ENGINEERING CAREer SERVICES
 
SEARCHING FOR EMPLOYMENT
                                                  
Conducting a successful job search is a process rather than a series of isolated events. The process is similar whether searching for the first summer, intern or cooperative education job or changing jobs as a professional in the work force. Developing expertise in these seven steps is an investment in your professional future. There are times when change occurs because your employer is downsizing or different career objectives develop. Other circumstances that demand excellent job search skills are:
l unusual majors or specializations,
l the completion of graduate degrees, and/or
l a desire to work in a specific geographic location.
SEVEN STEP EMPLOYMENT SEARCH PROCESS
1-Read Getting Started about the competencies employers desire in graduates
2-Prepare and use your competency-based resume to connect with employers
l Use guidelines to prepare/revise your resume
l Activate use of ISU CMS; to obtain a password e-mail isucms@iastate.edu
l Upload your resume(s) in the documents tab in ISU CMS
l Update your profile to meet employer qualifications or screening criteria
l Revise your resume(s) when changes occur and upload the new version
3-Discover prospective employers
l Research additional names of potential employers
l Find contact information for employers
4-Strategies to maximize your contact opportunities
l Use of the phone
l Plan a strategy to contact companies
l Communicate with prospective employers
l Maintain records of contact with companies
5-Network for success
l Utilize Career Fairs
l Attend employer on-campus information sessions
l Contact friends who graduated recently
l Maintain contact with friends who are seeking jobs
l Join professional organizations
l Contact the Student and ISU Alumni Association for membership
6-Develop your interviewing skills
7-Maintain a positive attitude
Update your profile
The Profile in ISU CMS contains two important tabs. In the Personal Information you need to maintain accurate contact information related to your address and phone number. The Academic Information tab contains elements that qualify/disqualify you from meeting the screening criteria the employers choose when posting their jobs or interviews. If you do not meet the screening criteria, check for the following:
l Graduation Date
l Year in School
l Applicant Type
l Major(s)
l Work Authorization
l Degree Level
Employers are interested in employing applicants with the highest ethical standards. If you change your academic information to match the screening criteria, make certain you have proof of your choice.
Research Additional Names of Potential Employers

The ECS website offers the following resources to enhance your efforts to achieve employment.

They are:
l

information to prepare for each step of the job search,
l

interview schedules for campus recruiting,
l

job postings for companies soliciting resumes,
l

links to corporate web sites, and
l

dates and location for employer on-campus information sessions.

In addition to ECS and web resources, additional employers are found on the web and in newspaper and other print media. Reading about successful companies provides additional possibilities for employment. The information about the company helps you write a more targeted and interesting letter of inquiry about employment. Develop the attitude of "thinking out of the box" to discover new resources for finding potential employers.

Some of the familiar publications to include on your reading list are:
l

Wall Street Journal,
l

Fortune,
l

Money,
l

Graduating Engineer & Computer Careers, and
l

any publications that focus on news in your field.

On Tuesdays, the Wall Street Journal publishes short news stories called Who’s News. These short company profiles provide adequate information to determine the industry type and the geographic location. Both Fortune and Money provide excellent information about business leaders and potential investment opportunities. When you begin your savings plan as an engineer in the professional world this information is valuable. Graduating Engineer & Computer Careers is one of several publications available at ECS. In addition, ECS has a library with books about companies in various cities.

This section is not an exhaustive list of resources to research, but this information along with the use of your favorite search engine will provide a beginning. Research on the internet can provide:
l corporate web sites,
l state and city economic development departments or councils,
l trade and professional associations, and
l career and job fairs.
Find Contact Information for Employers

From research on the web, you have a list of companies that are potential employers and  you can learn more about the:
l vision and missions,
l products and services, and
l locations of the company.

From the information on the web, if you are interested in the company, how can you submit your resume? Some companies ask for direct importation of the resume at their site. Most companies are helpful with suggestions about the format and may provide different methods of importation into their database. When importing your resume, include a cover letter to maximize the number of potential "hits" for key words during electronic scanning.

If the company does not offer the option of direct importation or an e-mail address, what is the best option? With the location of the company, you can use the phone.

Use of the Phone
The phone is an important tool in the job search process. The phone may be used to:
l discover the name of the contact to receive a resume and
l follow-up after writing a letter.

