Question for engineers that have been apart of the hiring process

[yelostang]

What do you look for in a resume? Obviously skills that pertain to the job, but what about length, accomplishments, and military training?

My background:

I'll be graduating this May with a B.S.E.E., and I'm having a really hard time getting responses so I think it might be my resume. I was AD Air Force for 6 years, worked Electronic Warfare Systems, and then worked for Northrop Grumman for almost 2 years as a Field Engineer. There was a one year period when I was unemployed, but then I started working at the school as a student research assistant. My GPA is right above 3.35. My resume format is one I got from the school's job page and it has name and address, summary of qualifications, education, and experience.


Thanks guys :beer:

 

[HYBRED]

The thing that got the most attention on my resume was project experience; overviews of specific projects I'd worked on during my internships, with emphasis on management and quality aspects. What industry are you looking in? Are you willing to relocate?

 

[harry gilbert]

Specifics on what YOU did to add value to your previous projects. Not what projects you participated with, but why having you there made a difference. Cost saving, improved quality, satisfied customer, faster completion... things like these. Don't forget the industry buzz words in your education and experience section - these help get your resume past the screening process and at least get read by a hiring manager.

 

[hunterp]

Another piece of advice in addition to those already given; hire a professional to write your resume. A good resume writer will know the right things to say and how to organize your resume. Look for one that specializes in your discipline.

 

[yelostang]

The thing that got the most attention on my resume was project experience; overviews of specific projects I'd worked on during my internships, with emphasis on management and quality aspects. What industry are you looking in? Are you willing to relocate?

I'm definitely willing to relocate and I'm mostly looking into defense type stuff and oil and gas.

Specifics on what YOU did to add value to your previous projects. Not what projects you participated with, but why having you there made a difference. Cost saving, improved quality, satisfied customer, faster completion... things like these. Don't forget the industry buzz words in your education and experience section - these help get your resume past the screening process and at least get read by a hiring manager.

As far as specifics goes...should I have one bullet outlining the job and the rest be the accomplishments? Or just accomplishments relating to areas of the job I'm applying for?

I've got some great stuff, but I just don't know where to put it.

 

[yelostang]

Another piece of advice in addition to those already given; hire a professional to write your resume. A good resume writer will know the right things to say and how to organize your resume. Look for one that specializes in your discipline.

How much does something like that cost? Do you know of any good places to go?

 

[SVT4ME]

Job related experience and acing the interview can’t hurt!

 

[GSPsnFORDs]

Specifics on what YOU did to add value to your previous projects. Not what projects you participated with, but why having you there made a difference. Cost saving, improved quality, satisfied customer, faster completion... things like these. Don't forget the industry buzz words in your education and experience section - these help get your resume past the screening process and at least get read by a hiring manager.

This will get you in the door. The resume is supposed to be a descriptive, yet intriguing summary of your past experiences. But don't forget to actually talk about and expound on achievements during the interview. I've interviewed some engineers that sounded good on paper but couldn't back up much of their work with details and/or would answer questions with a simple yes/no. lol When you're working on designs/projects you should be intimately familiar with them so don't be afraid to speak up and give all the details...interviewers want to hear it all! On a side note, at my last job we also looked for engineers with physical hands-on mechanical ability...that is always a perk in my mind so don't be afraid to list any hands-on experience or at the very least save it for the interview. Just my $.02. Good luck!

 

[GSPsnFORDs]

As far as specifics goes...should I have one bullet outlining the job and the rest be the accomplishments? Or just accomplishments relating to areas of the job I'm applying for?

I've got some great stuff, but I just don't know where to put it.

I just changed jobs in Oct. so this is all fresh in my mind. I was mostly targeting one company so I was trying to use their buzz words. But, my resume would have worked for any company...if you choose to include an Objective Statement, then you can tailor it to be company specific...as in including their name in the Objective.

I performed A LOT of different duties in my first position which lasted almost 5 years and I seriously had 1.5+ pages for my first draft but condensed it to 1 page. I broke it down to Company name and my title with them. Then basically broke it down into Design Projects (which would include any lead roles you might have had, designs, any continued learning/achievements, etc.) and Teamwork which might include working with outside suppliers, marketing, manufacturing, etc. etc.

That's a pretty vague description and not necessarily the titles I used but it should give you a start. Hope this helps.

 

[yelostang]

Thanks for the help guys! I actually feel kind of stupid now...I went through a three day military outprocessing class and they helped us set up a great resume. I had it, used it to get my job at Northrop, but went away from it because of a class I had last semester that was supposed to help us get a job. Well, now I'm back to the first style and almost have the entire thing done

 

[HYBRED]

I'm definitely willing to relocate and I'm mostly looking into defense type stuff and oil and gas.

