Professional help

Hi,

Having studied a civil engineering degree and masters in structural engineering, i'm now looking for work and have been offered a place in a firm. When I start there, the manager is going to test me on the level of my cad drawing. Which I can do 3d and any thing asked, however I feel that my CAD work isn't very professional looking.

He's told me they use this test for years and that they have a specific command they use, that if I dont know he'll have to tell me.

So first of all does anyone have a clue what he could ask and I could possibly prepare for? I know its all going to be complete guess work and is a very difficult question to answer!

The company is a structural engineering firm, who do a lot of steel design, and produce drawings for the work etc. They only have autocad LT so will only be 2d work, whereas I've used achitecture, civil, and various others etc.

Lastly, I know I may sound stupid by asking but what does a GA refer to??

Thanks

Greg

If you are capable of 3d drafting, im quite sure there isnt much he can "ask" that you wont be able to answer. As for professional looking CAD work, as far as standards go, you can read books until your eyes bleed, and a company will have you do it another way... I think you might be worrying a little too much. HE certainly will not fire you because you dont know a certain command... If thats the case, I wouldnt want to work for this guy anyways!! You will be fine.

GA? Georiga?

GA? Georiga?

General Arrangement?

I think you will be just fine. Browse around on the forum to brush up, be calm and relaxed at the interview. Are they hiring you for CAD or Engineering?

Ga=Gauge, GA=General Assembly:thumbsup:

But then again I am way beyond professional help.

As for making something professional looking...just make sure your dimensions are neat, and lined up where possible. Be consistant with fonts and text sizes. Do the same with leaders, and make sure you spell the words correctly. If they have you use a company generated template, look for layers that are named after the objects that would go on them. In other words, if they have a layer called "dimensions" and another called "text", and so forth, putting dimensions on the dimension layer might make an impression.

I suspect that the "test" is just so they can see where they will need to start training you. When it comes to doing things, just remember, there's the right way, the wrong way and the company way. Unless you've worked for them before, you can't possibly know the company way, and that's what they will be interested in teaching you.

what does a GA refer to??

In this context, I would vote for General Arrangement.

But you could help yourself by revealing where in the world you are. Different countries have different meanings for initials, as the previous posts show.

I would think that as long as you know the basics along with knowing how:

- to use xrefs (and the different types of attachments),

- to work in Model Space and Layouts (Paper Space),

- to create viewports on non-plotting layers,

- to set the plot scale for the viewports,

- to use osnaps, always,

- to use Ortho or Polar,

- to create layers and not draw on layer 0,

that you shouldn't have a problem.

Otherwise it is impossible to know what super secret command they use and it is not worth worrying about. When viewports in PS were still new and I didn't know how to use them I interviewed for a job. They sat me down at the computer and the CAD manager asked me to create a viewport in PS and scale it. I had no clue and told him, he gave me verbal instructions and I was able to do it quickly without hesitating so he figured I was trainable and got the job. (Of course this was the early 90's and if you could spell CAD you could get hired.)

Search this forum and maybe The Swamp to look for people's pet peeves about poor CAD work, learn from that.

- to create layers and not draw on layer 0,

...unless they tell you otherwise. One of my previous employers insisted that the company's product be drawn on layer zero. Said so in the standards handbook, and it didn't matter what anybody said.

Be sure you temper any advice we give you with what your new employer's cad standards say. They may not make sense, but do it the way your company wants it done until such time as you've gained enough influence to change it.

...unless they tell you otherwise.... Be sure you temper any advice we give you with what your new employer's cad standards say. They may not make sense' date=' but do it the way your company wants it done until such time as you've gained enough influence to change it.[/quote']

 

Very good advice.

PICKFIRST=1. If you know that you're hired! Good luck on your test and if it's still a job you really want after taking the test and sitting through an interview I hope you get it.

PICKFIRST=1.

bwaa haa haa, you crack me up.

FILEDIA = 1, really impress them.

I would think that as long as you know the basics along with knowing how:

- to use xrefs (and the different types of attachments),

- to work in Model Space and Layouts (Paper Space),

- to create viewports on non-plotting layers,

- to set the plot scale for the viewports,

- to use osnaps, always,

- to use Ortho or Polar,

- to create layers and not draw on layer 0,

that you shouldn't have a problem.

 

Otherwise it is impossible to know what super secret command they use and it is not worth worrying about. When viewports in PS were still new and I didn't know how to use them I interviewed for a job. They sat me down at the computer and the CAD manager asked me to create a viewport in PS and scale it. I had no clue and told him, he gave me verbal instructions and I was able to do it quickly without hesitating so he figured I was trainable and got the job. (Of course this was the early 90's and if you could spell CAD you could get hired.)

 

Search this forum and maybe The Swamp to look for people's pet peeves about poor CAD work, learn from that.

The only AutoCAD question I was asked when I was interviewing for this job I have now and that was on my final interview, "can you find my titleblock?" (it was an unattached Xref) that was one of the engineers, I am still not sure if that was a test or he just couldn't find his titleblock.

"be calm and relaxed at the interview" I cannot say that enough. Remember you need to be interviewing them as well.

"be calm and relaxed at the interview" I cannot say that enough. Remember you need to be interviewing them as well.

That's very true. These days people tend to think that any job is better than no job, but keep in mind, the slaves had jobs, but that don't mean they were good ones.

Thanks guys for all the responses and some very good advice I'll keep in mind. All the above techniques i'm comfortable with, (but yes I do have a habit of drawing everything in layer 0!!)

Sorry if it werent made clear, i'm in the UK going for a Structural Engineering position, but because its only a small firm, they do all their drawings too (I believe to be the case). I've had a sort of interview already and been invited back for this "test", not sure if its more for him to see what I can do or to boost my confidence/ start training as i've already shown him examples of my work

General Arrangement would make sense, as the things i've seen GA refer to are for example in my degree coursework, "draw connection details GA 1:200 scale etc."

Thanks again everyone

Greg

All the above techniques i'm comfortable with, (but yes I do have a habit of drawing everything in layer 0!!)

Please break that habit as soon as you can. The previous post not withstanding, if a company has a standard to do it that way - never draw everything on layer 0. Reserve that layer for blocks only. Even in creating blocks putting everything on layer 0 isn't a hard and fast rule. Sometimes there are reasons for having block entities on other layers. IMHO