MEP EP#279: Avoiding The HR Pit of Doom, Resume and Interview Tricks for Engineers

MEP EP#279: Avoiding The HR Pit of Doom, Resume and Interview Tricks for Engineers

• Engineering Resumes
  
  
  
  • The main goal: To start a conversation
    
    
    • The resume is intended to give a snapshot of you not to be your autobiography
      
      
      • The person doing the interview probably has other tasks that they have to accomplish
      
      
      • Your interview is important but it is likely not their main focus, keep this in mind
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Too much information is a bad thing - remember people hiring have to read lots of resumes
    
    
    • The 1 page rule
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • The HR pit of doom
    
    
    • There is a high likelihood that your resume will not go to an engineer when you apply via any portal/service/online app
    
    
    • Grammar/spelling/design/layout

    
    
    • You may be the best engineer out there but if you can’t get that across to a non-engineer then you are in trouble
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Humble Bragging
    
    
    • You are not Engineering Jesus
    
    
    • Use tangible wording and describe cornerstones of your career
      
      
      • Example - I did X task and productivity increased Y%
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Do not obfuscate your work with unclear words.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Be clear about your involvement in your tasks
    
    
    • Avoid the following
      
      
      • “Responsibilities included”
      
      
      • Collaborated
      
      
      • Think outside the box
      
      
      • Go-to person
      
      
      • Value add
      
      
      • Team player
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Use Verbs to describe your work
      
      
      • Improved
      
      
      • Managed
      
      
      • Created
      
      
      • Designed
      
      
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Do not Pad your resume
    
    
    • Shorter and clearer are much better than essays
    
    
    • Remember the HR pit and the person reading your resume
    
    
    • Control the white space on your page - This can be more powerful than writing a ton of fluff
    
    
    • Get to the point
    
    
    • Be proud and confident in what you have done and highlight it concisely
    
    
    • Use Technical Writing
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Graduate resumes
    
    
    • Probably does not include much other than your schoolwork
    
    
    • Absolutely put anything other than school
    
    
    • Internships should be front and center
    
    
    • Anything that shows your passion for your degree
      
      
      • If you don’t have anything like this get on it
      
      
      
      • Describe how you used your degree to do something
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Only put classwork that is relevant to the job you are interviewing for
    
    
    • Remember - everyone in your degree had to do the same thing, it doesn’t make you special
    
    
  
  
  • Objective statement - I can take it or leave it
    
    
    • Dont just put - looking for a job
    
    
    • See if you can make it interesting to read
    
    
    • Better to write a cover letter if you have something to say in an Objective Statement
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • How to describe things you can’t describe in detail on your resume?
  
  
  
  


• Engineering Interviews:
  
  
  
  • Research Research Research
    
    
    • The more you know the more you can be prepared
      
      
      • Remember that if you get this job you could spend 1/3rd of your life there
      
      
      • You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Dress appropriately
      
      
      • Under dressed is not helpful - Avoid if possible
      
      
    
    
    • Come prepared - No place is going to fault you for bringing things in
      
      
    
    
    • Bring multiple copies of your resumes
      
      
    
    
    • Bring your work
      
      
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Personality Tests
    
    
    • How to prep for these kind of questions?
    
    
    
    • "What is your greatest weakness?"