Professionalism

1
Professionalism
2
Objectives

• Have the ability to
• Prepare and critique resumes
• Understand job-hunting etiquette and techniques
• Understand the function of career services
• Understand how to obtain your professional
  license
• Understand the laws related to professional
  practice

3
Your Work History

• How did you find your first couple of jobs?
  (summarize on board)
• Summer Employment Survey (Handout if not
  completed)

4
After graduation

• Not the end, but the beginning!!!
• Employment (full-time part-time)
• Graduate School (full-time part-time)

5
Career vs Job
6
Career Planning

• What are your assets and traits?
• Where do you want to start?
• What are your short-term goals?
• What are your long-term goals?

7
Looking for Jobs

• Career Services
• Internet
• Professional Organizations
• Newspapers
• Magazines
• Friends and Family
• Other?

8
Career Services at SUNY Poly https//sunypoly.edu/
student-life/student-resources/career-services.htm
l

• Career Services
• Workshops
• Resume
• Internships
• Full-time Jobs (College Central Network)
• Resume handouts
• Tips / Actions verbs
• Resume example
• Poor resume (critique in class)

9
Resume

• References
• Making Your First Impression Count-Effective
  Resumes
• Resumes The Basics
• Reverse chronological order (most important
  first)
• Limit to one-page
• No misrepresentations (ET, not ENGR)
• Visually pleasing
• Easy to read

10
Interviewing

• Be prepared
• Arrive early
• Dress appropriately
• Get names of those you interview with (ask for
  business cards)
• Ask open-ended questions
• Follow-up

11
Interview Questions

• Typical Interview Questions

12
References

• Better to ask before the job hunt
• Provide detailed info to the person who is giving
  you a reference
• When is due date?
• Provide additional information about yourself
• Provide a self-addressed envelope (if mailed)

13
Landing the Job Next steps

• How to act professionally in the workplace!!!

14
Professionalism

• From Wikipedia
• A professional is a member of a vocation founded
  upon specialised educational training.
• The word professional traditionally means a
  person who has obtained a degree in a
  professional field. The term professional is used
  more generally to denote a white collar working
  person, or a person who performs commercially in
  a field typically reserved for hobbyists or
  amateurs.
• In western nations, such as the United States,
  the term commonly describes highly educated,
  mostly salaried workers, who enjoy considerable
  work autonomy, a comfortable salary, and are
  commonly engaged in creative and intellectually
  challenging work.1234 Less technically,
  it may also refer to a person having impressive
  competence in a particular activity.5
• Because of the personal and confidential nature
  of many professional services and thus the
  necessity to place a great deal of trust in them,
  most professionals are held up to strict ethical
  and moral regulations.

15
Work Environment

• ProfessionalKnowledge, ideas and information
• NonprofessionalWork can be measured by the
  quantity and quality of work output

16
Professionalism

• Managing your time
• Communicating
• Teamwork
• Treating others with respect
• High ethical standards
• Positive attitude
• Reliable
• Leadership

17
Relationships

• Employee-Corporation
• Employee-Manager
• Employee-Employee
• Employee-Support Personnel

18
Employee-Corporation

• Mutual interests both need each other
• Corporate Obligations
• Fair compensation
• Treat employees w/ dignity
• Equal opportunity
• Employee Commitments
• Work the required number of hours
• Adhere to confidentiality guidelines
• Respect conflict-of-interest agreements

19
Employee-Manager

• May be most important relationship
• Manager Responsibilities
• Explain company principles and policies
• Administer salary, promotion and hiring plans
  equitably
• Review, hire and fire employees
• Employee Commitments
• Complete quality assignments in a timely manner
• Act professionally
• Take responsibility for self-development

20
Employee-Employee

• Important to form effective working relationships
• Most work is accomplished by teams
• Collect info from others, analyze, and report
  results
• Everyone knows their responsibilities and target
  dates

21
Employee-Support Personnel

• Treat support personnel with respect
• Encourage open communication
• Make support personnel part of the team

22
Traits for Success in the Workplace

• Competence
• Pursuit of Excellence
• Personal Integrity
• Likeability
• Positive Attitude
• Effective Communication

23
Homework Assignments (1 and 2) Individual Work

• Prepare a draft resume in career services format
• Have a peer critique it (pair up students)
• Prepare answers to 10 interview questions
• Submit your draft/critiqued resume, your revised
  resume and interview questions/answers on
  Blackboard (PDF format) prior to next weeks
  class (Sept 14th)
• By the end of the semester have your resume
  approved by career services. Forward to me
  (jayne.baran_at_sunyit.edu) the e-mail that says
  your resume is approved and ready for upload to
  CCN.

