technical resumes with dean liesl folks_fall2014_sept
DESCRIPTION
Writing Your Technical Resume. A presentation by Dean Liesl Folks from University at Buffalo School of Engineering and Holly M. Justice from UB Career Services office in Fall 2014 for UB graduate level students.TRANSCRIPT
Writing Your Technical Resume
Holly M. Justice Engineering Career
Counselor Career Services 259 Capen Hall
Dr. Liesl FolksDeanUB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
Fall 2014
Technical Resume Writing
Student perspective vs
Employer/Professional Engineer perspective
What Employers Have Said They Seek:
HARD SKILLS
• EXPERIENCE! (Co-op/Internship,
related experience)• GPA• Good Communication
Skills –Oral and Written!
• Computational Skills• Data Management &
Analysis Skills• Problem-solving Skills
SOFT SKILLS
• Creativity• Evidence of Team
Work• Time Management
Skills• Enthusiasm• Flexibility
Internship posting examples
What is the employer really looking for in a candidate?
How do you illustrate your skills in your resume?
Internship PostingCOMPANY: FISHER-PRICEPOSITION: ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING INTERNDESCRIPTION•As an Electrical Engineering intern you'll have the opportunity to work on a wide range of products and explore diverse areas of electronics including:• Digital and analog hardware design• Mobile gaming• Digital audio• RF• Embedded programmingInterns are an important part of our organization making real contributions, learning as they do. Over one third of the electrical engineering staff at Fisher-Price began their careers here as interns.
Primary Duties:• Build and debug electronic hardware prototypes.• Testing and debugging of software.• Debug and test production prototypes.• Embedded programming• Technology R&D projectsQUALIFICATIONSKnowledge of the fundamentals of digital and analog transistor circuit design.• The ability to read schematics and identify electronic components.• Hands-on experience building circuits including soldering and wiring.• Background in programming. Knowledge of high-level languages such as C and low level such as assembly is a plus.• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment.Must be a registered student enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's Degree Program that is technically-based, preferably Electrical Engineering.
The Resume• What is it? Brief summary of your accomplishments
and skills
• Purpose? To get you an interview!• Should excite interest in you as a
potential employee
• Must show your impact
Resume Content: Must Have’s!
• Identifying Data: You must be easy to reach!
Your Name Address (temporary/permanent, dates) Phone (professional sounding message) Email (professional address name)
Eg: Yi (Mark)Wang
Resume Content• Social Media – Linkedin.com • Github• Online portfolios• Etc.
Resume Content: Must Have’s!
Education
Name of College/Univ. GPA (3.0/4.0 if good) Degree, Major/Minor Applicable Coursework (if applicable)Date Received or Expected Awards/Honors (if applicable) Study Abroad (if applicable)Example:
EducationUniversity at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY
Bachelor of Science Electrical Engineering, May 2015 Overall GPA 3.3/4.0 Technical GPA 3.6/4.0Dean’s List, Fall 2012, 2013
Relevant Coursework: Embedded Systems, Communications Systems, Applied Electromagnetics, Electronics Devices & Circuits, Electronics Circuits Lab
OPTIONAL – Only use if it will map to keywords.
Resume Content: Must Have!Experience
(paid jobs, volunteer jobs, internships, co-ops, military experience)
Target To Your Audience! Reverse Chronological Order!
Eg:
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING EXPERIENCE
Qualcomm, San Diego, CA System Test Engineer Intern, May – Aug 2013• Key contributor to the successful establishment of automated analog
System testing and characterization entity. • Conducted first high-volume system debug and test of QC single chip
product.• Collected and analyzed data and presented to project leaders
Resume Content: What’s so technical?Technical Skills (maps to keywords)
Example:
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Languages: C, C++, Java, Assembly
Software: Maple, Visual Basic, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint), Knowledge of
Matlab
Operating Systems: Windows 98/NT, Unix
Other: Soldering
Resume Content: What Else?Category Headings
• Language Skills• Computer Skills
International Experience
• Special Skills• Other Interests • Certification/Licenses• Additional Experience
• References Available Upon Request.
• Objective
• Engineering Projects
• Co-Curricular Activities
• Community Service
• Honors and Awards• Professional
Affiliations • Professional
Development• Leadership
Leveraging brand names on your resume
The power of recognized names on your resume.
Education – Advisor’s nameExperience – Name of company and/or
Supervisors, Colleagues References – Famous people!
Go back to the job posting and make sure you have the keywords in your resume.
If not, put them in your cover letter!
Internship PostingCOMPANY: FISHER-PRICEPOSITION: ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING INTERNDESCRIPTION•As an Electrical Engineering intern you'll have the opportunity to work on a wide range of products and explore diverse areas of electronics including:• Digital and analog hardware design • Mobile gaming• Digital audio• RF• Embedded programmingInterns are an important part of our organization making real contributions, learning as they do. Over one third of the electrical engineering staff at Fisher-Price began their careers here as interns.
Primary Duties:• Build and debug electronic hardware prototypes.• Testing and debugging of software.• Debug and test production prototypes.• Embedded programming• Technology R&D projectsQUALIFICATIONSKnowledge of the fundamentals of digital and analog transistor circuit design.• The ability to read schematics and identify electronic components.• Hands-on experience building circuits including soldering and wiring.• Background in programming. Knowledge of high-level languages such as C and low level such as assembly is a plus.• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work in a team environment.Must be a registered student enrolled in a Bachelor's or Master's Degree Program that is technically-based, preferably Electrical Engineering.
A separate page(s) for
Publications, Patents & Presentations (if you have them)
References
A separate page(s) for• Publications
– Peer reviewed publications– Conference publications– Other publications
• Presentations – Conference presentations (State oral or
poster)– Other presentations
• Patents
Publications & PresentationsUse journal standard style for listing pubs
Example• S. Solin , D. R. Hines , A. C. H. Rowe , J. S.
Tsai , Y. A. Pashkin , S. J. Chung , N. Goel and M. B. Santos "Nonmagnetic semiconductors as read-head sensors for ultra-high-density magnetic recording", Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 80, no. 21, pp.4012 -4014 2002
References• Add a separate page formatted in the
same manner as your resume with 3 references
• Format– Name– Title– Company/organization– Phone– Email– Rationale/Relationship
EXAMPLE:
Dr. Liesl Folks, MBAResearch Staff MemberHitachi Global Storage [email protected] *Supervisor during internship
Quiz
How many pages should your resume be?
The Resume: Final TouchesOverall appearance:
– Does your resume make you want to read it at a glance? • Ensure lots of white space on page
– 15 second rule – Modern font type (e.g. Sans Serif) – Font size 8-12 point – NO ERRORS!– No formatting errors
Do KEY points stand out at a glance?– Typically one page, no more than 2 pages!– if two pages put most important information on first page– use category headings to point to your strengths!
Use impact, accomplishment statements! – Impact statements with action words, do not use complete sentences
Is it getting you the interview?
The Resume & Applying OnlineSpecial Considerations
• You will need a traditional Paper Version, and you may need a simple text Electronic Version
– Keywords*
– Keep fonts, margins and enhancements simple.
– Use a clear file name (ex. Your_name_resume.doc)
• Emailing your resume– Email your resume to a specific person (Never mass email your
resume.)– Use formal, professional language (do not be casual in your emails! )
See Resume Examples
UB Career Services • Contact us:
– 259 Capen Hall 8:30am – 5:00pm M-F – Call 716-645-2231 to schedule an
appointment– Email us at [email protected] – Express Career Consult –
• 11:00-4:00pm M-F • www.ub-careers.buffalo.edu
Thank you for your time.
Good Luck!