Letters addressed to "Human Resources Representative" are less effective than addressing the letter to a specific person. If you are mailing fifty letters and the cost of making phone calls to each is prohibitive, choose the companies that are of most importance to make phone contact. Will you always receive the contact information by phone? No, there will be times when you are not successful, but it is important to try.
When calling for contact information, your request is direct and to the point.
"I am interested in sending a resume to (use the name of the company). I would like the name of the person who will receive the resume."
If the person provides the name, take the time to verify the following:
l spelling of the name,
l title,
l exact name of the company,
l mailing address,
l city, state, and zip code.

Does this guarantee success? No, but you have tried. If you do not receive the name, the person may provide a method to submit your resume to the company.
Follow-up after writing a letter
When communicating with companies that are of special interest, choose an "active" rather than passive close for your letter or e-mail. If the letter was specifically targeted to the company, promise to contact the employer in a week or ten days. This is an active close for your letter or e-mail.
How will you follow-up in your phone conversation? Use the number for the company and ask to speak to the person who received your letter or e-mail. The individual who answers the phone may screen callers and not direct your call to the person. If your call is screened, you can respond as follows:
"On (month and date), I wrote a letter to (name of person) and promised to call in a week or ten days. I made a commitment to (him/her) and I want to make certain that (he/she) knows that I called. Is it possible for you to let (him/her) know I called?"
Possibly you will be allowed to speak to the person. What is the goal of your call? What question will you ask? Remind the person of your letter and ask if he/she anticipates hiring in the near future. If the company is hiring soon ask "Is there additional information that I need to supply?"
Caution about use of the telephone
Use of the phone and e-mail are communications of urgency and professionals may carefully guard access to their numbers and addresses. Professional persistence on your part is an important quality for success, but when you are denied access it is important to cease your efforts. Too much persistence can become a negative and detract from your job seeking efforts. When the phone is no longer an avenue for contact, you can write the company.
Plan a Strategy to Contact Companies
Try the following strategy:
l Discover company contacts
m career fairs        
m research
m friends who have graduated
m professional organizations
m ISU Alumni Association
l


 The order and use of the following will depend on the employer's preferred method of contact.
Initial contact
m web to upload resume and cover letter or
m use of phone to discover name of contact to receive resumes or
m e-mail resume and cover letter to contact person
m postal mail if web or e-mail is not available
l Phone contact to follow-up after resume and cover letter sent
reserve phone contact for the most important companies
l


 Additional follow-up letters by postal mail unless the company prefers another method of contact
l Maintain records

Your strategy should include contacting the companies that are of special interest more than one time. When planning letters, use STAR’s to develop several different paragraphs for use in the first and subsequent letters. If the company is a favorite, writing more than one letter re-enforces your interest and documents your communication competency. When in doubt about the preferred method for contact, use the postal mail. If you are able to speak to a company representative, inquire about the best way to maintain contact. Polite persistence is an important quality that often leads to success.

Maintain Records of Contact with Employers

Your job search is more effective when your resume and letter are customized to fit a specific company and position. When invited for a site visit, take extra copies of your resume. The information should be the same. You may have sent the resume as a text file, but the copy for the company representatives will contain the same information in a visually more effective format. Your records should also contain dates of and the type of contact. The job search is a developed strategy that requires planning and follow-up. In this process, you are documenting your competencies.

Friends who Graduated Recently

Friends can provide information about specific divisions of the company that are recruiting and trends about future prospects with the company. Contact names within companies are vitally important and friends have excellent guidelines for success.

Friends who are Seeking Jobs

As a student, you benefit from participating in study groups and working in teams. Team efforts can assist with the job search process. Network with fellow students. Prospecting on the web and other resources may produce leads that are not of interest to you but ideal for a friend. Share the names of companies and build a network that survives throughout your career.

Professional Organizations

Professional organizations provide excellent opportunities to meet engineers. Even if you infrequently attended meetings of the student chapter, inquire about options to attend city or regional meetings of the organization to network.

Maintain a Positive Attitude

The job search process may become discouraging. When you do not hear from the employers it is frustrating. Remember that employers hear from many applicants and personal contact is difficult to achieve when companies are cutting back on personnel. With a network of friends to share your experiences it is easier to maintain a positive attitude and the motivation to continue the search.

Company representatives are not a source of information about why your contact with the employer was not successful. In frustration, you may be tempted to ask when your written communication and/or interview were not successful. Recruiters should not be asked to critique your performance as a job applicant. Continually remind yourself to "think like an employer." What are the competencies that employers require? How do your accomplishments demonstrate those competencies?