24
Practicing Professionalism as a Student

• Round Robin

25
Break
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Professional Licensing-Why

• Professionalism
• Pride
• Enhances Resume
• Job requirement
• (NYSDOT JE https//www.dot.ny.gov/jobs/perm_posi
  tions/junior_engineer )
• In most agencies, in order to successfully pass
  the one-year probationary period, Junior
  Engineers appointed from this eligible list will
  be required to obtain a Fundamentals in
  Engineering Certificate during their first year
  of service. Upon receipt of this certification
  and successful completion of one year of State
  service, you may be advanced to the Grade 20
  level of the engineering series with a starting
  salary of 53,037 without further testing. In
  some agencies, Junior Engineers who fail to
  obtain their Fundamentals in Engineering
  Certificate during the first year may be offered
  an opportunity to transfer to a para-professional
  engineering position pending completion of this
  requirement. You should discuss this with agency
  representatives during your employment interview.

27
Professional Licensing

• FE (Fundamentals Exam)
• PE (Professional Exam)
• Administered by State
• FE reciprocal but details controlled by state
• PE state specific

28
New York State

• New York State Education Dept
• Licensed Professionals
• http//www.nysed.gov/

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Differences between ET and E
Engineering Technology Engineering
Eligibility for FE exam After graduation Before graduation
Experience before PE 6 years 4 years
HistoricallyPaper exam Offered twice a year.
Could take FE in Vermont (and PA?) before
graduation Since Jan 2014, FE exam is online but
must be taken at a test center https//ncees.org/e
xams/test-center-locations/ (one location in
Utica)
30
Taking FE after Graduation (ET)

• New Computer-Based-Testing
• Details at http//ncees.org/
• Letter from NYSED

31
FE Civil and FE Mechanical Knowledge Areas

• FE Civil
• http//ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/FE-Civ
  il-CBT-specs.pdf
• FE Mechanical
• http//ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/FE-Mec
  -CBT-specs.pdf

32
Forms and Reference Materials

• https//people.sunyit.edu/barans/links/pefe.html

33
FE Contents

• Ethics Business Practices (7 of Morning Test)
• Code of Ethics
• Agreements and Contracts
• Ethical versus Legal
• Professional Liability
• Public Protection Issues (e.g. licensing boards)
• Ref www.ncees.org

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Engineering PracticeUnethical Behavior

• Loss of business
• Loss of licensure
• Monetary fines
• Loss of reputation

35
Engineering PracticeEthical Behavior

• Increased business
• Enhanced professional reputation
• Extended employment

36
Engineering Practice

• New York Education Law
• NY Educ. 7200 (Administration)
• NY Educ. 6905 (Conduct)
• New York Code, Rules Regulations
• 8 NYCRR 68.1 et seq. (Administration)
• 8 NYCRR 29.1 et seq. (Conduct)

37
Engineering Practice

• Engineering Defined
• NY Educ. 7201. Definition of practice of
  engineering. The practice of the profession of
  engineering is defined as performing professional
  service such as consultation, investigation,
  evaluation, planning, design or supervision of
  construction or operation in connection with any
  utilities, structures, buildings, machines,
  equipment, processes, works, or projects wherein
  the safeguarding of life, health and property is
  concerned, when such service or work requires the
  application of engineering principles and data.

38
Engineering Practice

• Licensing and Title Statue
• 7202. Practice of engineering and use of title
  "professional engineer". Only a person licensed
  or otherwise authorized under this article shall
  practice engineering or use the title
  "professional engineer".

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Permissible Scope of Practice

• The purpose of the Education Law is to safeguard
  the life, health and property of the public.
• Licensing requirements which protect the public
  health and safety must be strictly complied with
  and a contract in violation of such statutes
  cannot be enforced.

40
Code of Ethics

• No matter what state you practice in, that state
  has a code of ethics which governs your ethical
  conduct.
• As a member of NSPE, there is another code of
  ethics which governs your ethical conduct.

