Building a Winning Resume and Acing the Interview

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Building a Winning Resume and Acing the Interview

• Anthony Fasano, P.E.
• Executive Director
• The New York State Society of
• Professional Engineers, Inc.

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Overview

• Winning Resume
• Resume Customization
• A Formula for a Winning Resume
• Resume Length/Experience Challenges
• Understanding/Researching the Prospective
  Employers
• The Interview
• The Follow Up

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What is a Winning Resume?

• Helps you land the job or more specifically a job
  interview

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The One Key Factor You MUST Know About How Your
Resume Will be Read

• Visual presentation
• Neat, easy to read, contains some key points

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Importance of Customizing Your Resume

• Executives look at resumes that match up to their
  companys needs
• Mention the companys name
• Use the same words from the job description

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The Formula to Building a Winning Resume

1. Include your contact information in the header
2. Justify the text
3. Ensure layout is consistent
4. Place your most relevant work experience at the
   top of your resume
5. Use numbers where applicable
6. Bold important items that you want to stand out
7. Lose the objective or make it count!

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Sample Resume
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Sample Resume
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Sample Resume
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Proper Length of a Resume and How to Make Yours
Fit

• For engineering students no longer than 1 page
• First 5 to 10 years of your career 2 to 3 pages
• For over 10 years of working experience 5 to 10
  pages

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Tips for Keeping Resume at a Reasonable Length

• Contact information in header
• Remove the objective
• You do not have to put references available upon
  request
• List only the projects/experience relevant to the
  position you are applying for
• Decrease margin size slightly
• Have a colleague proofread it

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How to Effectively Provide Non-Engineering
Experience

• Make two different sections
• Engineering or Related Experience
• Non-Engineering Experience or Non-Related
• Write job descriptions for unrelated experience,
  showing how the skills learned will help the
  prospective employer

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Importance of Honesty

• Always be truthful on your resume
• There are times that it is okay to leave
  something off a resume especially when it will
  look really bad to prospective employers
• Update and validate your LinkedIn profile

Whoever is careless with the truth in small
matters cannot be trusted with important
matters. - Albert Einstein
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The Interview
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Understanding the Prospective Employer and Their
Needs

• (Do You REALLY Fit the Bill?)

• Review the job description in detail again.
• Do a thorough check of your LinkedIn network for
  people who
• Work for the company contact them if they know
  anything about the position or department you
  would be working in
• Hold similar positions to the ones you are going
  to interview for ask them what challenges they
  face in that position
• Prepare a plan to describe the steps or
  strategies you would implement to improve the
  department.

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Interview Research and Preparation

• Thoroughly review the companys website
• Search for the person who will interview you or
  who you will be working under on LinkedIn
• Identify average industry salary for the position
  (/-10,000) and play dumb
• Emphasize your strengths and how you feel they
  would still give you (and them) an advantage
  regardless of the location
• Try to explain the reason you left from past
  positions in a way that makes them feel
  comfortable to hire you

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Interview Etiquette and Attire

• (No, Jeans Work boots Are NOT Acceptable!)

• Familiarize yourself with the location of
  interview in advance
• Wear a suit, no questions asked
• Turn off your cellphone
• Show up at least 15 minutes early
• Pay a compliment to the interviewers
• Do not cut people off during the interview
• Dont ask for a drink, but dont refuse if offered

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The Interview

• Brief Introduction
• Ask a question What need is the company looking
  to satisfy by filling this position?
• Present yourself, your skills and your experience
  as the perfect choice to fulfill the need
  (example)
• Answer any questions, concerns or objections they
  may have
• Ask them when they plan on making a decision

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Closing Thoughts

• A winning resume is one that helps you to land a
  job interview, nothing more, nothing less.
• Hiring managers will typically scan your resume
  for 10 seconds and decide whether or not to do a
  more detailed review, so be sure your resume can
  gage their interest quickly.
• Your resume should be customized for every job
  you apply for.

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Closing Thoughts

• Be honest throughout the job search process.
• You must build a strong presence and network on
  LinkedIn, and also leverage LinkedIn groups to
  find new opportunities.
• Do your research on a company prior to an
  interview and be prepared to discuss some aspects
  of their company/website.

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Closing Thoughts

• Show up on time for your interview, dress
  appropriately, and turn your cell phone OFF.
• Be sure to ask a question about the specific
  duties of the job early on in the interview, so
  that you can present yourself as a perfect match.
• Ensure that you take your FE exam as soon as
  possible and seek to obtain engineering
  experience that will qualify towards the NY PE
  license

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NYSSPE Student Resources
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NYSSPE Student Resources
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NYSSPE Student Resources
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Questions

• The New York State Society of
• Professional Engineers, Inc.
• 6 Airline Drive
• Albany, NY 12205
• [phone]
• www.nysspe.org
• Anthony Fasano, P.E.
• afasano_at_nysspe.org
• [phone]

The New York State Society of
Professional Engineers, Inc.