Hi, I am drafting my resume, however there is a big hole in it that needs filling. I am applying for mechanical engineering internships, but ive never worked in the industry before. My question regards what i should put in the relevant experience section that i want to include (because i feel that this is one of the most important things). I already have previous employment listed, and also academic and extracurricular honors/awards, activities, and computer skills, so I feel my resume would be solid if i included the right stuff in the related experience section. Would it be appropriate to mention classes/labs that i took that pertain to the job i am applying for? thanks in advance.
Tim, I have been reviewing resumes and helping friends with their resumes for quite some time now and feel as if you are still a student, you should put what classes you have taken that have helped you prepare for your potential work experience. This will let employers know that you atleast have some *background* in the subject. Hope that helps. Thanks, DH
Yup, that helps. Thanks Darren. I'll be sure to seek your advice when i write my over letter either today or tomorrow.
Having hired hundreds of engineering people into these kind of jobs and others, this is what I look for: 1. Show me that you have an interest in the industry that you are applying for. 2. Show me that you know how to get things done. 3. Show me that you can quickly learn about anything. 4. Show me that you know how to work as a team member to get projects done. (These are in no particular order) I've seen too many engineering people that are very good academically(they could do well in political science or just about anything) but have no history of doing any hands-on type of work. Unless the work is purely academic or research those types would have problems with the type of people I usually look for.
Thanks CraigFL. Its good to hear from someone who actually reads resumes and hires engineers. I have a few quick questions: How would i show that i can work as a team member to get things done? I already have listed that i have been a member of the varsity rowing team since i i was a freshman, and that i am in a fraternity (which requires alot of teamwork). Shoud i mention class or lab design projects that i have done with groups? I really love working as a group to achieve a common goal, but im am not sure if my resume will express this. Also, a question i have for anyone- Should i put down 'American Cancer Society- Relay for life' for volunteer work if its only one day a year? As of now, i do not have anything from highschool. Is i correct to exclude stuff from highschool. Thanks.
I'd put down any volunteer work you've done. You don't have to work there 3 days a week...you still volunteer, just don't lie. I read that most resumes are about 80% accurate I think. As for the points Craig made...all very excellent. Most hiring mgrs are pressed for time and they don't want to have to "figure out" what you do, can do or want to do. If you can't incorporate it into the resume body then that is what a cover letter is for. I would go so far as to list them in bullet format like Craid showed you. Direct and to the point. Makes me think you have confidence and direction. You'll stand out over the other.... "To obtain a challenging position within a dynamic, growth industry and company, working on a team or as an individual towards the company's goals to increase shareholder value...yadda, yadda, yadda...."
There is already some great advice on this thread to answer your question. Here are some trends for your next career move. I tend to work with the guys that have 2-15 years industry experiance. A few tips on Resumes… (this applies to engineer & scientist job openings) I work as a headhunter and read 1,000's of resumes. I just got 23 new scientist jobs dumped in my lap, and for the last two weeks I've been reading resumes non-stop. This is not pretty, but here is the insider scoop 1) Remember a person is going to spend 20 seconds on your resume the first time they read it. First thing I want to see is your work history. I like it right at the top. What comanies did you work for? 2) All job descriptions from hiring managers usually start with a list of the competition and companies in the same niche… for instance- " we like to hire people from companies like Motorola, Ericsson, Qualcomm, TI, and Nation Semiconductor." If you have one of those on your resume for this particular search, you automatically make it into the second round. So if you have ANY connection with strong-name companies in your industry, they are great buzz words to sprinkle into your resume. (even if you just sold product to them, not only the one's you actually worked for) 3) The guy that is the most "hands-on" is going to be more valuable than a manager type. Companies that have been down sizing still hold on to their hands-on guys. And companies are still hiring "hands-on guys" even in the slow periods 4) Someone who has done the same thing for 2-12 years (what ever your experience level is) is more desirable. The more you jump around and diversify yourself, the harder it is to place you. When I find the guy that has been building radios since he was 14 and every job on his resume is in building radios, that guy is easy to place. 5) If you are local to the company you have a quick fast advantage. They will usually hire a less qualified candidate that is local. 6) If you are open to relocation you will have many more options. When I get a guy with a good resume that is open to relocation I work all kinds of openings with him. If he is not open to relocation, I'm usually not interested in working with him. I'm sure he's already talked to the 2 or 3 local options, and that's it. 7) If you are young and just out of college, Don't be afraid to be honest. I placed a guy at NASA that never had a summer job or internship, we needed to put something on his resume, so we put that he cut lawns (which he did). Just so happens the guy at NASA had a son that did the same thing, and my candidate got the job. Not very impressive or technical but it was real. Sometimes you don't have to be fancy. 8) Companies are still being picky, they can afford to wait for just the perfect match. I am seeing a better hiring picture out there, but there are still a lot of over qualified people applying for lower jobs and people willing to take a salary cut just to keep working. Its important to know this, I don't like being negative and things are picking up, but I have seen a few people blow good opportunities because their expectations are still stuck in the 1990's Hope this helps. Just some random notes from a guy that is in the trenches every day. PS… a few of my friends at F-chat contacted me or sent me resumes last time I posted here. I have all your info and will make a point to respond this weekend. I got swamped last month with new openings, but I am finally getting caught up. Sorry for the delay.
Mark, like you said in #7, i have never had an internship or any work experience in the type of internships i will be applying for. Here is the previous employment section: Previous Employment Assistant Technician, Home Services Shop, Pleasantville, NY, December 2003 Assisted in home maintenance and home improvement projects. Managed organized budget for advertising with four phone book companies for 2003 and 2004. Grounds Maintenance, Pleasantville Parks & Recreation Dept. Pleasantville, NY, Summer 2000- Summer 2003 Performed maintenance of town parks, playing fields and other recreational facilities. During the summers of 2002 and 2003, was responsible for a crew of other part time summer employees. Ensured that certain tasks delegated to the crew by the Foreman and Superintendent were completed. When i but and pasted the boldface and indenations didnt carry over, but that is what i have. Once i do the relevant experience section today, i'll post that. There really is alot of good advice on in this thread, especially from people who acutally read resumes and hire people.
Just one more comment.... When you send me information about yourself, you can just tell me: 1. "I am smart" You can tell me what others think of you: 2. "My friends voted me smartest person in the class" You can show me with provable things: 3. "My GPA is 4.0 out of 5.0" Or, you can tell me how you did something that would take a certain amount of cleverness and intelligence so I could see an example of it. 4. "My class project allowed me to journey off into many directions which brought me back to my starting point so I came to the conclusion that the earth was really round" Most people write resumes using #1 or #2 but they really don't tell me much. I still have to figure out if they are really smart and relative to what. (If they include a letter with the resume giving me the #3 or #4 information...)At least with #3 I have something I can check and maybe if I know the school I can guess at their standard. With #4, I can maybe see the thought process for problem solving and form my own opinion. If promising, I can check further into it during the telephone or face to face interview.