41
Professional Code of Conduct

• As a professional license holder, or someone who
  works for a professional license holder, you are
  required to know the constraints imposed upon
  your conduct by the state code of ethics.
• If you violate the provisions of those code of
  ethics, you or the person that you work for can
  be fined or lose their license to practice.

42
State Laws

• Professional Misconduct-NY Education Law 6509
• Unprofessional Conduct 8 NYCRR 29.1
• Design Professionals - 8 NYCRR 29.3

43
Professional Misconduct 8 NYCRR 29.1

1. Willful or grossly negligent failure to comply
   with federal, state or local laws governing the
   practice of the profession
2. Exercising undue influence on a client in such a
   manner as to exploit financial gain in favor of
   the practitioner or a third party
3. Directly or indirectly offering, soliciting or
   receiving a fee to or from a third party for
   client referrals

44
Professional Misconduct (Cont.) 8 NYCRR 29.1

1. Fee sharing with those not otherwise authorized
   to practice in the same profession
2. Moral unfitness
3. Willfully making or filing a false report or
   failing to file a report required by law or the
   Education Department
4. Failing to make available to a client copies of
   documents in the possession of the professional
   which have been prepared and paid for by the
   client

45
Professional Misconduct (Cont.) 8 NYCRR 29.1

1. Revealing personal information without the
   consent of the client (identity financial
   condition how youre getting paid)
2. Practicing or offering to practice beyond the
   scope permitted by law, or performing services
   which the professional is not competent to
   perform
3. Delegating responsibilities to a person that is
   not qualified to perform them

46
Professional Misconduct (Cont.) 8 NYCRR 29.1

1. Performing professional services which have not
   been authorized by the client (going above and
   beyond in hopes of getting paid)
2. Failing to respond to inquiries from the
   Education Department (must rat out your
   friends most often comes up amongst partners)

47
Design Professionals 8 NYCRR 29.3

1. Being associated with any project or practice
   known to be fraudulent
2. Failing to report to the owner any unauthorized
   or substantial disregard by any contractor of
   plans or specifications when observation of the
   work is provided for in the agreement between the
   owner and design professional
3. Signing and sealing documents for which
   professional services have not been performed by
   the profession

48
Design Professionals (Cont) 8 NYCRR 29.3

1. Failing to maintain plans, documents,
   computations and evaluations to which the
   professional has signed and sealed for at least 6
   years
2. Having a substantial financial interest in a
   contractor, manufacturer or supplier on a project
   for which the professional is responsible without
   the knowledge and approval of the client
3. Fee sharing with persons other than partners,
   employees, associated in a professional firm or
   corporation, subcontractor or subconsultant

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Design Professionals (Cont) 8 NYCRR 29.3

1. Accepting compensation from more than one party
   for services on the same project without
   disclosing the same to all interested parties
2. Participating as a member, advisor or employee in
   a governmental body in actions or deliberations
   which pertain to the services of the
   professional
3. As to the practice of land surveying, revising,
   altering, or updating existing boundary lines
   without adequate confirmation of relevant
   boundary lines and monuments

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Homework Assignments (3) Individual Work

• Download the FE manual
• http//ncees.org/exams/study-materials/download-fe
  -supplied-reference-handbook/
• By knowledge areas (Civil-- http//ncees.org/wp-co
  ntent/uploads/2012/11/FE-Civil-CBT-specs.pdf ) or
  Mechanical-- http//ncees.org/wp-content/uploads/2
  012/11/FE-Mec-CBT-specs.pdf ),
  prepare a written summary as to how well you
  think you know the material. If you feel you
  dont know the material, list courses you could
  take or areas for review to help you be better
  prepared.

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Assign Professionalism Topics

• Preparing for FE exam (reference materials,
  classes, etc.)
• Rules for taking the FE/PE in New York State.
  Research differences between Engineering and
  Engineering Technology
• Job Search Engines (find and review 3)
• Whats on FE exam Whats on PE exam?
• FE exam (Computer-Based testing)
• Dress Codes
• Appropriate use of Technology at Work
• Patents
• MLA/APA Citation and Citations for online Sources
  
• Working With Difficult Personality Types
• Determining who is licensed as a Professional
  Engineer in New York State Other states?
• Good answers to hard interview questions