Engineering Design & Development

Unit 8:  Presentation
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Resume Writing

Activity 8.2.1:  A resume is a personal advertisement or a listing of your accomplishments. The goal is to open the door so you can sell yourself in a one-on-one interview. A good resume makes a good impression and leaves the reader wanting to find out more information about you. A poorly written resume will reduce the chance of an interview. The content and layout can vary according to the purpose and individual it is written about.

Often the people in the personnel department of an engineering firm do not have the background to understand all of the technical language used in an engineer’s resume. Usually, the personnel department will send the resume along with the cover letter to the appropriate technical people for evaluation. Because of this, the cover letter must specify what department within the organization you are interested in. If you are interested in pursuing part time employment in the engineering design area or business development, for instance, mention this so your resume will get into the correct hands for evaluation.

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Portfolio Assembly

Activity 8.2.2:  A portfolio is a collection of an individual’s work and accomplishments that are useful in demonstrating the individual’s performance and capabilities. The portfolio can be used for college admissions and employment opportunities. Whether you realize it or not, you already have quite a few excellent parts of the portfolio; they may not be in a useful format yet, but by the end of this project you will have a skeletal framework that can be added to. A portfolio, electronic or otherwise, is somewhat of a brag book that serves as a personal advertisement highlighting your accomplishments. Its goal is to help you sell yourself in your face-to-face interview. It is the WOW factor.