Engineering Resumes Engineering Career Services

Transcription

1 Engineering Resumes

2 We Are Here to Help YOU! Our Goal: Provide resources and opportunities to help engineering students develop professional skills and obtain full-time employment upon graduation. Brian Larson Director Joely Swenson Experiential Education Roger Bentley Student Professional Development Shari Dubois Administrative Assistant Mayra Ramirez Program Assistant Kellie Mullaney Student Professional Development

3 Student Guide to Employment Step 1: Understand Employers and the College Recruiting Process Step 2: Determine Career Goals and Skillset Step 3: Identify Preliminary Target Employers and Industries Step 4: Develop Effective Marketing Materials Step 5: Search for Specific Employment Opportunities and Research Step 6: Network (at Career Fairs and Otherwise) Step 7: Interview and Follow-up Step 8: Evaluate Offers Step 9: Sign Employment Contract and Celebrate Step 10: Inform and Discontinue Your Job Search See the ECS website for information on all ten steps

4 What will we discuss? Purpose of a Resume Important Overall Thoughts Formatting Your Resume Resources: ECS Samples & Writing Help

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6 To highlight your skills, experiences and interests in order to secure an interview where you can more fully present your qualifications

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8 Effectively Marketing Yourself

9 Don t Present a Faceless Resume. Network Network to develop professional relationships with employers so they will remember you.

10 General Tips Resume Best Practices Update it regularly it is the dynamic view of you as a professional One page for an undergrad No fixed format but should look nice Good format/layout examples on our website Be consistent and organized

11 Resume Best Practices Polish It These will likely get you eliminated from further consideration: Spelling errors, typos and poor grammar. Inaccurate dates or none at all. Inconsistent formatting. Hard to read blocks of text. Long resumes with unneeded information. Have several (or many) people review your resume before presenting it to an employer.

12 What Skills and Traits Are Employers Looking For In Someone With an Engineering Degree? Work to Get These Skills and Traits on Your Resume.

13 What employers look for on resumes Matching interests Education & GPA Skill-building work experiences Teamwork & leadership experiences

14 Resume Quality of Students at Graduation ( ) High Medium Low

15 Headers and Contact Information Format- Doesn t matter except for size. Name - Should be most prominent (CAPITALIZE and/or bold). Contact information Only need current but home can be helpful in certain situations. and Phone - Mandatory (remove hyperlink). Use professional Make sure your voic message is professional. ALEXANDRA N. ROWE 308 Marston Hall, Ames, IA arowe1@iastate.edu

16 Objective Statements (Recommended for College Students) Career Fair Environment OK to be generic but give timeline and major. Ex: To obtain an internship in [Major] starting in the summer of For a longer internship: To obtain engineering internship experience during 2014 working as a [major]. Applying to a specific job Tailor the statement to indicate a good match between your interests and the position. Ex: To obtain a summer 2014 internship working as a [major] doing product design work. Key words from job description

17 Education Usually most important section for a college student or recent graduate. Should be after objective statement. List most recent first i.e. college, then community college, then high school. Once you are a junior, drop high school. Always include GPA. If GPA is low, include a second GPA (core GPA, last two semesters) if it is higher. Iowa State University, Ames, IA Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Expected graduation date: May 2015 GPA: 3.45/4.00

18 Education Section FAQs Do I have to list my GPA? Yes, Cumulative ISU GPA is necessary List major GPA as well if it is better Do I list my year in school? Do I list any classes here? Where does a minor or study abroad go?

19 Work Experience Section(s) Includes both engineering and non-engineering paid positions If you only have non-technical positions, list them under the Work Experience section If you also have both professional and non-technical positions, list them under the Professional Work Experience and Other Work Experience sections respectively The bulleted phrases, called Skilled-Based Work Impact Statements are critical in this area

20 Developing Skills-Based, Impact Statements 1. Identify a task that was performed Prepared test specimens. 2. Identify a transferable skill used to complete the task Followed a detailed procedure to prepare test specimens. or Developed a detailed procedure to prepare test specimens. 3. Add the Impact (if known) Followed a detailed procedure to prepare test specimens that consistently met quality standards. or Developed an efficient procedure to prepare test specimens that consistently met quality standards and reduced preparation time by ten percent.

21 Professional Work Experience Include co-ops, internships or research experiences. Highly valued by employers so make them stand out. Use three to six skills-based work impact statements per position to highlight transferable skills developed, level of responsibility, accomplishments, etc. Use technical jargon in this area of your resume.

22 Other Work Experience These are paid positions that do not qualify as professional work experiences. Every work experience is important if it can be used to highlight transferrable skills, good character traits, etc. For Example, in a retail job you may have: - Managed cash register and secured store at closing. - Provided great customer service to ensure repeat business. Format same as professional work experiences but fewer skills-based impact statements if space is limited. Anyone can say that they have certain skills, so employers look for proof that you have had experience and success applying certain skills.

23 Leadership and Activities Leadership Many employers look for leadership. Doesn t have to be a major role. i.e. led ticket sales effort is important. Describe similar to a work experience. Highlight project management, communication, & teambuilding. Use # to show amount of people led and the impact. Activities Not as important as leadership but still important. Use to indicate participation, contribution, and teamwork. (You need to know how to follow before you can lead.) The more professional, the better but it s okay to have variety of activities. Best to leave off any that might raise a red flag with employers.

24 Skills (Optional parts) Include items that set you apart from others: computer software relevant to engineering business software (MS Office, databases, web development) computer languages (C, FORTRAN, JAVA) foreign languages technical skills relevant to engr/tech (small engine repair, welding, metal fab, farming, tooling, etc). Only qualify level of expertise if it elevates you above others. Okay to highlight tools/skills that you used in the work experience area but not necessary.

25 Awards and Honors Definitely include if you have room, but it is optional Employers highly value work experience and leadership/project management experiences Employers value a high GPA, but GPA-based awards are not as important to list out Example: Awards and Honors National Merit Scholarship Recipient National Honor Society Member

26 Summary

27 Thank You for Viewing!!! Full schedule of upcoming career seminars available on ECS website!