After spending some years in an engineering class, armed with a degree, it’s finally time to find a job. However, finding a job in the engineering industry is not a simple task. For one, how can you impress potential employers since there are thousands of candidates graduating every year?
Fortunately, hope is not lost as there are plenty of start-ups and other young companies that are willing to hire fresh graduates. Still, to successfully land a job in this industry, you must impress your employers.
That being said, below are some of the ideas you can implement to impress employers:
- Create An Impressive Resume
A resume or curriculum vitae offers a summary of your knowledge, experience, skills, and other soft traits at a glance. By using content-packed and visually impressive resumes, engineering candidates can improve their chances of being noticed.
Some of the aspects that make a resume impressive are:
- Skills and Experience: Since engineering is a technical subject, employers are more interested in your practical ability to perform a job. That’s why it’s important to include in your resume relevant skills, like computer science, data modeling, commercial awareness, and problem-solving skills.
Additionally, it would help if you highlight experience attained in internships, volunteer projects, or science projects during your college years.
It’s highly recommended to prioritize this section after the bio or career summary.
- Formatting: The format should give an impressive visual appeal to employers. This can be achieved by using simple text formats like Times New Roman, consistent margins, and moderate spacing. You can also use bold and subheading in sub-sections to improve readability.
- Include a Career Summary or a Personal Profile: A career summary is made of three to four lines that consist of a summary of the job title, skills, experience, and achievements.
- Proofreading: Your resume should be devoid of typos, grammatical errors, capitalization mistakes, or poor choice of words. That’s why it’s important to conduct thorough proofreading to eliminate such errors that can paint a wrong impression to the employer.
For a better outcome, you can liaise with a professional resume services provider to develop a visually impressive resume.
- Volunteer in Community Engineering Projects
The process of finding a job, sometimes, doesn’t yield fruits as quickly as applicants would like. It can be depressing and frustrating especially if the candidate is not actively engaged. Therefore, to impress potential employers, it’s advisable to quickly get on board with on-going community constructions, like social halls, housing projects, and other infrastructural projects to gain more hands-on skills.
Such an opportunity exposes you to industry leaders and various experts. Also, by participating in engineering projects early on, you’re likely to be recommended by the consortium working on the project to potential employers.
- Participate in Design Shows and Engineering Exhibitions
There are plenty of outdoor activities that are organized by various figures in the engineering industry.
Design shows are organized by universities to showcase various innovations and solutions. Multiple players in the industry will attend such events, making it an ideal opportunity to get new contacts and a network of potential employers.
Additionally, trade exhibitions organized by the government or the private sector bring together big engineering figures in one room. It’s important to identify such events in advance and plan to attend. Doing so will allow you to get an exclusive opportunity to network or book appointments with potential employers.
- Be Proactive in Creating Networks
Apart from attending events and exhibitions, it pays to directly contact or interact with potential employers or other industry players.
Employers don’t always fancy the lengthy process of publicizing a job vacancy. They usually rely on a close circle of friends, existing networks, or contacts to find suitable candidates.
You can improve your networking prospects in the following ways:
- Social Media: Social media acts as a networking tool and a search engine. You can start by creating a profile with your qualification in platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
To improve your visibility, it’s advisable to participate in engineering discussions or posts actively. Industry experts and potential employers can approach you directly based on your participation on those platforms.
Additionally, you can use the internal search functions to discover new opportunities and job listings.
- Contacting Engineering Alumni: Like any other community, an introduction improves the speed of assimilation and blending in the sector. You can meet or call an engineering friend to gain your hints or networks in the job market.
Conclusion
Since engineering is a highly technical field, graduates must showcase their technical brilliance to potential employers. The most effective way is through participation in internships, volunteer projects, and any other technical projects. The obtained skills and experience should be subsequently documented in the resume.
Additionally, candidates should endeavor to participate in trade shows, field events, and other social media discussions. These engagements will strategically position candidates to impress potential employers.
