Effective Job Search and Interviewing for Mechanical Engineers

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Effective Job Search and Interviewing for
Mechanical Engineers

• PSU Career Center

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Top 5 degrees in demand (bachelors degree
level)

• Accounting
• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Business Administration
• National Association of Colleges and Employers,
  2007

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Top Places Employers Find New Hires (NACE 2007)

• Internship/Co-op program
• Employee Referrals
• Career/Job Fairs
• Faculty Contacts
• Internet job postings (company website)
• Job postings (CareerConnect)
• Student Organizations/Clubs

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Job Search Fundamentals

• 50 - 60 of jobs are never advertised
• Plan on spending at least 3 months looking for a
  job (international candidates may look longer)
• An effective job search will take 20-30 hours per
  week
• Use multiple methods to identify and apply for
  jobs
• The more effort the job search takes, the more
  effective the result.

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Before you begin

• Know what youre looking for industries,
  companies and job titles
• Know what you have to offer skills
  (interpersonal and technical) content knowledge,
  related experience
• Have your job search materials ready
• Two resumes (electronic and print versions),
• a cover letter (that can be tailored),
• transcripts (sometimes)
• a thank you letter (that can be tailored)
• Clothes to wear to an interview

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Spend 50 of your time identifying companies
where youd be interested in working and
contacting them directly

• Networking
• Book of Lists
• a. Top 25 Engineering Firms
• b. Top 50 Manufacturing Companies
• Career Center list of mechanical engineering
  employers
• Hoovers.com (search by industry or company to
  compile a complete list of competitors)
• Informational interviewing

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Who is your network?

• Career Center CareerConnect job listings, career
  fairs, on-campus recruiting
• Professors
• Student and alumni
• Family
• Friends
• Professional associations
• Project contacts
• Undergraduate contacts

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What is an informational interview?

• Meeting to gather first-hand information about a
  career, a job or an organization
• Not a way to obtain an employment interview
• Only for information gathering, networking and
  decision -making
• Limit interview to 20-30 minutes
• Research organization, identify who you want to
  talk with, develop a list of questions, arrange
  appointments (use networking contacts)
• Be sure to do your research before you prepare
  your questions
• Be sure to follow with a letter of thanks

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Spend remaining 50 of your time responding to
job advertisements (tailoring resume and cover
letter)

• CareerConnect (www.pdx.edu)
• www.asme.org
• Dice.com
• www.graduatingengineer.com
• www.jobdango.com
• State of Oregon
• www.monster.com
• Your favorites?

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What should I do now?

• Visit www.career.pdx.edu
• Register on CareerConnect jobs database
• Review resume, cover and thank you letter samples
• Look at Career Information Day attendees
• Prepare resume, cover and thank you letters
• Join appropriate professional associations
• Meet with faculty
• Set up informational interviews with classmates,
  program alumni, professional contacts
• Research potential employers
• Begin applying for jobs

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Purpose of the Interview

• Employers are assessing
• Your personality
• Communication skills
• Your appearance
• If you will fit into the organization
• Your strengths and weaknesses
• Attitude
• Verifying your resume

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Preparation(What you should know before
interviewing)

• Job Knowledge of the specifics of the position
• Self-assessment know your skills, knowledge and
  experience and how they relate to the position
• Knowledge of your career field
• Knowledge of the company (Very important)

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Why should I hire you?
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Top Qualities/Skills Employers Seek

• Communication (verbal written)
• Teamwork
• Interpersonal (relates well to others)
• Motivated/Initiative
• Strong work ethic
• Analytical

• Flexible/Adaptable
• Organized
• Detail oriented
• Leadership
• Self-confident
• Friendly
• Tactful

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Qualifications

• Do you have the required skills, knowledge, or
  background to do the job?
• Questions you might be asked
• Why do you feel you would be good at this job?
• What are your strengths? weaknesses?
• How has your work experience (or education)
  prepared you for this position?

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What are your strengths for the position?

• Give 3 or more strengths from your background
  that relate specifically to the job. (Highlight
  items from the job advertisement.)
• Choose 1 and give a more detailed example. I
  have very strong problem solving skills, I am
  very effective under pressure and I work very
  well in a team. For example, last term, I

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What is your weakness for the position?

