Mechanical Engineer looking for work

[j3tang]

I'm having some trouble finding work in my field of mechanical engineering. I've got work experience through co-op, good grades, good co-op references, I have my masters in the field of material characterization (which crosses over partly into chemical).

My past work experience encompasses design/drafting, manufacturing and project engineer, facilities engineer, research lab. This work coming in automotive as well as pharmaceutical industries.

I've been searching in the GTA/London/Waterloo/Guelph through workopolis/monster/job fairs. I've tried quite a lot of options really ...

Are people turned off because of my masters? because they don't want to pay the higher salary?

I've asked a lot of people around me and nobody has really given me a "deal breaker" reason from my resume. For instance, I've asked other young engineers for their opinion, I've asked my girlfriend's dad who is an engineering manager, on top of some of the comments received here in this thread.

I've gotten comments about where certain sections should go, and all vary. I really don't believe that where I place the sections is such a big deal that employers will not interview because of it. I've made a lot of changes to the resume, trying to rephrase things into layman's terms and have gotten positive feedback about it (other than a few members that feel that "i'm not using descriptive words" and "i stand around and do what I'm told"), which i don't feel is the case. Mind you, the resume has also been through the hands of a career counsellor from school.

I think at this point, I shouldn't be trying to market myself as an experienced engineer even with all the co-op experience. I think people will tend to believe that co-op students really don't do much, but in the terms that I've been through, where the engineer I was supposed to work under was not around, and I've had to take on his position, there has been loads of learning, and you'd be surprised. Nevertheless, I think I should try to market myself as a young unexperienced engineer that's eager to learn .. is there any problems with that?

Due to the above point, I've placed a section for "strengths & qualifications" and listed a bunch of stuff in there. This was suggested to me by my gf's dad. I'm not entirely sold on the idea that saying "i'm highly organized, critical thinker, etc etc" is very convincing since anyone can say such things. Am I incorrect in thinking that?

Another question is, for instance, if a job description asks for "MS Office" is this something I should put in my resume, or is it something that should show up in the cover letter? or both? Nobody has been able to give me a straight answer as to whether listing "AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Unigraphics, Inventor, etc...." is necessary in a resume or a cover letter. I've gotten advice from people saying the "key words" in the job description posted by HR people are the words they look for in your cover letter, and they say, in a crude translation, "make sure your cover letter looks like the job description". I've been doing this all along, and I'm no idiot, so I'm not the type to cop/paste the job description into my cover letter. My letter is usually 3 paragraphs with a 4th paragraph saying "thanks for your time..etc"

And yes, I try to tailor my resume and cover letter to EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE job application. Anyways, the updated resume has been made available.

If someone could answer some/any/all of those questions above, and maybe point out 1 point .. 1 deal breaker that's the cause of no interviews, please let me know.

Things are starting to get desperate here :s

[blainehamilton]

Go west man. You'll make a bundle in Alberta or Saskatchewan...

[BadDrafter]

Go west man. You'll make a bundle in Alberta or Saskatchewan...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39KZ2afBtLU

[ji2o0k]

curious when did you start looking?

Sept-Oct and late Jan-Feb are good times to start looking as companies make big pushes to recruit (esp. recent grads).

If you were looking leading up to the holidays, it would have been slow as people gear down for the holidays (and go away for vacation).

I would suggest you have your resume primed (if you don't already) as you should see more postings soon.

If you were an electrical or Systems Engineer, then I would have some potential opportunities for you.

G'luck!

[mork]

I was going to make the same comment. If you came to Saskatoon you'd be in an entirely other pickle - you'd be trying to figure out which job to take.

[faken]

I was going to make the same comment. If you came to Saskatoon you'd be in an entirely other pickle - you'd be trying to figure out which job to take.

I read somewhere that Saskatchewan is booming like crazy now. Supposively a lot of jobs are out there. You should look into this.

[GateGuardian]

Wow, please don't scare me. with your experience, it should be very easy for you to find a job. I'm graduating in April and I hope I don't have the same situation as you. Good luck :(

[Bazooka Joe]

Either you're terrible at interviewing or you're too picky about where you work. How far along the hiring process did you get with the consulting companies? Interview, job offer, call back, etc?

Are you only applying to one particular office/city/street?

[j3tang]

curious when did you start looking?

Sept-Oct and late Jan-Feb are good times to start looking as companies make big pushes to recruit (esp. recent grads).

If you were looking leading up to the holidays, it would have been slow as people gear down for the holidays (and go away for vacation).