Looks like my company has a few openings for a BSEE. PM sent!

 

[hunterp]

I went to Resume Edge to get one done. A search will turn up some others. A search will turn up some others. Here's a link to some reviews of some of the services: Resume Service Reviews – Compare the Best Resume Writers - JobGoRound.com . As for the cost, it depends on the company and what services you want to buy. You can purchase a basic resume, cover letters, federal government resume, educational vitaes and portfolios, etc. I would budget $150-350 depending on who you go with and what services you'd like. The person I worked with at Resume Edge was fast and on the ball. She called the day I placed the order and she went to town on what I had written. This was for an IT resume.

 

[GodStang]

Engineer here and have been part of the hiring process. Two older sisters and father all engineers in that do hiring. Having someone write your resume is stupid for the main reason is everyone you send your resume may to will want it a specific way. I sent my resume to both sisters and father and said help me with my resume. Each wanted it totally different. My resume ended up being so basic and easy and I had an interview a month before I graduated and was hired 1 week after graduation. It had nothing to do with my resume.

As an engineer it depends what field you are in and where you are looking and what you want to do. If you want to do Nuke work and Don't mind the south east you can have a 3 year old write your resume and be hired the next day. I had a buddy that is a Chem E. that tried to get a job in the oil business in Texas and it took him 5 years to get a phone call. He came to SC. Did Nuke work with me got his MBA and then moved back to Texas and got a job with an Oil company.

From the people I have helped hire as long as you do not have stupid shit on there and your write your resume to the job you are applying for it will be pretty simple and straight forward. We have specific abilities we need filled and if your resume has that included that person gets a call with in a day or two. If they do not have the abilities on the resume for the specific job we need filled then we chuck their resume.

 

[WireEater]

You also want to make sure you don't bore the person who screens the resume. You need to make your information stand out from everyone else. Use sight words that grab their attentions, powerful words that can explain a lot of things by looking at it. Also your format and the length of details sometimes matter. Short and simple is sometimes important. If they are TRULY interested in you, they will ask you stuff you probably didn't include on the resume at the job interview.

Best of luck.

 

[GodStang]

You also want to make sure you don't bore the person who screens the resume. You need to make your information stand out from everyone else. Use sight words that grab their attentions, powerful words that can explain a lot of things by looking at it. Also your format and the length of details sometimes matter. Short and simple is sometimes important. If they are TRULY interested in you, they will ask you stuff you probably didn't include on the resume at the job interview.

Best of luck.

^^ This. We had one guy that, no lie, put that he was married, had kids, gave the ages of the kids and the names of his kids on the resume. Also listed all of his hobbies. After we all had a good laugh at it we threw it away.

 

[HYBRED]

I had a buddy that is a Chem E. that tried to get a job in the oil business in Texas and it took him 5 years to get a phone call.

That's not uncommon; the oil industry in Texas is huge on who you know. My sr design prof got me into the company I work for now. You gotta have a foot in the door, unfortunately.

 

[yelostang]

Looks like my company has a few openings for a BSEE. PM sent!

Thanks!

As an engineer it depends what field you are in and where you are looking and what you want to do. If you want to do Nuke work and Don't mind the south east you can have a 3 year old write your resume and be hired the next day. I had a buddy that is a Chem E. that tried to get a job in the oil business in Texas and it took him 5 years to get a phone call. He came to SC. Did Nuke work with me got his MBA and then moved back to Texas and got a job with an Oil company.

Is there anything wrong with Nuke work?

 

[all4ford]

Architect here- I specialize in architectural and mechanical drafting along with fabriating an welding. I have been laid off for about a year now due to the area I live in and lack of business in that field in the area that I live. But anyways my resume is like most of you guys described and it's informative with my skills and things that I have accomplished along with other major projects. Where I used to work the biggest problem anymore is they would rather find a person with less experience but knows the partial way and they will hire them for cheaper and just train them instead of hiring an educated person who can accomplish all and any task. Anymore I try and use my resume and people I know to try and get hired that my only best tip but normally keep the resume strong short and simple ad make it stand out.

 

[EBBS_03_Cobra]

That's not uncommon; the oil industry in Texas is huge on who you know. My sr design prof got me into the company I work for now. You gotta have a foot in the door, unfortunately.

Not the thing I want to read. My major will be in petroleum engineering and I would ideally like to live in Texas.

 

[harry gilbert]

...
As far as specifics goes...should I have one bullet outlining the job and the rest be the accomplishments? Or just accomplishments relating to areas of the job I'm applying for?

I've got some great stuff, but I just don't know where to put it.

Sent you a PM.