• Choose a weakness that can be fixed in 6 weeks or
  less.
• Show how you will overcome the weakness and give
  an example of how you have overcome a challenge
  in the past.
• If asked about a skill or experience you do not
  have, respond truthfully but also add how you can
  overcome this lack of experience.
• Use transitional statements to move away from an
  area of weakness into an area of strength. Im
  not familiar with but I do knowvery well.

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Leadership or Initiative

• Are you a self-starter, someone who accomplishes
  things?
• You are being assessed for current position and
  your potential to assume higher levels of
  responsibility.
• Questions you might be asked
• What kinds of extracurricular activities have
  you been involved in?
• Describe 2 or 3 accomplishments of which you are
  particularly proud.

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Motivation and Goals

• Research and develop realistic career goals.
• Be able to discuss those goals within the context
  of each organization.
• Questions you may be asked
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
• What made you choose your major?

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Communication Skills

• Employers are evaluating your communication
  skills by how you are presenting yourself in the
  interview and also by how you are describing past
  experiences where you have communicated
  effectively.
• Communication skills include
• writing reports
• giving presentations
• explaining complex ideas
• resolving conflict

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Non-verbal Communication

• Eye contact
• Strong posture
• Body language
• Smiling and gestures
• Handshakes
• Voice modulation

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Verbal Principles

• Strategies to develop your interviewing skills

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General to Specific

• People will remember you by the stories you tell,
  not the adjectives you use to describe yourself.
• Start with a general statement then move to a
  specific example that will describe the details
  of a specific skill or experience.
• You should have one or two good stories to tell
  that would illustrate your key strengths.

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Behavioral Interviews

• Behavioral questions will ask about past
  experiences that demonstrate future performance.
• Questions begin with tell me about a time when
  or give an example of
• Describe Situation, Action, Results.
• This format can be used for open-ended questions,
  too.

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Sample S-A-R Response Planning and
Organizational Skills
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Situation

• The PSU ASME chapter decided to organize a food
  drive for local homeless families. Our goal was
  to gather 1 ton of food during a three day
  weekend and distribute it the following weekend.

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Action

• I met with ASME members and outlined activities,
  prepared a timeline and a chart of who would be
  responsible for what activities. I organized and
  coordinated 25 volunteers to go door to door
  collecting donations and was also responsible for
  contacting local media and advertising the event.

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Result

• We exceeded our goal by 300 lbs and the food was
  distributed to all families that had requested
  assistance within one week of the food drive.

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Volunteering Relevant Information

• If you still have something relevant to say in
  relation to why should I hire you?, keep
  talking.
• Most people will err on side of talking too
  little rather than talking too much.
• Use phrases such as you might also like to
  know. . . or in addition, I would like to add.
  . .

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Positive self reference

• Avoid phrases like I only have a 3.1 GPA.
• Only discuss your strengths, do not offer a
  weakness unless directly asked for one.
• If you are giving specific examples, you will not
  feel as though you are bragging.
• Speak in the first person, I am proud of the
  work I did there . . .

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Active Verbs

• Use the action verbs you have on your resume
• I initiated . . .
• I coordinated . . .
• I designed . . .
• rather than
• I helped with . . .
• I worked with . . .
• We did . . .

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End of the Interview

• Have some questions prepared about the position
  and the organization.
• Further clarification of the position
  responsibilities, projects, travel
• Further clarification on the department goals,
  career paths, training offered
• Further clarification about the plans, expansion,
  direction of the organization
• Generally, dont discuss salary until youre
  being offered the position.

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Nuts and Bolts

• Arrive 10 minutes early
• Bring extra copies of your resume
• Bring samples of work that may be of interest to
  the interviewer
• Prepare questions to ask the interviewer

• Wear appropriate, professional attire
• Bring a notepad and pen for notetaking
• Shake hands firmly and smile
• Know the interviewers name

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After the Interview

• Send a follow-up letter within 48 hours of the
  interview.
• Do an assessment of your performance and work to
  strengthen any areas of weakness.
• Apply for another job