Civil engineer phone screen questions: PE and EIT status, discipline, software and plan sets
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A civil engineer phone screen should settle licensure first (FE passed, PE held, in which states), then the discipline (land development, transportation, water resources, geotechnical, structural), the design software the candidate uses daily, and how much of a plan set they produce and own. Ask for one recent project from concept to agency approval. An engineer who did the design names the calculations, the reviewing agency and the comments they resolved; one who drafted it describes the sheets.
This bank is for consulting firms, contractors and public agencies hiring civil engineers. Mechanical and electrical engineers share the licensure section but differ everywhere else; see mechanical engineer phone screen questions and electrical engineer phone screen questions. For the construction side of civil work, use construction project manager screening questions.
Licensure: FE, EIT, PE and the state question
Engineering licenses are issued by state and territory boards, and most use exams written by NCEES. The usual path, as described on NCEES's own pages as of September 2026:
| Step | What it is | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| FE exam | The Fundamentals of Engineering exam, a computer-based exam NCEES calls generally the first step toward licensure, aimed at recent graduates and students close to finishing an ABET-accredited degree. Passing typically leads to an engineer-in-training or engineer-intern designation from a state board; the name varies. | "Have you passed the FE? When, and which state recognizes your EIT or EI?" |
| Experience | Boards require qualifying experience, usually under a licensed engineer. NCEES describes the PE exam as designed for engineers with a minimum of four years of post-college experience. | "How many years of qualifying experience do you have, and under whose supervision?" |
| PE exam | Computer-based. The PE Civil exam has depth options in construction, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources and environmental. | "Which PE exam did you take, and have you passed it or scheduled it?" |
| Additional states | Licensed engineers apply to other boards by comity. An NCEES Record holds verified transcripts, exam results and references and is transmitted to boards on the engineer's behalf; it does not guarantee a license. | "Which states are you licensed in, and do you have an NCEES Record?" |
| Structural licenses | Some states license structural engineers separately. Illinois, for example, has a Structural Engineering Licensing Act. NCEES also offers a separate SE exam. | For structural roles: "Do you hold an SE license, or a PE in a state that requires one for this work?" |
Look up every license on the board's public search before you submit. "PE" on a resume sometimes means "passed the PE exam, license pending" or a license in a state far from the project.
Knockout questions
| Question | What a strong answer sounds like | Red flags |
|---|---|---|
| The role requires [a PE in state X / a PE within 12 months / FE passed]. Where are you on that? | "PE in Florida since 2021, applying to Georgia by comity, NCEES Record is set up." | "I'm basically a PE" or cannot name the state. |
| This is a [land development / roadway / stormwater / bridge] role. What share of your last three years was that work? | A split by project type with a recent example. | The matching work is an internship. |
| The team designs in [Civil 3D / OpenRoads / other]. Which do you use daily, and at what level? | Names the version and what they build in it: corridors, grading surfaces, pipe networks. | Knows only a different platform, for a role expecting day-one production. |
| The role is [in office X days / on site for inspections / remote]. Does that work? | Yes or a clear limit. | Expects full remote on a role with field work. |
| Are you authorized to work in the US without sponsorship now or in the future? | A plain answer. | Ask this the same way of every candidate, and only if the client has a policy on sponsorship. |
Questions by discipline
Land development and site civil
- "Walk me through a site plan you designed from survey to permit." Strong: grading, drainage and utilities, the stormwater approach, the local review agency, comment rounds. Red flag: only drafting from someone else's markups.
- "How did you size the stormwater system on that project?" Strong: the method and design storm the local ordinance required, the software, detention or infiltration choices. Red flag: "the software does it."
Transportation
- "Which state DOT standards have you designed to, and what did you design?" Strong: the DOT, the design manual, alignments, profiles, cross sections, maintenance of traffic. Red flag: no DOT experience for a DOT-heavy firm.
- "Tell me about a design exception or a conflict with a standard." Strong: the issue, the justification, who approved it.
Water resources and utilities
- "What hydraulic or hydrologic models have you built?" Strong: names the model (for example HEC-RAS or a water distribution model), what was modeled and a result that changed the design. Red flag: ran existing models without building or calibrating one.
Geotechnical and structural
- "Describe the last foundation or structure you designed, the loads and the code." Strong: the structure, governing code, analysis software, a design decision they made. Red flag: checked someone else's calculations only, described as design.
- "Have you logged borings or run field testing?" Strong for geotech: specific site work, lab tests and a report they wrote.
