Effective Engineering Resumes & Job Fair

Preparation

Joanne Lax (ECE) , with advice from Trevor Dowd(PESC)&

Melissa Lavella (Rolls-Royce)ECE 200/Fall 2014

Resume Basics• Develop outline of education, skills, job experience, and

achievements• Include contact information such as email, cell phone, and

address• Keep resume to ONE PAGE, one side• Include GPA, work qualification and anticipated graduation date• Objective should be tailored to the specific company• Objective should contain availability info

– i.e. “seeking internship for summer 2014”

• Show what you achieved, not just what your responsibilities were

• Make it balanced and readable• Check and double check for errors and typos• Peer review, don’t be afraid to make changes

Formatting Tips for Resumes• Keep objective and education information near the top

• Use cell phone number (unless you want companies to contact your parents)

• Use permanent mailing address if campus address is unreliable/volatile

• List the most recent experiences and education

• Use consistent spacing and format

• Dates right aligned

• Bullet points instead of paragraphs

• Do not use the word “I”

Use Strong Action Words– For management, supervision & leadership skills: coordinated,

delegated, executed, planned, managed

– For communication & people skills: directed, moderated, persuaded

– For technical skills: calculated, computed, solved, upgraded

– For research, development and analytical skills: evaluated, examined, organized

– For creative skills: generated, pinpointed, updated

– For problem solving skills: resolved, established, implemented, launched

– For teaching skills: demonstrated, facilitated, represented

• More action words at http://crmpubs.com/CGsFinal/Purdue_CPG13-14_Online/Purdue_CPG13-14_Online.html (pp.12-13)

Resume “Dos”• Do your research; tailor each resume to the job & company

• Do include only relevant information from experiences and activities

• Do include leadership, teamwork, and extra-curricular activities– Social skills & creativity are very important in technical fields

• Do include something distinctive about yourself– Differentiation is important

• Do share any study abroad or international experiences

• Do indicate any foreign languages known

• Do describe relevant computer skills

• Do list accomplishments rather than tasks

Resume “Don’ts”• Don’t include a photo

• Don’t include irrelevant personal info

• Don’t exaggerate experiences

• Don’t include high school information (except freshmen)

• Don’t exceed one page

• Don’t use slang, course numbers, and avoid acronyms

Resume Resources

• Contact Joanne Lax:– Office: EE 250/494-0621– jlax@purdue.edu

• Purdue Center for Career Opportunities:– http://www.cco.purdue.edu/

• Useful website:– http://graduatingengineer.com

Melissa’s Resume

Examples

Action verbs

Education listed early

Use ofBullets

Good Resume

Job titles easily found

Good Resume

Capitalization error

Dates should be right aligned

Bad Resume

High school

info

Do not list the person you worked for

Bad Resume

Liststyle

Dates right aligned

Good Resume

Past tense for anything not current

Good Resume

Seeking Internship Seeking Full-time

Tips for Professional Development• Figure out what YOU’RE looking for

– Internship or co-op?, Type of industry?, Large or small company?, Location?

• Work experience is very important– Make your internship search a priority– If you can’t get an actual internship, try to get relevant experience in

other ways: research, teaching assistant, mentoring, etc.

• Get involved on campus– Need extra-curricular activities and leadership experience to round

out your resume– Take advantage of corporate events through student clubs

• Become a familiar face at job fairs and corporate events• Use contacts (friends, family, etc.) to locate opportunities

Other Job Search Tips

• +75% of recruiters routinely use Google and Yahoo! to find out about job applicants– Occasionally check these search engines

yourself – Be careful with what you put on Facebook

and other such websites

• Don’t waste next summer!

Local Internship & Job Opportunities

• Discovery Park Research Undergraduate Internship Program (DURI) • www.purdue.edu/dp/duri/

• Interns for Indiana• www.purdue.edu/dp/learningcenter/student• Open to first-semester jrs., including F1 and J1 visa

holders

Two More Local Possibilities

• ITAP employment– www.itap.purdue.edu– Applications accepted continuously

• Purdue Research Parks (WL, Indy, Merrillville, & New Albany)– www.purdueresearchpark.com– Check under “Job Openings”

Preparing for the Career Fair

• Spend time researching companies– Type of business, products, and locations– Available employment opportunities, types of programs

• Submit resume to corporate website prior to job fair• Create a Purdue CCO account• Create a plan/strategy for visiting company booths• Bring multiple resume copies to job fair• Dress appropriately (business formal, but business

casual for IR)

Tips for the Career Fair• Have an opening statement

– For example: “My name is [name], and I’m interested in applying for an internship.”

• Company representatives should be friendly and professional, and so should you

• You will likely be asked:– What qualifies you to work in the U.S.?– What type of job are you looking for?– Are you willing to relocate? Where/how far?– Questions pertaining to resume.– Do you have any questions? ask some questions, but don’t go overboard

• What not to say:– Mentioning age, race, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, etc– “I’m looking for any kind of job.”

• An interview could be scheduled on the spot, in a few days, weeks, or even months

• Check your email and voicemail regularly• Promptly follow up on recruiter’s suggestions

Advice from PESC

Prior to the Job Fair

Research Companies! Prepare Questions Prepare Introductory Speech Locate Companies IR Guidebook Interactive Company Search

Date Event Location Time

Sept. 11th

IR Prep Night

Forney G140 7:00PM-8:00PM

Sept. 15th

Company Seminars

Stewart Center

10:30AM-5:30PM

Sept. 16th Career Fair Memorial

Mall 9:30AM-4:30PM

Sept. 17th Career Fair Memorial

Mall 9:30AM-4:30PM

Name-tags: All companies will be keeping an eye out for students with colored name-tags. The IR name-tags will have your name and a colored indication of which major you are in. This is very beneficial to both the employer and the student. To get your name-tag, stop by the student tent located in the middle of the Memorial Mall, right by John Purdue's statue.

Download the brand new App for your smartphone! Available for iPhones and Androids - Search "Purdue Career Fair Plus"

Monday Seminars: Sept. 15 (STEW)

Meet company reps, be remembered!

Bring resumes We recommend attending at least 2:

big company, small company Take notes Introduce yourself after Ask meaningful questions

IR Planning Sept. 16-17, 9:30-4:30 Memorial Mall

Business Casual Attire Resume Boiler Copy Maker Paper & Pen Coat Check

IR Action Plan: (Memorial Mall)

Get there early

“Fly-By” First RELAX! Do Not start

with your dream company

Elevator Pitch

Good Handshake

Good Eye Contact

Introduce Yourself & Quick

Background

Excitement About their Company

Interviews