I would suggest you have your resume primed (if you don't already) as you should see more postings soon.

If you were an electrical or Systems Engineer, then I would have some potential opportunities for you.

G'luck!

I graduated from my masters last april, worked at the university till July, went to Paris for a week, came back and started looking for jobs early August and haven't stopped since. I admit I was picky with stuff at the beginning, but I've started to apply to a lot of stuff since september .. not just in the field of my masters degree, but any sort of mechanical engineering type work.


Either you're terrible at interviewing or you're too picky about where you work. How far along the hiring process did you get with the consulting companies? Interview, job offer, call back, etc?

Are you only applying to one particular office/city/street?

I had 1 interview with RIM, that was it. Didn't even get a second interview with RIM. So i can't say that I'm terrible at interviews, especially since I come from a co-op background, finding jobs every 4 months, and i never had any problems with that. This leads me to believe it might be something in my resume?
I've not been narrowing my search, so no, it's not just limiting myself to the little town of Markham. However, I have been mainly looking in the GTA (which is fairly large) including Mississauga, which should have tonnes of stuff! And the odd bit in London, ON.


and the comments about going west ... i have looked into that just very very recently and have applied to a company in Edmonton couple days ago. Will wait on that ..

I'm not familiar with things in the west, but are things generally more expensive out there compared to here in Toronto? That's also something i need to look out for if I do get a chance to work out there .. you know .. just looking out for myself

[manho]

Did you try calling those supervisors you've worked for when you were in co-op?

[LazyBoi]

You mentioned you did coop, you try getting a job back at your coop places? did you keep in touch with your contacts? or did you burn your bridges?

Other than that, did you apply to positions through company websites? Also try cold calling or emailing some HR departments with no job postings in particular, that might work too, as long as you are polite about it.

[j3tang]

Did you try calling those supervisors you've worked for when you were in co-op?


You mentioned you did coop, you try getting a job back at your coop places? did you keep in touch with your contacts? or did you burn your bridges?

Other than that, did you apply to positions through company websites? Also try cold calling or emailing some HR departments with no job postings in particular, that might work too, as long as you are polite about it.


Yup, one of the managers was a real good guy, we keep in touch, but he says they're not hiring .. but he'll keep an eye out at other companies (at other Magna divisions).

I also sent an email to the very first co-op job i worked at to see if they were hiring, but no reply. I've tried sneaking in a resume at Apotex which don't have any mech eng jobs currently, but I've worked for previously. Admittedly, these 2 were the only emails i've sent out to that have had no job postings.

What's driving me insane is that I've always been under the impression I have been doing well in all aspects: honours with distinction academically in school, excellent co-op reviews for my work placements, and even having a masters degree partly funded by an industrial partner with constant complements from my supervisor about my work.

Yet, the more jobs I see out there, the less experienced I feel I am.

[nwwong]

There's got to be something wrong here. You seem to have good qualifications. You have some work experience. Either your applying to the wrong type of job, your resume is not impressive or your interview skills need improvement.

I had the impression that mechanical engineers are pretty employable. You from waterloo?

[Engi-Nir]

i graduated in uoft mech eng 03..been working ever since..mm....maybe there is something wrong with your resume, i need to look at it to know.

u from waterloo mech eng?

[Bazooka Joe]

With 10 minutes of searching the three companies' websites you posted earlier, I found a total of 9 jobs (a tenth is possible if you speak German or Japanese) that you qualify for. Have you applied to all 9 of those jobs without a single interview? If so, your resume must be in rough shape. I highly suggest you get it looked at by a professional.

I am unfamiliar with Magna's current strategy, but I can guarantee that both Hatch and SNC Lavelin are hiring very heavily right now.

[j3tang]

yup, i'm a waterloo mech eng

my resume is publicly available from my website or directly linked here (http://idisk.mac.com/j3tang-Public/jtangResume.pdf).

I'd appreciate some criticism on the resume .. problem is I'm not getting the interviews, so it's not the interviews that I'm sucking at .. -_-" I've had multiple awards as a teaching assistant as well as a presentation award at a conference .. so I don't think there are any problems with interpersonal skills ... and like I said, I haven't even had the chance to interview :(

thank you everyone for your comments

[nwwong]

I suggest you put your summary of qualifications and work experience up top and your academic and honours stuff on the 2nd page if you're applying to more project management, or manufacturing kinda jobs.

If you're applying to research type jobs, than leave it.

You should also customize your resume to suit different industries. What I get from your resume is that you've done a bit of design, manufacturing, hvac, material science...but you're not really specialized in it (aside from the material science part). So if you're not applying to a materials type role, try to highlight your other design and PM skills.

