RPI WorkshopSeptember 20, 2005

Presenters: Gene KieltyIGV Site / Engineering Manager

Danielle BuchbinderHardware Engineer

This evening’s topics …

• Resume Writing

• Career Fair

• First Impressions

The “key” is …

BE PREPARED !

What do you mean…be prepared?

First Impressions

You only have one chanceto make a 1st impression, make it a good one !

First Impressions!♦How to carry yourself

– Proper attire, Well groomed– Good posture, Self-confidence

♦What to have in hand– Resume, Transcript, Business Cards

♦ Introducing yourself– Hand Shake, Eye Contact, Speak Clearly– Group Activity (introduction to neighbor – as

self first, then as CEO – talk about differences)

First Impressions!♦ Be Knowledgeable – research company♦ Be able to “market” yourself

– Be Concise – Resume Highlights– Focus on Strengths– Key Experiences and Skills

• Academic and Personal/Job related• How can these help a potential employer

– Articulate Interests, Goals, and Aspirations

♦ Don’t overstate yourself, be able to back up statements with examples

Resume Writing

A resume is a key tool in the arsenal needed to connect with potential employers

What is a Resume?♦Resumes are used to get jobs, right?

WRONG!!!♦A “good resume” gets your foot in the door,

so you have an opportunity to sell yourself!♦A resume is a one or two page summary of

your education, skills, accomplishments, and experience.

♦A resume does its job successfully if it does not exclude you from being considered.

Before you start your resume …

♦Take time to do a self-assessment on paper.♦Outline your skills and abilities as well as

your work experience and extracurricular activities.

♦This will make it easier to prepare a thorough resume

Resume Tips♦ Spelling and grammar count!♦ Keep your resume up to date ♦ Make yourself easy to reach♦ Customize for specific jobs, industries or

companies♦ Clearly state academic credentials♦ Include classes and labs that identify skills♦ Highlight behavioral skills♦ Don’t overlook “applicable” pre-college activities

– honors, achievements, publications, etc.

Resume Tips♦ Buzzwords, buzzwords, buzzwords

– Keywords, Phrases and Action Verbs are typically targeted in resume database searches (and scored)

– VLSI Design, Semiconductor Device Physics, Telephony Protocols, etc.

♦ “Scanner-friendly”– Keep your resume to one page if not electronic– Avoid bullets, boldface, underlined text, shadowing,

colored-text, varying font size, bright colored-paper– Use plain-text, 11 to 12-point font, on white paper– Visit http://www.intel.com/jobs

You won’t get the interview if …♦ I have lurnt Word Perfect 6.0 computor and spreadsheet

progroms.♦ Reason for leaving last job: maturity leave.♦ Am a perfectionist and rarely if if ever forget details.♦ I was working for my mom until she decided to move.♦ Personal interests: donated blood. Fourteen gallons so far.♦ Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain

store.♦ Note: Please dont misconstrue my 14 jobs as job-hopping. I

have never quit a job.♦ Reason for leaving last job: They insisted that all employees get

to work at 8:45 a.m. every morning. Could not work under those conditions.

Resume Pitfalls♦ Too long (more than 2 pages)♦ Personal Information

– photos, marital status, age, height, etc.♦ Errors

– typos, misspelled and used words, etc.♦ Acronyms

– Spell out less common ones, create buzzwords♦ Exaggeration of duties / Falsifying credentials♦ Including skills / projects you cannot support

– If it’s on your resume, it’s assumed that you know it and that you’re probably interested in it.

Greatest Resume Pitfall♦Under-representing your course work,

work experience, and projects ♦ Not listing it at all or being non-descriptive

Assisted users with computer problems(what kind of problems)

Worked with support team(which support team, what did you support)

Performed computer simulations(what tools did you use, what kind of simulations)

Served clients(who are your clients, what did you serve)

Resume Writing ♦Heading♦Professional Objective♦Education♦Courses / Skills♦Employment History♦Honors / Activities♦Employment Eligibility Status♦References

Heading♦ Name

– Avoid Nicknames– Preferred Names Acceptable

♦ Mailing Address – Include current/school and permanent mailing address

♦ Phone Number– Include area code– Have a neutral greeting on your answering machine– Do you trust your roommate to take a message?

♦ Email Address– Use a permanent email address

Professional Objective♦ Be specific about the type of job you want

– Full-time? Summer Internship? Co-op? – Software developing? Hardware design? Yield analysis?

♦ Tailor your objective for each employer (if possible): To obtain a challenging summer internship as a software developer at Intel’s Buffalo site (May-Aug 05); (to provide telephony and communications solutions to enterprise).

♦ Avoid overly specific objectives that may exclude you:An entry-level position writing HTML for front end web applications used to test brushless motors.

Education (most recent first)♦ Academic Institution (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute) ♦ Degree (MS, BS, PhD)♦ Major (Electrical Engineering, Computer Science,

Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, etc.)– List all applicable degrees and majors (even ones in process)

♦ Graduation date (month and year)♦ Grade Point Average (received grade/scale)

– No GPA implies an undesirable GPA– Include Engineering GPA if higher than general GPA

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NYM.S. Electrical Engineering, expected May 2006, GPA 3.7/4.0

SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NYB.S. Electrical Engineering, May 1999, GPA: 3.2/4.0

Courses / Skills♦ Key Academic Courses and Projects

– Exhibit career interests and skill sets– Allow employers to identify a suitable position

VLSI Design and Processing, Solid State Devices, Windows and Microcomputer Programming

♦ Technical Skills– Design Tools (Spice, Matlab, Concept, Allegro)– Software / Hardware Languages (C, C++, VHDL)– Operating Systems and Applications Software – Debugging, Problem-solving, Troubleshooting

♦ Non-Technical Skills– Communication, Teamwork, Leadership, Planning,

Writing, Foreign Language, Time Management, etc.

