlisted candidates are typically invited to one or more of the following: an online assessment (such as situational judgement or numerical reasoning tests), a competency-based or structured interview, and in some cases a technical exercise or presentation. Graduate and apprenticeship schemes often include an assessment centre as the final stage.

• Online application with covering letter or motivational questions
• Psychometric or situational judgement tests (role-dependent)
• Telephone or video screening interview
• Competency-based interview (panel or one-to-one)
• Technical interview or exercise for specialist roles
• Assessment centre for graduate and apprenticeship programmes

What Competencies Does Atkins Look For?

AtkinsRéalis publishes its values — safety, integrity, collaboration, innovation, and sustainability — and these themes tend to run through interview questions at all levels. Interviewers commonly probe your ability to work in multidisciplinary teams, manage competing priorities, communicate technical information to non-specialist stakeholders, and contribute to projects with a genuine social or environmental impact.

For experienced hires, leadership and client-facing skills attract particular scrutiny. Graduate candidates are typically assessed on potential: intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and a clear motivation for engineering or consulting. Whatever the role, having a thorough understanding of what Atkins does in your chosen sector — and why it matters — will set you apart.

• Teamwork and collaboration across disciplines
• Communication of complex or technical information
• Problem-solving and analytical thinking
• Safety-conscious and ethical decision-making
• Commercial awareness and client focus
• Commitment to sustainability and responsible engineering

Common Interview Questions and How to Approach Them

Competency-based interviews at engineering consultancies typically follow a structured format — every candidate is asked the same questions and scored against a consistent framework. You will almost certainly be asked behavioural questions using prompts such as 'Tell me about a time when…' or 'Give me an example of…'. These are best answered using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result.

Technical questions depend entirely on your discipline. A civil engineer might be asked about drainage design principles or BIM workflows; a project manager about programme controls or risk registers. For these, accuracy matters more than fluency — it is fine to think briefly before answering, and it is always better to acknowledge uncertainty than to bluff.

• Tell me about a time you worked in a cross-functional or multidisciplinary team.
• Describe a project where you had to balance competing deadlines.
• Give an example of a time you identified a risk and took steps to mitigate it.
• Why do you want to work for Atkins specifically?
• How do you stay up to date with developments in your field?
• Tell me about a time you had to communicate a complex idea to a non-technical audience.

How to Use the STAR Method: A Worked Example

The STAR method structures your answer so the interviewer can clearly follow your reasoning and assess the specific competency being tested. Below is an example response to the question: 'Tell me about a time you had to communicate a complex idea to a non-technical audience.'

Situation: 'During my final-year project, I was part of a team designing a sustainable drainage system for a mixed-use development. Our client contact had a property background with no engineering training.' Task: 'I needed to present our drainage modelling results at a project review, ensuring the client understood the key findings well enough to make an informed decision about the preferred option.' Action: 'I replaced the technical model outputs with annotated diagrams and a simple cost-benefit table. I also prepared three short analogies explaining how the attenuation tank would behave during a storm event, and I circulated a one-page summary in advance so the client could prepare questions.' Result: 'The client approved the preferred option at the meeting without needing a second review, which kept the programme on track. My supervisor noted the approach as a model for future client communications.'

Notice that the result is specific and links back to a measurable outcome (programme on track, no second review needed). Vague endings such as 'the client was happy' are less compelling than outcomes tied to time, cost, quality, or learning.

Preparing for an Assessment Centre

Graduate and apprenticeship candidates at Atkins commonly attend an assessment centre that may include a group exercise, individual presentation, written task, and interviews. Group exercises are not about dominating the conversation — assessors typically look for candidates who listen actively, build on others' ideas, help the group reach a conclusion, and demonstrate awareness of safety or ethical dimensions in engineering scenarios.

For presentations, structure is your friend. Open with a clear statement of purpose, develop two or three well-evidenced points, and close with a concise recommendation. Practising out loud — ideally on camera so you can review your pacing, eye contact, and clarity — makes a measurable difference to performance under pressure. ScreenReady's timed video practice environment is well suited to this kind of rehearsal, letting you simulate the pressure of speaking to a camera before the real day.

• Read any pre-read materials thoroughly the night before
• In group tasks, contribute early but leave space for others
• Reference the brief explicitly — assessors notice when candidates stay on task
• Time your presentation to finish slightly under the limit
• Prepare two or three questions to ask at the end of each interview stage

Research and Motivation: Standing Out at Every Stage

One of the most common reasons candidates underperform in engineering consultancy interviews is insufficient company knowledge. Atkins works across nuclear, highways, rail, water, defence, aviation, and smart infrastructure — knowing which sector you are applying into, and being able to articulate why it matters to you, signals genuine interest rather than a scatter-gun application.

Review recent AtkinsRéalis announcements, project case studies on their website, and news about the sectors they operate in. If you know the names of specific programmes — major infrastructure schemes, net-zero commitments, or international projects — and can connect them to your own skills or values, your answers immediately feel more credible. Equally, be ready to discuss why you are interested in consultancy as a model rather than a contractor or in-house role: the variety of projects, client relationships, and professional development pathways are all legitimate and honest answers.

Final Preparation Checklist

Use the checklist below in the 48 hours before your interview to make sure nothing is left to chance. Thorough preparation does not just improve your answers — it reduces anxiety, which in turn improves your delivery. Practising your STAR answers aloud, including on a platform like ScreenReady that replicates timed video conditions, helps you internalise your examples so they feel natural rather than rehearsed.

• Re-read the job description and map each requirement to one of your STAR examples
• Research the specific Atkins business unit and recent projects in your sector
• Prepare answers to at least six competency questions
• Rehearse your answers on camera to check pace, clarity, and body language
• Prepare two or three thoughtful questions to ask your interviewers
• Check logistics: dial-in link, time zone, quiet room, stable internet connection
• Have a printed or digital copy of your CV to hand during the call