PS, I worked at vibro acoustics too :razz:

[mart242]

You should tailor your resume for each position you apply for (and do the same with your "cover letter"). You say that you use it to apply for basic drafting jobs but when I look at it, the first thing that comes to mind is "WTF is he applying to this job for? that guy looks like a researcher!". Put the academics at the end and focus on the experience / skills first and putting the emphasis on the ones needed for the job you're applying for. Also put results and numbers (ie: saved x$ by redesigning ... met critical deadline on <x>, ...)

[j3tang]

Vibro usually hired quite a few students at a time .. those were good times :)

I usually have a tailored covering letter accompanying the resume at all times for each application, but you're right, the resume should be tailored too :s

[faken]

do you have a cover letter? Just by looking at your resume, all i see is your education /experience. I don't see any that tells the employer who you are, why you are interested in that position, why you want to work for them. Employers like to see if you will "fit" into their company.

[no8t4]

I'm paying attention to the duration of your stay at each job..
Ex: Aug 03 - Aug 03.... Jan 02 - Apr - 02

To eliminate doubt that you couldn't hold a job for more than 4 months at a time, maybe it would help if you indicated that it was a co-op placement?
I know you should be able to figure it out on account of your year of graduation.. but those dates are bolded and in your face whereas your grad year is not.
my 2 cents :)

[j3tang]

er .... true i guess .. i'll try to change that up a bit

thanks everyone else for the comments

[Essence89]

alright....im first year engineering and now this thread has scared the **** out of me :P

4 years of pain plus masters...yet im so far away from it.....sigh

[65505201]

Wow....those are some solid quals for an entry-ish level position, which is what I'm assuming you're going for.

I hate to say this, but I see that you have included your references in your resume. Is it possible that:

1. They have less than stellar things to say about you?
2. Your references are getting ambushed? Since their contact info is already there, your prospective employers may be contacting them without your knowledge, thereby preventing you from prepping your references?

If I were you, I would leave them off and provide their info once an employer has interviewed you.

[Engi-Nir]

To start off....

Put summary of skills, than education (just list the degrees, don't worry about what you did,etc), 3rd Work history...

This is where I am going to have issues:

Name,
address

Title being sought (Project Engineer,etc)

SUMMARY OF SKILLS-(Pertaining to position sought)

ENGINEERING & COMPUTER SKILLS-same as above (include all softskills, solidworks,autocad,Ideas,etc)


EDUCATION

University of Waterloo, 2007 Waterloo, ON
 MASc, Bachelor of Applied Science and Engineering
 Mechanical Engineering


University of Waterloo, 2004 Waterloo, ON
 BASc, Masters of Applied Science and Engineering
 Mechanical Engineering



**sufficient, no need to explain what you specialized in unless the position sought(ex: pratt whitney,etc where they need more materials background), stuff about honors/etc...if i was hiring, i don't care for...u have a degree, that tells me u r smart.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
** take out Engineer from there, you were a coop student, I worked at UMG(pullmatic sister company), can not use the term PRoject engineer...use engineering coop student.
**List the positions the way you have




references available upon request
(Don't include the list of references, above is good enough, the moment you put reference names in, some HR's have nothign better to do then to call them up, couple of times it is ok for the reference person, but getting too many calls makes you less likable guy ;)...only use reference when they ask for it in the interview )

You have to make the resume simple enough, most company managers are more interested in 1) Education 2) Work experience....they don't care for anything else.
PS: most companies don't take coop experience seriousily, it is preferable over graduates with no experience but the actual experience is never really taken cause u were a student, you didn't do what the real engineers will do sort of thing...i had about 1yr PEY, 1summer term experience upon graduation, but no one really cared for it, but openned the door to lots of interviews....
You tried applying to some jobs without ur masters? it is sort of a deter for non-research based jobs...I have friends with masters and they don't use the masters, only ones that use it are with lots of work experience, then they start introducing it for program manager positions,etc....salary wise, basc and masters doesn't really matter ;) it is all about work experience now a days assuming u have a undergraduate degree.
so far i worked at 5 different jobs after school so I kinda of got what the interviewers ask and stuff, if you need interview help let me know......yes there are some days where i get no interviews and then when it rains it rains :)

[schoolboy]

I vote looking west too. You probably won't get in at a Big Oil company, but the EPC's aren't fussy and neither are you at the moment. Win-win!

It's just a little unfortunate that you decided to specialize in polymers instead of metals.

