Watson Career and Alumni Connections. 2 Binghamton University Agenda Mission of the department Importance of Networking Resumes Interviews Watson Career

WatsonCareer and Alumni

Connections

2Binghamton University

Agenda

• Mission of the department• Importance of Networking• Resumes• Interviews

Watson Career and Alumni Connections (Domestic/ International)


Watson Career Connections: What’s our purpose?

Professional Skills Training

Networking & Engagement

Employment Opportunities

Increase Placement and Career Success


• Seminars on Interviewing, Resumes & Cover letter prep, Promoting Yourself, Networking

• Ready for Takeoff Class Offered – non credit class to provide students with professional skills needed to land a job

• One-on-One resume / cover letter reviews• Resources: Watson Career & Alumni Website, Biweekly

newsletters, Social Media, Checklist– what to do to launch your engineering careers

Professional Skills Training


• Industry Tours: NYC and Local tours• EY Trajectory Program• Industry & Alumni Panels • Engineers Week 2014 - Kickoff event, Professional Seminar,

Speed Networking• Alumni and Industry mentoring sessions• Campus Career Fair & Metro Career Night

Networking and Engagement Opportunities


Employment Opportunities

• Making connections with Industry, Alumni, Research Partners

• PI Day to Recognize Graduating Students and build bridge to Alumni Network

• Alumni Events – San Jose, Boston, Seattle, New York City to make connections


International Collaborations

• Programs: India Student Trip, Korea - Samsung 10 student internship• Visits: VIT, Anna University, VI, IIT Bombay, PES Institute of Technology

(India); • Industry visits in Bangalore India, UEC in Tokyo• Alumni Events – Bangalore, India, August 2013; Taipei,

November 2013 Mumbai, India, January 2014• Student Trips: India

Freshman Year

• Prepare Resumes & include high school experiences – attend workshops / CDC

Resumes / Cover Letters / Interview

Skills

• Put yourself out there!Events

• Initiate networks, reach out, attend career fair!

• Insight On-Site, Linked In, hireBING Networking

• Join a club!Get Involved!

• Engineering Discipline / CSConsider your major

Internships

Summer jobs/

Volunteer work

Conferences and

seminars

Leadership

workshops

Summer time


The Value of Networking


What percentage of individuals obtain jobs via networking??

When should you build your network?? It’s one of the most important processes you will

use to obtain a job and need to become very comfortable at it

It’s the process of building alliances and relationships

Powerful tool both in the beginning of your career as well as advancement – you never stop networking!

You need to seek out and connect with individuals who can support your career path

The more you practice the skill, the easier and more proficient you will become at it

Networking


Reach out to sources• People you know – domestically and internationally

• Relatives• Friends and Acquaintances• Co-workers• Neighbors• Friends of Parents• Parents of Friends• Alumni• Teacher/Professor/University Contacts/Watson Career

and Alumni Connections/CDC• Peers

Very difficult to find your way in via Human Resources• Need to put a face behind the pile of resumes

Ways to Develop Network


Reach out to sources• People you don’t know but can gain access to

Online social networks such as LinkedIn Alumni Association Professional Network

Thomas J Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science Alumni

Binghamton University Alumni Association Job Forum

• Professional Associations – Students groups• Attend Conferences; they often have job fairs

• Job Fairs• Volunteer Work – invest in your future career• Internships – Domestically & Internationally

Ways to Develop Network


Finding a position

• Utilize a Diverse Approach• CDC – hireBING

• Any connections our office make for with industry, alumni, research are posted via hireBING

• Visit corporate, research, educational and government website

• Some other online job resource websites include:

www.monster.com

www.indeed.com

http:engineering.careerbuilder.com

www.linkedin.com

www.engineeringjobs.com


RESUME


The Goal: To convey your strengths, objectives, and message in a way that creates interest from employers, ultimately

leading to interviews

The Purpose: To provide readers with a concise summary of your experiences, skills, and qualifications using a

consistent theme/brand


Pay attention to Content and Form Content

• Concise: phrases not sentences; choose words carefully

• Think in terms of the reader

• Gear your resume to the skills, experiences and qualities employers seek

• Action and results oriented

• Promote relevant background

• Factual: do not misrepresent

Form• Organize into categories that are easy to read and identify

by employers (visually appealing layout)

• Most relevant information first

• Consistent presentation

Resume Basics


The Components of a Bullet

• What exactly did you do? • Start off with a STRONG action verb• NO “Responsible for” or “Worked with”What• What was your methodology or process?• Did you use any relevant software

programs?• What technical or interpersonal skills did

you demonstrate?

How• What was the purpose/outcome?• How did you contribute to the bigger

picture?• Quantify results if possible.• How successful was this experience?

Results


Strong Content

Stronger , more compelling, and

consistent content increases the chance for an

interview

Strong action verbs convey

and support

your brand

NO “laundry

lists”

Quantify where

feasible

Search the job

description for clues


• Identifying Information

• Objective

• Education

• Technical Skills/Courses

• Relevant Experience

• Lab/Research Experience

• Engineering Projects

• Leadership Experience

• Activities/Other Experiences

Typical Categories

Dependent on Experience/Job Description


Identifying Information

INCLUDE• Name• Permanent Address (local for Study Abroad

Students) • Phone Number• Email Address

• Example: Dia Rigong 1234 Resume Lane, Engineer NY, 123456

(111) 111-1111 | [email protected]


Objective A brief statement providing focus and

direction to your resume indicating what position you seek and what you offer

The rest of the resume should provide evidence of your qualifications for the position you seek

