So you’re ready to start the hunt for a job…
You don’t have to have your degree before you begin the job search. Many companies in the area will hire you before that point. Of course WCU’s Center for Career and Professional Development (CCPD) has great resources like resume workshops, 1-on-1 counseling, and other great resources, but here are some more tips specific to engineering technology:
Getting your resume seen:
Firstly, you need to write a resume. The simplest way to do this is to sign up for a free account at linkedin.com which is a social network for professionals and companies. This website has many great opportunities for you.
- Filling out the profile becomes your online resume.
- Companies search for people and post jobs on linkedin.com.
- You can search the jobs
- Follow the WCU School of Engineering + Technology group
- Make a free blog website (use a professional-sounding name) and post some pictures, videos, and a short description of project you have worked on. Employers tell me this is the number 1 thing they want to see! Link to these in your linkedin.com profile. See an example near the bottom of my linkedin profile here (look for the weather balloon project) More on this below.
- Add all your instructors and classmates on linkedin. The power is in the network. If a former student has a job opening, they often ask us about it before they post it.
The Job Search:
- CCPD’s On campus jobs, internship postings, and local employer jobs board.
- WCU’s Engineering Social media posts about jobs fairs and other events:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wcucet/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WCUCET
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wcuengineering/ - indeed.com
- monster.com
- ziprecruiter.com
Some key terms to search:
Engineering technician, technologist (typically a 4-year degree), electromechanical, electro-mechanical, mechatronics, equipment assembler. Drafter (CAD drawing), industrial engineering technician, robotics technician, electronics installer, electronic repairer. Even if your degree says “mechatronics” you can still apply for many “electrical” jobs and vice versa.
You should apply even if it says “2-5 years experience required”. Companies put this as a requirement to scare off people who aren’t sure about their skills. You should apply anyway. Once they see your resume and engineering portfolio, they’ll decide whether or not you are right for the job. Don’t automatically disqualify yourself by not applying in the first place. If you don’t apply, you aren’t even giving them a chance to see what you are capable of.
Making you stand out from the other 5,000 people who graduated with your degree the same year:
The biggest thing you can do is create a free webpage and post about project you’ve built. Add this link to your resume, cover letter, and linkedin.com account.
You don’t have to know web code to make a free website. If you can write an email, you can build a website.
Here are some great free easy to use services:
- The best option is to be hosted on WCU’s website. You can request a portfolio website to be created for you for free here: https://portfolio.wcu.edu/request-site/
Other options exist as well:
- Wix has a drag and drop website creator
- WordPress This is actually what WCU uses for your free portfolio site. YOu can migrate your site to wordpress.com or even your own internet domain name if you’d like. WordPress is the name of the website as well as the “program” that can be run on other websites (for instance, some other links here also host wordpress-based websites).
- Elementor drag and drop website builder
- blogger.com and blogspot.com are owned by google so you already have an account there using your CPCC email. You can get started there for free.
Interview Tips:
Dress well. For an interview, always dress one level above what the typical dress code is at the company. For example: at most places, employees will typically a nice polo shirt, tucked in, belt, and khakis with dress shows will work for many places. In that case I’d come in wearing a tie and a blazer with dark colored pants, nice belt, and dress shoes. This goes for women as well, with the addition of a nice purse, or a skirt that falls below the knee instead of pants if you choose.
Study up on some typical engineering interview questions they will ask.
Study up on the company you are interviewing with. What do they make there? what kinds of machines might they have?
Please feel free to reach out to any of your professors in the department if you have any questions or would like some more specific help!