11_writing to get an engineering job (ch10)

7/31/2019 11_Writing to Get an Engineering Job (Ch10)

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CH 10 1

Writing to Get an Engineering Job

To look for a job you need to know how towrite your resume or CV (Curriculum Vita)and an application letter

The resume is your main vehicle forpresenting yourself to any potentialemployer. The central question to ask in

preparing your resume is, “If you were anemployer, would you want to read thisresume?” Visual impact and appearancesare extremely important.



CH 10 2


Two tools commonly used to seek employment:

resume + application letter. You send one or bothof these to prospective employers

The key to an excellent resume writing is inpresenting it in the right way. Most people makethe error of just listing their experience andqualifications; this ends up being a rather boringdocument

A good resume should not only demonstrateyour skills and experience, but also give thereader a good indication of the type of personyou are. It needs to have personality.



CH 10 3

Writing to Get an Engineering JobHow to write an engineering resume?

A resume is a summary of your professionalexperience, education, and other backgroundrelevant to the employment opportunity you areseeking. Think of it as the highlights of who youare professionally (summary of your career todate)

An effective resume is one that highlights yourbest qualifications with a design that can bescanned in about 20-30 seconds. Theprospective employer should be able to glancethrough your resume and still have a decentunderstanding of your background and

qualification



CH 10 4

Writing to Get an Engineering JobContinuous Re-disign and Update

Developing a resume is not a one-time effort

Consider it a work in progress. You may haveto revise it and redesign it for every new job

opportunity Even if you stay a long time in one place, you

have to still revise it often to include all thenew experiences that you have gained

It is easy to forget small details which mayprove to be important if you do notconstantly update.



CH 10 5

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume – Design Components

Organize your backgroundchronologically or functionally

Chronological Approach: Divide yourbackground into education, experience,skills, and so It is good because itshows your work history

Functional Approach: Divide yourbackground into Interrelated groups ofeducation and experience



CH 10 6

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume – Design Components



CH 10 7

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Chronological Approach

One of the strengths of the chronological designis that it shows your work history - in particular,your responsibilities and projects for eachorganization you’ve worked for. In the educationsection, this design shows where you studiedand what you studied while you were there

However, the chronological design does not give

a capsule picture of your key qualifications andyour key strengths - that information is spreadacross work and education section. One way tosolve this is to add a highlight section



CH 10 8

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Functional Approach

The great strength of the functional approach isthat it consolidates information about your keyqualifications, summarizing all relevant workexperience and education

Prospective employers looking for someone withproject planning and management experiencecan quickly determine whether you have whatthey are looking for or not

In this design it is not immediately clear where,how and when you gained your experience oreducation (Weakness) – Fig 10.1



CH 10 9

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Highlight Section

Summary, Summary of Experience, Highlights ofExperience, Qualifications, and Profile (My CV)

This section is very popular, particularly for

professionals who are several years into theircareers. It is particularly helpful in resumes thatuse the chronological design

The highlighted section provides a neat bulleted

list of your key accomplishments, key areas ofexpertise, key education and training and so on.Even a reader who did not look further in yourresume would still get a good picture of who you

are professionally



CH 10 10

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Highlight Section



CH 10 11

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Objectives Section

Inclusion of this section is stillquestionable as it could narrow youropportunity. Therefore you do not have to

do it This section describes your career and

professional focus

It indicates the type of work you want todo, the type of position you seek, the typeof organization you want to work for. Thissection should be brief (2-3 lines only)



CH 10 12

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume

Membership and License Section: This gives a list ofthe professional organization and licenses

Specialized Equipment and Knowledge Section: Computer Specialists may list Hardware and

Software knowledge, Electrical Engineers may listskills in Analog circuit analysis etc

Miscellaneous Sections: Published Articles, createpublication Section, Honors and awards, patents

create sections any strong points highlight them Personal Section: interests, activities, hobbies,

languages etc are not always necessary. In mostcases you do not need them



CH 10 13

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Professional Experience

Name of the organization where you worked,its address, and phone number

Your job title and your specific responsibilities

Brief description of the organization-itsproducts, services, and technical aspects

Your Major achievements, important projects,promotions, and awards

Experiences with technologies, equipment andtechnical processes

Dates of employment with organization



CH 10 14

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Professional Experience

Ways To ShowYour Experience



CH 10 15

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – Educational Section

This may include

Name and address of educational institute

Your major and minors and grade points

The important courses you took and theirdescription

Experience with equipment, and technology.

Important projects

Academic Awards and memberships

Enrollment and graduation dates



CH 10 16

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEng. Resume – References Section

Available on request or you mayput names and address of peopleyou worked with or they taught you

or a combination



CH 10 17

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume – Overall Format

Figure 10.4 provides some ways to design theoverall format of resumes

Format of heading and margins: Many resumes

use a “hanging-head’ design in which theheadings are on the far left margin and thebody text of the resume is indented about 1-2inches. This design makes the line length of

the body text shorter and more easilyscannable, heading more visible. And thesections of the resume more visually distinct



CH 10 18


Different Styles



CH 10 19




CH 10 20

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume – Length and Headers

for Multiple Page Resume How long your resume should depend on how

much detail there is in your background and

qualifications It’s likely that early in your career you’ll have

trouble filling up a single page but that is not aproblem

However the general rule is to keep the resumeas short as possible, thus ensuring thatprospective employers may not read them asclosely as you want



CH 10 21


Multiple Page Resume



CH 10 22

Writing to Get an Engineering JobEngineering Resume – Sample



CH 10 23

Writing to Get an Engineering JobWriting Application/Cover Letter

The application/cover letter often accompanies

the resume. This letter is the first thing thatpotential employers see when they open the

envelop - the application letter on top, with theattached resume beneath it

There are two types of application letters

Cover Letter: You simply announce that a

resume is attached, indicate that you areinvestigating an employment opportunity, andspecify the position you seek



CH 10 24




CH 10 25


Full Application Letter: (mostly used) You discuss your background andqualifications as relevant to the position

you are seeking

The job of this letter is to promoteyourself; to highlight the reason why

you are right for the position This letter is the focus of the rest of the

slides



CH 10 26

Writing to Get an Engineering JobContents / Organization of Application Letter

First Paragraph: talk about the purpose of theletter, how you know about the opening position,catch the reader’s attention by stating somethingin your qualification that makes you the best onefor this position

Middle Paragraphs: talk about your qualificationsand experience related to the job that you areseeking. Mention that you attached your resumefor more details

Last Paragraph: tell the employer to keep intouch with you, try to encourage them to arrange

for interview, your interest in the job, and so…



CH 10 27

Writing to Get an Engineering JobContents / Organization of Application Letter



CH 10 28




CH 10 29




CH 10 30

Writing to Get an Engineering JobFollow-Up Letter

Usually you write thisletter when you do notget any response fromthe employer. Alsowhen you refuse the

offer job, and so.



CH 10 31

Writing to Get an Engineering JobHomework # 4 …… Write your Resume

Write your resume (CV) according to theguidelines + information you gained from thisclass. Follow the chronological design

As an engineer you are planning to apply forjob (as a design engineer) to one of thecompanies. You knew about the job positionin the newspaper. Write an application letter

to the general manager of the companytelling him that you are seeking this jobposition. Attached with the application letteryour resume.

11_writing to get an engineering job (ch10)

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