Creating Resumes & Preparing for the Engineering Career Fair

Transcription

1 Creating Resumes & Preparing for the Engineering Career Fair Engineering Professional Development 3307 SC Phil Jordan: Director Ilsa May: Associate Director

2 Session Outline Resume Writing 101 Career Fair Preparation Engineering Professional Development Services

3 Purpose of a Resume TO GET AN INTERVIEW!! A resume IS: Your personal marketing tool 1 page targeted summary of skills RELEVANT to the position/goal Always a work in progress Interview tool A resume is NOT: A list of everything you ve ever done

4 Snapshot: Sections of Your Resume 1. Name and contact information 2. Objective (optional) 3. Education 4. Experience Sections use customized headings Engineering Project Experience Leadership Experience Activities Skills (ex: computer or languages) ONLY list coursework if very relevant to position

5 Section 1: Contact Information Holly Hawkeye (319) Campus Address: Permanent Address: 123 Gilbert St Pennsylvania Ave. Iowa City, IA Washington, D.C

6 Section 2: Objective Optional Useful for career fairs! Targeted, Brief, and Specific To obtain a Civil Engineering internship or co-op for summer Type of position and/or industry

7 Section 3: Education EDUCATION The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA Major: Mechanical Engineering Minor: Spanish August 2012-Present Status: Freshman High School Diploma, Senior High, Dubuque, IA June 2012 GPA: 3.5/4.0

8 Sections 4-?: Experience What counts? Full-time, part-time, internships, volunteer work, leadership & activities You don t need to list every experience consider relevancy to the position Most recent first within categories/headings AVOID duties included, responsible for, helped with or worked with use SKILL VERBS

9 Example: Experience Block LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE Student Council, Senior High Fall 2011-Spring 2012 Vice-President Dubuque, IA Co-facilitated weekly meetings to discuss student concerns and plan upcoming events Collaborated with 20 member council to plan school events Elected to executive board position by class peers and served as a role model to other students

10 ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS Formula = Skills + What you did + How/Why Skills = power action verb What = qualifier (qualifying your skill) How/Why = outcome/result or quantifier ** Bulk of your resume! ** List of Power Verbs on p. 5 of Resource Manual

11 Skills + What you did + How/Why Responsible for campers Planned and coordinated activities and fieldtrips for 30 children ages 6-12 Operated cash register Provided prompt and friendly service to patrons and averaged $1000 in daily sales

12 Example: Experience Block LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE Student Council, Senior High Fall 2011-Spring 2012 Vice-President Dubuque, IA Co-facilitated weekly meetings to discuss student concerns and plan upcoming events Collaborated with 20 member council to plan school events Elected to executive board position by class peers and served as a role model to other students

13 Categorizing Experience Sections Group your experiences with headings relevant to the job/internship/field: ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE ENGINEERING PROJECT EXPERIENCE SOFTWARE/WEB DESIGN EXPERIENCE CUSTOMER SERVICE EXPERIENCE RESEARCH EXPERIENCE LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE JOB FIELD -RELATED EXPERIENCE

14 Review: Key Points for Getting Started 1 page! Clean format & use white space Do NOT use a template Use ½ - 1 inch margins & point font Stress skills, results, and accomplishments Use correct tense (Create vs. Created) Quality > Quantity

15 Key Points continued Choose an easily readable font Use CAPITALS, italics, bold, or different font sizes to emphasize text (avoid underlining) Use the Career Resource Manual as a guide! Be open to feedback & revisions Create a master resume

16 Questions on Resumes?

17 ENGINEERING CAREER FAIR TUESDAY FEBRUARY 5 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM MAIN LOUNGE, IMU Engineering Professional Development See what companies attending at: Explore a variety of careers & companies Discuss full-time, internship & co-op opportunities Network with alumni & current professionals Connect with student organizations

18 Career Fair Do s and Don ts DO Conduct research on companies attending. Bring copies of your resume. Prepare your introduction and questions to ask. Prioritize visiting employers by interest level. Keep an open mind. Collect business cards and follow-up. Smile and show enthusiasm. Dress professionally. DON T Randomly hand out resumes or just drop them on employer s tables without an introduction. Interrupt employer representatives or fellow job seekers. Wait for the employer to introduce themselves.

19 Dress to Impress! Pressed shirt & pants or knee-length skirt Conservative accessories & jewelry Polished, conservative shoes No cologne/perfume Padfolio/professional bag

20 A few examples from last year

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22 Elevator Speech / Professional Introduction Include: Who you are Interest in the organization What you offer What you re looking for Take a minute to write out your elevator speech/pitch PRACTICE TIME!!!

23 Example: Pitch (Smile and shake hands) Hello, I m Jane Smith. I m a first year Electrical & Computer Engineering student here at The University of Iowa. I have a strong interest in health care, so when I saw your organization was attending this Career Fair I was excited for the opportunity to meet with you. I am particularly interested in the development of healthcare software and have some prior exposure to programming. Can you tell me more about your internship program?

24 Engineering Career Fair Participants Research the attending employers! Recruiting for internships/co-ops & full time positions. GREAT opportunity to learn more about engineering

25 Questions on the Career Fair?

26 Building Your Professional Brand You have already started! Online Presence Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Google yourself! (Employers will!) Engineering = profession

27 Engineering Professional Development Advising Resume & cover letter assistance Job & internship search strategies Interview Preparation Evaluation/negotiation of offers Company research Salary statistics Study abroad Programs Co-op/Internship Program Career Fairs & On-campus recruiting Telephone/Video interviewing space Employer presentations & tours Career Resource Manual CPT/OPT Documentation

28 How to make an appointment with Engineering Professional Development! Stop by 3124 SC or call Engineering Professional Development is located in 3307 SC We hope to see you soon!!