Employment History ♦ Start with your most recent employment♦ Include: Name of Business, Location, Title,

Employment Dates, Average hours per week, Key Responsibilities and Duties

♦ Even seemingly unrelated work experience may impress a prospective employer

Intel Corporation (Portland, OR) Jan. 2000 – Aug. 2000Engineering Intern

Worked full-time as a co-op engineer in the yield analysis group for the Pentium® 4 Processor. Responsible for troubleshooting yield excursions and ensuring device performance targets were met on Intel’s state-of-the-art 8-inch wafer fabrication process.

Additional Resume Items♦ Honors / Activities / Publications

Regents Scholarship, Fall 03; Dean’s List, Spring 04 - Spring 05; Mathematics Club; Varsity Tennis; IEEE Member.

♦ Employment Eligibility Status- Permanent, unrestricted right to work in USA- US Citizen

♦ References (some recruiters consider this optional)- Ms. Jane Carr, VLSI Design Professor, (555) 555-555SUNY Buffalo, 123 Design Drive, Buffalo, NY 14211

- Mr. John Doe, Starbuck’s Manager, (555) 555-1234Starbuck’s, 12 Coffee Lane, Amherst, NY 14221

Resume – Other Attachments♦ Cover Letter

– Not Mandatory for most employers– Most often used with mail-in resumes

• Include area preference, availability, referrals• Cater your letter and resume for a specific position

♦ Transcripts– Not Mandatory for most employers– Sometimes needed at a face-to-face interview– Sometimes a pre-requisite of employment for recent

graduates, as is a copy of your degree diploma

Additional Attachments

♦Other non-mandatory items that may be useful to “sell” yourself at the interview– School Project Reports– Sample of Technical Writing– Abstracts of Theses or Dissertations– Publications– Work Performance Reviews

Career Fairs

Career fairs are a golden opportunity to make a good impression with an employer!

Career Fair Tips♦ BE PREPARED! ♦ Have enough copies of your resume

(and then some)♦ Have both “eye-friendly” and “scanner-friendly”

resumes – Intel looks for both!!!♦ Pencil & Paper

– Take notes after speaking to companies– Remember who you spoke with and about what – What were your first impressions– What do you think their first impression was of you

Career Fair Tips♦ Go early while recruiters are still fresh♦ Familiarize yourself with the company

– Attend open houses, read literature, go to the web site

♦ Know Yourself / Sell Yourself– Emphasize what you have to offer the company, how

you’ll make a difference, not visa versa– Be positive, enthusiastic and inquisitive– Know what kind of job you’re interested in and how it

matches what the company has to offer– Highlight internship experience

Now what …♦ Go to the Career Planning Center

– Have an extra set of eyes review your resume– Add your resume to their database (they have

connections with many companies who are specifically looking for the skills that RPI students offer)

♦ Go to the Career Fair– If seeking employment – Be Prepared!– If you are not ready for a job yet, dress-up and check it

out anyway; you can learn a great deal by viewing the booths and observing others interacting

♦ Interested in Intel? Post your “scanner-friendly”resume at: www.intel.com/jobs/resume

Questions about our topic?

Questions about Intel?

To be considered for employment: www.intel.com/jobs/resume

Intel Job Information:www.intel.com/jobs

Back-up/Follow-on Discussions

♦How do managers read resumes♦Scanner-Friendly Resumes ♦ Interviewing

The 30-second Resume Scan♦ Ever wonder what recruiters/managers look at on that 30

second resume scan?♦ They are looking for a match to their needs:

– Educational qualifications• Degrees, Majors and Minors • GPA • Graduation Date

– Career Objectives– Relevant experience – especially internships!– Extra curricular and leadership experience

Scanner-Friendly Resumes♦ For more information, check out the following links:

Scannable Resume Design http://www.resumeedge.com/recentgrads/resumeadvice

Scanner-Friendly Resume Writinghttp://utexas-eng.placementmanual.com/resume/resume-05.html

♦ If you are still not sure if your resume is scanner-friendly, try scanning it yourself.– Scan your resume and save it as a .pdf file or fax it to yourself– How does it look? Is the text clear and readable? If not, your font

may be difficult for a database search engine to recognize.

Now the Interview …♦ “Interview” is a two-way exchange of information♦ Know what the company does

– The worst question you can ask…“So what is it that Intel does, anyway?”

♦ Safe questions– What sort of training will I be provided as a “specify

discipline” Engineer?– What is the size of the team I will be working on?– What is the typical growth path for an entry level

“specify discipline” engineer?

Interviewing♦ Be ready for technical and behavioral questions

– Be sure to freshen up on your technical skills presented in your resumes

– Practice answering behavioral questions• How have you solved problems or handled conflicts• Describe a project where you worked in a team

– Behavioral traits that Intel wants: • Team Building, Tolerance, Versatility • Leadership, Assertiveness, Goal Setting, • Decision Making, Decisiveness, Commitment to Tasks• Policy and Procedures, Analytical Problem Solving • Spoken & Written Communication

Behavioral skills are the non-technical skills required to do the job. The interviewer uses behavioral questions to find out if you have examples of these behavioral skills.

Thank you!