Month: May 2020

Hi friends! Welcome back to our Hart Center blog, where we’re keeping you in the loop on how to find your perfect career. Check out our last post to read our interviews with two seniors who landed their dream jobs. 

According to a Glassdoor report (s/o to numbers people like me, the report is actually really interesting and you can read it here), the average job attracts 250 resumes and only 2% of people are interviewed. With odds like these, you need to be prepared to nail your job search. To help you prepare, we’re looking at some of the job market’s toughest statistics and responding with detailed tips to help you put your best foot forward. 

Today, we’re focusing on resumes. As always, email us with questions and schedule an appointment with the career advisors at the Hart Center when you’re ready to get help on your resume.

Tough Statistic: Recruiters take an average of 6 seconds to scan a resume (Glassdoor).

Our Response: We read some resumes in 6 seconds. Turns out, it’s tough. You need to hand everything to the recruiter so that they can see why you’re the perfect candidate in under six seconds. By “everything”, here’s what we mean. Every entry, bullet point, and word needs to serve a purpose: why is your education/job experience/project/leadership position valuable and how did you fill that role perfectly? 

Start with a Hart Center, Cox, or Hegi resume template. Choose the best template according to the industry you want to enter, e.g., use the Hart template if you’re pursuing an engineering role or see the Hegi link for a pre-health example. If you’re open to multiple industries, consider creating multiple resumes. 

Craft every line on your resume. This is the most important step. Start every bullet with a descriptive action word (check out this list for ideas). Include data points, like dollars, statistics, etc., whenever possible (preferably in every line) to describe your role precisely. To see how these tips work, check out these examples from my resume.

     Old: Work on team with an additional mechanical engineer to create user-friendly kidney stone prevention device

     New: Headed development of at-home kidney stone prevention device to save $17,000+ in medical expenses per user

     Old: Own and manage personal business and related activities

     New: Coached children ages 3+ at various swimming skill levels, working with more than 200 families across 5 years

Ask people you trust to review your resume. Nothing is worse than looking back at a job application and seeing that you submitted your resume with a grammatical error (unfortunately, I know from experience). Run your resume by friends and parents or schedule an appointment at the Hart Center to have your resume reviewed. You need a second set of eyes to ensure your document flows well and is free of grammatical errors.

Ask someone in your desired industry to review your resume. When you’re sure your resume is (almost) perfect, connect with someone in your desired industry and ask them to review your resume. They’ll be able to provide specific feedback on how to best present yourself to recruiters in that industry.

In my experience, there’s no silver bullet to finding your perfect job match. However, there are a few ways to jumpstart your career search: build a killer resume, solidify your online presence, figure out how you add value to a company, and get good at networking. Over the summer, dedicate some extra time to refining your career search processes, and schedule an appointment at the Hart Center for resume reviews, mock interviews, and offer negotiations. 

Hi friends! Welcome back to our Hart Center blog, where we’re keeping you in the loop on how to find your perfect career. If you’re a graduate student, check out Ophelie’s post about the Graduate Leadership Certificate Program and Odyssey plans.

According to a Glassdoor recruiting report (s/o to numbers people like me, the report is actually really interesting and you can read it here), the average job attracts 250 resumes and only 2% of people are interviewed. With odds like these, you need to be prepared to nail your job search. To show you what works, we interviewed* two Lyle seniors who secured jobs after graduation. Natalie Jacks and Kennedy Woodard are both graduating with degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics. Natalie is pursuing a career in Management Consulting at Credera. Kennedy will be an Industrial Engineer at Boeing. Read about their journeys to a full time offer, and email us if you have any questions.

What student organizations, or activities are you involved in on campus?

Natalie: Society of Women Engineers (treasurer, vice president of external affairs, and president), Delta Gamma Sorority, Phi Beta Kappa, and Tau Beta Pi

Kennedy: National Society of Black Engineers (President), Kappa Mu Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority (Past President, member)

If you pursued on-campus jobs, internships/co-ops, or full-time employment, how did you discover the opportunity? What the interview process was like and how was your experience in the role?

N: I was lucky enough to have my summer internship turn into my full-time job. In October, I will start full-time with the consulting firm Credera as a Management Consultant.

I first learned about Credera sophomore year, through career fairs and info sessions at the Hart Center. During my junior year, I continued to attend all of Credera’s on-campus events, including a SWE event I helped plan, and got to know the recruiters so my name would be familiar the next summer when I applied. 

The interview process was one behavioral interview on campus and a full day of interviews (including a case interview) at their office. I knew the company was going to be a good fit based on how comfortable I felt with every Credera employee. I was able to talk with them honestly about my values and what I wanted to get out of my internship. While I certainly put my best foot forward, I didn’t feel the need to enhance or oversell aspects of myself to get the position. 

I had a wonderful experience during my summer at Credera. By the end of the summer I was leading the daily meetings for my 13-member team, including 8 members from our client company, and was working on slide decks to be presented to company execs.  I was so impressed by my time there that I had no hesitation in saying yes to my return offer.  

K: I’ve found all of my on-campus jobs through networking with faculty members or by applying on Handshake. On-campus jobs are easier to manage than off-campus jobs, because your employer understands you are a student first. On-Campus jobs are also great opportunities to network and reach out for letters of recommendation.

My connections through the Lyle Mentoring Program helped me get an internship at Boeing. It was not a local internship, so my two interviews took place over the phone. Boeing really gave interns the opportunity to explore the company in any way they’d like. I was able to network and earn a full-time offer to come back as an Industrial Engineer. 

What resources were most helpful to you when you looked for employment?

N: I learned a lot from attending SWE meetings as an underclassmen and hearing people speak about topics like how to network and how to write a resume. I attended all the career fairs starting my sophomore year in order to practice my elevator pitch and learn how the recruiting process worked. 

K: Career Fairs and programs specifically aimed at landing students a position (Mentor programs, Inroads, etc.) can help you build relationships. It is more effective to talk to people face-to-face about your skills and abilities, versus applying through an online portal.

Do you have any advice for an undergraduate student looking to get a job in the future?

N: Remember that you will find a position you are happy with. If there’s a company or industry you’re really passionate about, put in the work! Attend every event where you can interact with the employees from that company and help them get to know you as a person. You’d be surprised at how much name recognition can help you get your foot in the door.

K: Make networking a priority, be open to different positions, and pay attention to what employers are looking for! SMU has so many resources such as career fairs and student organizations like NSBE, SHPE, SWE, and TSPE that will bring companies out to speak to students. You never know where your network could lead you.

*interview answers were edited for clarity and flow.