ECE 400

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ECE 400

• Resumes
• Cover Letters

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Resumes Cover Letters

• What is overall GOAL?
• Which do you write first?

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Five Basic Sections

• Identifying Information
• Professional Objective
• Education
• Employment
• Personal Information

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Identifying Information

• Name
• Address (Permanent Vs Academic)
• Phone
• Email

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Professional Objective

• Orients the reader
• Current--not long term
• Use actual position Company if possible

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Objective Examples

• Summer position using skills achieved in material
  science engineering program
• Internship during senior year at Motorola

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Objective Examples

• A entry-level position in software design and
  development
• Part-time position in entry-level mechanical
  engineering position at Allied Signal

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Education-- What goes first?

• Degree
• Major
• When expected
• Where
• GPA
• Qualifiers

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Education Example

• B.S., Mechanical Engineering (to be awarded June
  2000). Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
  GPA 3.0/4.0 Class standing Top 25 percent

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Education Example

• B.S., Industrial Engineering (expected May 2001).
  USC. GPA in Major 3.7 Overall GPA 3.0
  Worked 20 hours per week providing 80
  of educational expenses.

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Education Example

• Meadowland High School, Richmond, Virginia
  (1988-1992). National Honor Society Member.
  Member of Pep Band all four years.

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Employment--What Order?

• Most relevant one first
• Use KEY words to describe experience
• Provide Company and dates

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Employment Example

• Engineering Aide, R V Consulting Engineers.
  Designed and planned power distribution and
  electrical equipment performed calculations of
  electrical riser and loads drafted various type
  of building plans including electrical work.
  (Summer 99)

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Personal Information

• May be deciding factor
• Helps make you unique
• Enhances job potential

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Personal Information Ex.

• Fluent in Spanish German
• Traveled extensively in Pacific Rim Countries
• Willing to travel
• Willing to relocate

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Personal Information

• Avid jogger
• Hobbies include tennis, golf skiing
• Single
• U.S. Citizen
• Happily married 5 years

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Personal Information

• Enjoy mountain bike riding and slow pitch
  softball
• Love to read and take solitary walks
• Must live in Phoenix Area

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Any Other Sections?

• Special or Computer Skills
• Professional and Extracurricular
• Honors and Awards

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Resume Checklist

• Reflects adequate preparations and self-analysis?
• Completely free of grammatical and spelling
  errors?

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Checklist Continued

• Well designed and good looking--not crammed?
• Object clear plausible?
• Objective supported by education and experience?

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Checklist continued

• Varied word choice--uses words from handout to
  describe experiences?
• Personal information enhances job potential?

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Cover/Application Letter

• Written after Resume
• Expand Resume

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Cover Letter Guidelines

• Why are you writing?
• How can you benefit employer?
• Specifically state qualifications that match job
  requirements

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Guidelines Cont

• Use standard letter format with your personal
  return address--full block style
• Let letter cool off for 8 hours
• Read letter backwards

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Introduction

• State Purpose
• Connect to prior events
• Emphasize strong points to be further developed
  in body--your roadmap or transition.

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Introduction Example

• I am writing in response to your ad for a
  software design engineer in the January 30
  (Sunday) edition of the Jackson Journal. I
  believe my software development experience and my
  computer programming education make me an
  excellent candidate for this position.

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I would like to apply for the position of
software engineer advertised in the January issue
of the IEEE Spectrum. My practical work
experience in software engineering at Smiths and
my software design education should be of value
to you.
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Another Example

• My academic advisor, Professor Sam Singleton,
  informed me about an electrical engineering
  opening at McDuff, where he worked until last
  year. I am writing to apply for the job. My
  .roadmap

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Body

• Summarize main points first--topic sentence
• Pick most applicable background
• Choose two examples to give detailed evidence

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Roadmap I am qualified for a project of this
scale based on my technical skills as well as my
managerial experience in the construction
industry. I have spent a lot of time learning the
technical skills necessary for the design,
fabrication, and installation of ornamental
metals in my past and present employment. At
W.E. ONeill, I designed and fabricated gates as
well as designed and installed the balcony rails
on a mid-sized hotel remodel. With my own
company, I have continued to design, fabricate,
and install ornamental metals as a subcontractor.
My projects have ranged in size and complexity
and have included gates, trailers, furniture, and
balcony rails.
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I have spent time managing crews in many
different areas on a wide range of projects. At
W. E. ONeil, I learned the necessary skills to
lead a team of craftspeople in order to complete
a project of this scale. I led crews to
diligently complete the OKKJIJJ small gate
project as well as the POIUYTYIO Project with
involved 26 large gates.
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Ending

• Request action
• Mention enclosed resume

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Ending Examples

• Personal business will take me to Baltimore April
  8-9. Could you meet me on one of those days to
  discuss how Intel might use my skills? Please
  let me know if an interview would be convenient
  at that time.

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More Examples

• I believe that my gaming training and hands-on
  experience will give me the ability to
  immediately start contributing to your company.
  Please contact me at 602-849-8765 to arrange an
  interview.

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Focus on Positive

• My academic average is 3.0, somewhat low due to
  the demand of my part-time job.
• Throughout college I worked part-time during the
  semester and full-time during the summer, earning
  more than 80 of my expenses. My overall GPA was
  3.0

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Avoid Negative Statements
Frankly, I am not the worlds greatest writer,
but I do have a solid engineering background, as
my resume attests. I have a solid engineering
background, with a specialty in software
development. I have also taken three courses in
which I wrote laboratory and research reports.