Viterbi Career Services

ENGR 102 – Tips for Freshmen & Resumes

Presented By:Lilian Barajas

Workshop Overview

Career Services Overview

General Tips for

Freshmen

Fundamentals of

Resume Writing

Resume Checklist

Finding an Internship

Viterbi Career Services (VCS)

connectSC: On-Campus

Interviews/ Job Postings via connectSC

Weekly Wire: E-Newsletter

Walk-In Advisement:M: 1-3 pmW: 2-4 pm

Th: 10am-12 pm

F: 9- 11 amin RTH 218

Career Advising by

Appointment :Email

vcareers@usc.edu

VCS Resources

Viterbi Career Services (VCS)• Viterbi Career Expo (fall and spring)

• Thursday, October 14th 201010:00 – 3:00 at Engineering Quad

• Wednesday, January 26, 2011 10:00 – 3:00 at Engineering Quad

• Engineering Industry Information Sessions• VCS Workshops

Upcoming VCS Events

Tips for Freshmen

Get to Know Your Faculty• Attend Office Hours• Approach Faculty after Class• Inquire about Research Opportunities

Get Involved in a Student Organization• Sign up with a Professional Engineering Org

http://viterbi.usc.edu/students/studentorgs/• Find another USC org that you Share a Passion

http://sait.usc.edu/stuorgs/

Explore Careers in Your Field• Attend Company Events• Spotlight Series• Check out Company Websites

What is a Resume?

A brief, customized summary of your skills, interests and abilities

A method of marketing and advertising your most valuable skills

A tool to help you secure an interview or

meeting with a potential employer

Heading• Your name and contact information

Objective/Profile• Specific and positive statement of the type of opportunity you are

seeking and its fit to your skill-set

Education• List of your education background (degrees, institution, date or

expected date of graduation)• Relevant coursework

Academic Projects• Highlighted list of academic project experience as relevant to the

available opportunity

Purpose of a ResumeResume Sections

Work Experience• Summarized list of tasks and projects completed during a work opportunity

• Focus on leadership, results and achievements

Affiliations/Leadership•Activities or organizational participation outside of the classroom that demonstrate transferable skills

Skills• List of technical skills according to skill type (programming languages, lab equipment, etc.)

• List of language fluency

Interests•Activities that are unique and interesting

Purpose of a ResumeResume Sections

Resume BasicsIncludes Name, Address, Phone Number and Email

Header

Tommy Trojan555 Omaha Lane, Apt. B

Los Angeles, CA 90089

213-740-1111

ttrojan@usc.edu

Jane Bovard3650 McClintock Ave 213-555-5555

Los Angeles, CA 90089 sharaz@hotmail.com

Josephine Bruin3550 Hilgard Ave ◦ Los Angeles, CA 90095 ◦ 213-555-5555 ◦ cutiepie@yahoo.com

What types of positions are you seeking?

Objective/ Profile

Seeking a challenging position at a growth-oriented

organization.Seeking a summer internship in biomedical

engineering.

Seeking a summer internship in technical support to apply my interpersonal skills and

two years professional experience in customer service.

• Degree and University• Start with Most Recent Institution• Engineering Degree Listed Above University

• Include School, Major, Graduation Date • Always include GPA if 3.0 or above• Relevant Coursework

• List Upper-Division Course that Relate to Specific Job• Avoid Listing Introductory Courses

Education

Example:

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering GPA: 3.5University of Southern California Expected 5/2013Los Angeles, CA

Relevant Coursework:Mixed-Signal Integrated Circuit Design Linear Control SystemsOptical Fiber Communications Systems Principles of Radar

Highlight tools and languages unique to your skill set!

• Technical Skills• Programming Languages, Software Applications, Lab

Equipment• Language Proficiency (verbal)

Skills

Academics projects, research or papers that exemplify the work you’ve completed as an engineering student• Briefly summarize classroom experience = on-the-job skills• Consider your Transferable Skills

• Skills from the Classroom = Success in the Workplace• Focus on your role in the project

• Examples: Team Leader, Presenter• Emphasize the process and the end result of your project

• What were the project tasks?• What did you learn?

Academic Projects

Academic Projects

Cargo Plane Completion Fall 2009Team Member• Designed, built and tested prototype aluminum wheels• Helped build carbon fiber fuselage and foam tail glass

with fiberglass skin

Ozone Flight Sampler Fall 2009

Team Leader• Collaborated with a team of six on the thermal design of

reciprocating engine and rocket propulsions• Optimized properties in order to reach upper stratosphere• Met objective and improved performance by 20%

On- Campus, Co-Op, Internship and Full-Time Positions• Reverse Chronological Order• Include Company, Title, Start and End Date• Bullet points: Tasks, Responsibilities, Achievements• Use Action Verbs and Specific Details• Consider your Transferable Skills

Work Experience

Work Experience

Office Assistant Sept 2009 – presentUSC Engineering Student Affairs• Data Entry• General Office Tasks

Office Assistant Sept 2009 – presentUSC Engineering Student Affairs• Update and maintain Access database of student records• Schedule appointments for 8 advisors• Respond to phone and in-person inquiries

What organizations and activities utilize your time?• Professional engineering organizations a must!• Campus & community involvement• Stress leadership roles in organized activities• Interests should be UNIQUE & INTERESTING

Activities

Proofread for grammar and spelling! Make sure your resume is easy to scan by the human eye and online bots Font size between 10 & 12 point Consistency in formatting One page resume Adjust margins between .5 & 1 inches Use light colored paper – very positive and professional

Resume Checklist

Avoid templates (MS Word resume templates) Do not exaggerate and BE HONEST Watch tenses and utilize action verbs By the way… PROOFREAD!!!

Resume Checklist

What is an Internship

An internship is any short-term, supervised work experience usually related to a student's major field, for which the student may or may not earn academic credit. The work can be full- or part-time, on- or off-campus, paid or unpaid.

Internships provide students with the opportunity to: Gain exposure to a wide variety of occupations and environments Test out career areas of interest and obtain career related experience Apply acquired knowledge to bridge that gap between the classroom and

the world of work Develop and enhance marketable skills Meet and learn from professionals in the field and develop a network of

valuable contacts Usually during the summer or part-time during the academic year

- USC Career Planning and Placement Center

Why Get an Internship

Why An Internship? Enables you to be more competitive in today's job market Allows you to explore career options Gives you the opportunity to preview and test different occupational

fields Creates a network of contacts Assists you in learning professional etiquette and ethics 

Steps to Finding an Internship

1. Speak with your academic advisor and an advisor in Viterbi Career Services• Academic Advisors will help you determine if you are academically ready for

part-time or full-time work experience during the academic year• Viterbi Career Services will help prepare to look for an internship

2. Search connectSC & Weekly Wire • A number of Co-op and Internship Opportunities are available online

through connectSC and the Weekly Wire’s “Special Opportunities” section3. Attend Career Fairs and Information Sessions

• Viterbi Career Services Fall ‘10 Career Expo – October 14th • Viterbi Career Services Spring ‘11 Career Expo – January 26th

4. Search Corporate Websites & Online Industry Job Posting Sites• Available on VCS Student Site

5. Network with Family, Friends and Faculty

Questions?