• optional

• focus on employer’s needs

• communicates a sense of direction

• influences how resume is organized

• brief -- one or two lines


Objective

Samples

A position as a computer systems analyst at Lockheed Martin

An HVAC Intern position at BAE Systems


Education

Should Include:institution namedegree, major, date expectedGPA (overall)

May also include:minor or concentrationGPA (major)HonorsHonor societiesDean’s list


Education

Samples

EDUCATION Binghamton University, State University of New York - Watson School of Engineering Expected May 2014 Bachelors of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering 3.X/4.0 GPA, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honors Society, Alpha Pi Mu Industrial Honors Society


Technical Skills / Courses

• For example: Software Packages, Languages, Operating Systems


Relevant/Professional Experiences

Which Experiences Do I Write About?• Create a list of all positions and

activities in which you have been involved (paid/unpaid)

• Review the list to identify those that relate most to your objective

• These are the positions that you will focus on in the Experience section


Experience

NOT limited to paid employment

Consider what relates:

• Internships

• Volunteer work

• Campus involvement

• Employment

• Independent study

• Special projects

• Field work


For Each Entry…

Include:• Organization name, city and state • Dates of activity (month/year to month/year)

– right justified• Position held • Bullets – what, how & why/results

BE CONSISTENT!


Relevant Experiences


Project / Lab Experience

• Projects

• For example: Senior Project, Junior Project, Environmental Issues Project, Reverse Engineering Project


• Involvement shows another dimension of you as a candidate

• Campus activities, volunteer positions, committees, athletics

• Include position, organization name, location, and dates of involvement (month/year – month/year)

• Include descriptive statements to highlight skills developed or accomplishments

Leadership Experience / Activities


Leadership Examples


Logistics of a Resume

Type in word, send as PDF to

retain formatting

Set all margins to .5”

Point size: name at 14 – 16, text at 10

– 12

Font type: Times New Roman or

Arial

Keep it to ONE page!

Objectives should be

specific to company,

otherwise left out

List position, organization, location, and

dates

Match verb tense to dates

Stay consistent and 100% error free!


Quick Resume Tips

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FClWySJ6Sxs • Talk show – the severity of typos!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FClWySJ6Sxs




Resume ReviewFirst stop…for resume review - CDC

Watson Career and Alumni Connections Office Hours:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 11:00am-4:00pmTuesday, Thursday: 9:00am-3:00pm

C-POD of the Engineering Building

Send your resume/cover letter to:[email protected]

Reference guides available on our website: http://

www.binghamton.edu/watson/student-services/career/index.html

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.binghamton.edu/watson/student-services/career/index.html




Interview Tips


Why an interview?• Getting to know you and if you’re a “fit”

What kind?• Phone• Virtual• Face-to-face• Panel• Group

Interviews


Research the firm/organization• What are they “known” for?• Who are their clients/constituents(profile)?• What is the “culture”?• Is there a “lingo” to the dept you’re

applying to? • Why is this important?• Glassdoor can be a useful tool!

1st Step - Prep


Review your resume/application• Make sure you can “talk” about everything• What did you get out of each experience• What do you want to highlight to the

interviewer• Have a copy with you during interview

Write it down!!!• Your highlights or details• Questions

Still Prepping……


• Interview • Why you? Why This? Why us?

• Know typical general interview behavioral questions and practice them• Tell me about yourself• Why have you chosen this major• What is your greatest accomplishment• What is your greatest challenge• Describe a problem you encountered and how

you succeeded• Talk about a group project

• Know typical technical interview questions and practice them

Still prepping


Technical interview questions are to gauge problem solving skills when put on the spot

Dependent on the job requirements, experiences/skills

Example Questions:• Software Engineer

• What is the difference between Calloc and Malloc?• Explain what are data structures

• Electrical Engineer• What are voltage dividers used for• How are analog signals converted to digital signals

• Mechanical Engineer• What are the laws of Thermodynamics• Interpret a stress vs. strain curve

Still prepping


Practice, Practice, Practice!! Attend Mock Interviews at CDC Talk to people!

• Have your friends interviewed before?• How did it go?• What questions did they ask?• What does he wish he would have done differently?

More Prep work….


• Get enough sleep• Eat something• Sit up straight• Take a deep breath• Smile• Eye Contact• Dress for success

Remember….You are interviewing the firm as much as they are interviewing you!

The Time is Now!


• Professional, Business Casual, Casual• For interview and as you begin a new job, dress

professional• Once you are in the job, culture will determine

dress code!• Better to be overdressed• If you’d wear it to a club or on a date……..don’t

wear it to work

Dress for success


Dress for success


Dress for success


Dress for success


Appearance and Grooming

Try to find out culture of the company and if you don’t know start off being conservative• It’s critical to be clean/neat from head to toe• Conservative jewelry/accessories • Don’t overdo cologne or perfume• No food or gum

Dress for success


• Resume/supporting documents• The person’s name and title

• Use formal address unless they ask otherwise• Padfolio / briefcase • Pen and paper• Notes / Questions you have for the firm

What to Have on Hand


You need to be clear and concise• Speak slowly and enunciate

Watch your language/grammar• Easy to fall into slang when on a roll

Are you telling them what you want them to know?• Refer to your notes & resume

Ensure to ask questions at the end of the interview

Answering Questions


GOOD LUCK AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, PREPARE!

Summary

Documents

Watson Career and Alumni Connections. 2 Binghamton University Agenda Mission of the department Importance of Networking Resumes Interviews Watson Career