Career Planning for Engineers

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Darrell Bowden
• Career Development Programs Coordinator
• Career Centre, Ryerson University
• 416-979-5000 ext 6624 dbowden_at_ryerson.ca

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Agenda
• Skills Sought by Engineering Companies
• Enhancing the Skills Portfolio
• Resume Tips A checklist
• Questions and Answer Period

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Skills sought by
• Engineering Firms when
• hiring new
• grads/students

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Skills sought by Engineering firms when
• hiring new grads/students
• Willingness to start at the bottom
• Rigorous Self-Discipline
• Presentation Skills
• Entrepreneurial Spirit
• Teamwork

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Skills sought by Engineering firms when hiring
  new grads/students
• Innovation
• Problem Solving
• Willingness to learn
• Positive Attitude
• Technical Knowledge

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Enhancing
• the
• Skills
• Portfolio

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Enhancing the Skills Portfolio
• In the Classroom
• When in group projects, use the experience to
  enhance skills in team building, conflict
  resolution, and problem solving
• Take advantage of opportunities to hone public
  speaking skills volunteer to do class
  presentations
• Ask questions, make comments, volunteer answers
  be active and assertive
• Select assignment topics related to your
  interests if none are offered, see if you
  instructor would be willing to negotiate
• Choose elective courses that are consistent with
  you career interests

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Enhancing the Skills Portfolio
• On Campus
• Get involved in campus clubs, societies,
  committees, and social organizations these are
  great networking opportunities with people of
  similar interests
• Develop leadership skills by running for elected
  office, sitting on a University committee or
  become active in your course union
• Take advantage of campus activities and
  facilities attend extra-curricular seminars,
  workshops, lectures. Become involved in team
  sports through your recreational facility
• Attend on campus Career Fairs and company
  information sessions organized through your
  Career Centre or Department
• If confused about career direction, visit you
  Career Centre

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Enhancing the Skills Portfolio
• External Community
• Familiarize yourself with the professional
  association relevant to your field become a
  student member volunteer to sit on committees
• Take part in pertinent community lectures, trade
  shows, exhibitions, conferences, etc.
• Use part-time and summer jobs as opportunities to
  gain experience and make career related contacts
• Actively seek out and network with people in the
  community who might eventually be able to assist
  you in your transition from school to work
• Do volunteer work to explore your interests while
  developing skills, knowledge and contacts
  Research and gather as much information about the
  types of work that interest you

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Career Planning for Engineers

• RESUME TIPS

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume DOs
• Be sure your resume is attractive, readable,
  concise, informative, accurate, and easy to
  understand avoid complicated language or lengthy
  narratives
• Always tell the truth but be selective, and
  always be positive, make sure all relevant
  information is included
• Qualify and quantify your experience and
  accomplishments. Clarify what you brought to each
  experience, describing what you did that was
  different. State figures and percentages whenever
  possible
• Use the library and other resources to research
  current writing trends and techniques
• Have friends or people in your field check your
  resume for feedback
• Whenever possible, customize your resume for each
  position you apply

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume DOs
• Eliminate all grammatical and spelling errors,
  accuracy is essential
• Make sure the point size is the appropriate size
  11-12 pt for the body, 14 pt for sub-headings,
  16pt for name in header Font should be Times or
  Arial
• Use underlining, bolding, and capital letters
  sparingly and avoid italics, bolding and bullets
  when e-mailing or scanning
• Margins should be a minimum of one inch all
  around, use left justification to avoid odd
  spacing within sentences
• Use single line spacing between sentences and
  double spacing between sections and paragraphs

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume DOs
• Insert bullets to highlight accomplishments, but
  do not overdo their use maximum of 6 points per
  section
• Be consistent with your alignment whatever
  style you use keep it consistent
• Begin sentences with action verbs
• Keep it short and specific, make sure there is
  enough white space, do not visually clutter your
  resume
• Maximum two pages, ensure good, clean, high
  quality copies use 8 ½ x 11 white bond paper

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume Donts
• Include irrelevant personal information do not
  state your sex, age, race, ethnicity,
  religious/social affiliations, marital status,
  sexual orientation, social insurance number, or
  any other information that is not relevant to
  your application for employment
• Include credentials that have no relevance to
  your job
• Place periods at the end of statements these
  are not complete sentences If you choose to use
  them, be sure that you are consistent
• Shift tenses within the same job description (use
  present or past tense only)
• Mix person the resume written in 1st person
  if you feel the need to use 2nd or 3rd person, be
  consistent in its use

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume Donts
• Put your references on your resume
• Include employer street addresses, supervisors
  names, or reasons you left prior jobs
• Use difficult-to-read or unconventional fonts or
  paper colours
• Include previous or expected salary
• Use jargon and abbreviations which are not well
  known

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume Donts
• Use gimmicks to get attention
• Include a photograph
• Use covers, binders, or legal size paper they
  complicate filing
• Attach unsolicited copies of diplomas, letters of
  reference, job descriptions, transcripts or
  evaluations have them available and take them
  to the interview but do not clutter your resume

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume Tips
• Accomplishment Statements
• S Situation
• A Action
• R Result

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Resume Styles
• Chronological
• Functional
• Combination
• Electronic

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Career Planning for Engineers

• CHRONOLOGICAL RESUME
• Organized in reverse chronological order and
  emphasizes job history.
• Presents work experiences and achievements by
  employer(s) and position(s), beginning with the
  most recent and working back in time to your
  first job.
• Emphasizes your accomplishments and achievements
• Illustrates your job history clearly showing
  growth and progression
• Shows consistent work history that relates
  directly to the next job target, without major
  employment gaps or numerous changes
• When the name of the most recent employer is
  highly prestigious or important in your industry
  and prior titles are impressive
• When employers expect this format in traditional
  venues such as education, government, and Fortune
  500 firms

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Functional Resume
• Organized to highlight your transferable skills
• Demonstrates capabilities not used recently or
  skills not used recently
• Makes your experience seem more generally
  applicable
• Facilitates changes from one industry to another,
  and between different types of work
• Emphasises knowledge and education when a new
  graduate or re-entering the job market after an
  extended absence, changing careers, newcomer
• Brings together abilities, positions/skills which
  may be unrelated (a variety of positions were you
  may have been freelancing, consulting or doing
  temporary work)

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Combination Resume
• A combination of the chronological and functional
  resumes
• Selects aspects from both the functional and
  chronological styles.
• Includes a section that summarizes experiences,
  skills, qualifications and/or personal attributes
  that are most relevant to the position
• Work experience is outlined using either a
  chronological or functional approach.
• Emphasises many years experience in a particular
  field, or several years experience in a wide
  variety of areas

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Career Planning for Engineers

• Electronic Resume
• Maintains the current format of your resume
  either Chronological, Functional or Combination
• Should be saved in Rich Text Format (rtf) right
  margin set at 4.5
• Begins with a Key Word Summary section consists
  of up to 60 words or phrases that state specific
  nouns or adjectives. Include job titles,
  job-related tasks performed, industry specific
  terms, skills and knowledge, interpersonal (soft)
  skills, degrees, diplomas, certificates.