Project ownership and plan production
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"On your last project, what did you personally design, what did you check, and who sealed the plans?"
- Strong answer: clear division: "I designed the storm and grading, checked utilities, my PE sealed."
- Red flags: "We did everything" with no personal scope.
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"Tell me about agency review comments that were hard to resolve."
- Strong answer: the agency, the comment, the technical response and whether it required a redesign.
- Red flags: has never seen a comment letter.
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"How do you QC a plan set before submittal?"
- Strong answer: a checklist, a second-reviewer step, cross-checking sheets against calculations.
- Red flags: relies on the reviewer to catch mistakes.
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"For senior roles: which clients did you manage, and what did you win?"
- Strong answer: named client types, proposals written, fee size, a project won and the team they led.
- Red flags: "business development" that was attending a conference.
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"How many hours a week were billable, and how did you track budget on your tasks?"
- Strong answer: knows their utilization target and how they flagged a task going over.
- Red flags: no idea of budget, for a project engineer or manager role at a consulting firm.
Consulting, contractor or public agency
The same civil engineer does a different job depending on the employer, and moves between them are common. Ask which environment the candidate has worked in and what they expect from the next one.
| Employer | What changes | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|
| Consulting firm | Billable hours, multiple clients, proposals, plan production deadlines | "What was your utilization target, and how many projects did you carry at once?" |
| Contractor | Constructability, estimating, temporary works, field engineering, schedule pressure | "What did you design for construction, and what did you do in the field?" |
| Public agency | Reviewing consultants' plans, capital program management, procurement rules, public meetings | "Have you reviewed plans for approval, or managed consultants on a capital project?" |
A move from an agency to consulting usually means adjusting to billable targets; a move the other way usually means less design and more oversight. Neither is a red flag, but a candidate who has not thought about it may leave within a year.
How civil engineering experience gets overstated
- Exam passed as license held. Check the board's lookup.
- License in one state described as "PE" for all. Ask for every state.
- Drafting as design. Producing sheets in CAD from an engineer's markups is valuable, but it is technician work.
- Firm projects as personal projects. A resume listing every project the office did that year.
- Model use as model building. Running a model someone else set up.
- Construction inspection as design. Field work is real experience, but it does not show plan production.
Rubric and checklist
| Area | 1: weak | 3: meets | 5: strong |
|---|---|---|---|
| Licensure | No FE, no plan | EIT with a PE timeline, or PE in another state | PE in the project state, verified |
| Discipline fit | Different discipline | Adjacent discipline or partial match | Same discipline and project types |
| Design ownership | Drafting only | Designs portions under review | Designs and leads, including QC and agency comments |
| Software | Different platform, no production use | Working knowledge of the client's platform | Daily production in the client's platform |
| Client and budget | No awareness | Tracks own task budgets | Manages clients and fees |
Before you submit a civil engineer
- FE and PE status recorded, with states, license numbers and board lookups.
- Discipline and project types match the role.
- One project described from design to approval, with their personal scope.
- Software and version used daily.
- Office, field and travel expectations agreed.
- Compensation expectation, including whether PE licensure changes it.
- Consent to submit for this client and role, with the date.
Ask what they need to earn rather than their current salary; pay history questions are restricted in a number of states and cities (see salary expectation questions). Ask work authorization questions consistently, and leave age, graduation year and family questions out.
License states, exam dates and software versions are precisely what gets muddled across a week of engineering screens. Interview Signal transcribes the call on your own computer with no bot joining, so you can check exactly what the candidate said about their PE before you look it up.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between an EIT and a PE?
An engineer in training (called EIT or EI depending on the state) has typically passed the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam and is working toward licensure. A professional engineer is licensed by a state board after meeting its education, experience and exam requirements, and can seal engineering documents in that state. NCEES describes the PE exam as designed for engineers with a minimum of four years of post-college experience.
Is a PE license valid in every state?
No. Licenses are issued by each state or territory board. Engineers licensed in one state usually apply to others by comity, and an NCEES Record can speed that up by holding verified transcripts, exam results and references, but each board decides.
How do I verify a civil engineer's PE license?
Search the licensing board of the state they name. Most boards have a public license lookup showing status and expiry. Ask for every state where they are licensed, because firms often need a PE in the state where the project is.
Does a structural engineer need a separate license?
In some states. Illinois, for example, licenses structural engineers under its own Structural Engineering Licensing Act, separate from professional engineers. Check the board for the state where the structures will be designed.