BMW Engineering Intern Interview

It was largely the latter. As long as you meet the "on paper" qualifications, prior related experience (even if non-traditional) is a big selling point in applications both for internship as well as permanent positions. It's actually pretty common for German firms to ask probing questions about your background that would be considered inappropriate during an American interview. This does't mean potentially embarrassing personal things, it's just that they may ask about the jobs your family members did growing up, hobbies, interests--things beyond the resume. In my case, a close friend of the family had been a semi-pro racer, and as a result I got to do a lot of motor-sports related activities growing up. They told me later on that this was a major (though not official) influence on their decision to pick me.