[steevee]

IMO, you're not using enough active words. You sound like you're kind of just standing around and complete only the tasks given to you and nothing more. Also, you should really list accomplishments, not just tasks.

Regarding the setup of your resume, well, it's not really following a conventional format. When you already have a degree, your education is no longer the #1 thing that attracts the attention of employers. Put your qualifications, following by experience, then academics. Honours and affiliations should be put under academics. Don't put things that isn't a real skill (ie. exposed to such and such... it's just a useless line). Also, don't put MASc under your name (that's what the education heading is for); not only is it unnecessary, it also makes you sound cocky and that you "deserve" a job.

[sannin]

Also limit to at least 1 or maybe 2 pages max. I've learned from exp. I am also on the job hunt and I barely squeezed my 2 page resume into 1 page.

[j3tang]

thanks again everyone for the comments, it is greatly appreciated. I've made some changes accordingly, and updated the file in the link, specifically

.. re-arranging of the headings
.. trimming down on the academics info
.. removing degree from the top of the page
.. removing 'engineer' from coop experience, and adding 'coop' where suitable
.. removing references
.. and other minor changes ..


@Engi-Nir (or anybody else): Could you link me to a sample of what you mean by the 'desired position' at the top of the resume under the name? I don't want to misunderstand or make it look like something i don't mean ... is this not necessary if I always attach a covering letter?


Anyone wanna suggest or forward a good looking job my way? :)

[Engi-Nir]

i will send you a link of a sample resume that is more in line with an engineering resume...
the summary of skills is not worded correctly, the bullet points.

Knowledge of GD&T is better to put than proficient, cause GD&T is a science on its own, and there is a lot of guys in automotive who think they know and don't know, it took me 3yrs to be proficient at it and i was into gd&t stuff, so i was good at it.

will send u a link later today or tomorrow...and better wording for ur summary of skills.

[CharmyPoo]

1) What were your co-op ratings? If you got outstanding or exellent for most of them, I would say include the co-op coversheet.
2) How many jobs did you apply for to get 1 interview?
3) I would not include an objective/desired position unless you are 100% sure that is what the company is looking for. Remember you are selling yourself to the company - show them the you have what they need. The cover letter is a great way to do this.

[CharmyPoo]

2. Your references are getting ambushed? Since their contact info is already there, your prospective employers may be contacting them without your knowledge, thereby preventing you from prepping your references?


Companies usually don't call references until they are ready to extend an offer to you.

[jonawesome]

IMO, you're not using enough active words. You sound like you're kind of just standing around and complete only the tasks given to you and nothing more. Also, you should really list accomplishments, not just tasks.
Steve's pretty much dead on here. None of your bullets really highlight what you've accomplished on the job, or how you've accomplished them. You've got a lot of flashy company names, but only highlight some of the general points of the job that you might mention to your cousing that asks you 'What do you do?'.

For example, in your grad studies: you really only have one bullet that says anything of what you did as a graduate student (investigated...), and even then, its poorly worded and only scratches the top.

Nearly every bullet for every job you describe should be written using an (ADVERB + ADJECTIVE + OUTCOME) formula. Its also great if you can quantify your outcomes
Ex:
- Characterized (ADV)
visco-elastic materials into standard chemical properties to optimize (ADJ) lab layout to decrease risk of accident by 12.762156315 percent (OUTCOME).
- Investigated (ADV) the aging of polymers to successfully (ADJ) discover that they dont age (OUT).

You can clearly tell I have no idea what you did here. Also, don't put acronyms or lengthy terms for your work experience unless its expected that most people in this industry would know what they mean. They'll be lost on them, and if the person reviewing your resume doesn't know what it means, they won't struggle with it. Write your resume so that an average person can more or less understand (or at least get the point) of what you are trying to say. I notice early on in your graduate work you have a lot of acroynyms and terms that most people would not know. Reviewers might just drop your resume right there and not bother struggling with it.



Also limit to at least 1 or maybe 2 pages max. I've learned from exp. I am also on the job hunt and I barely squeezed my 2 page resume into 1 page.
This is only applicable for people with a lot of experience in the very field that they are applying for. In the OP's case, he shouldn't try to compress all his experience in one page. It'll come out messy and too general. Instead OP, for every job you apply to, you should have one section called 'Relevant Engineering Experience' and discuss all your work in that field, and on the second page have a section called 'Additional Work Experience' and describe the rest of your jobs.


All in all, it doesn't look like you've put enough time and effort into your resume. It looks more like the reminiscent bullets of jobs you don't really remember you did, that you wrote in four hours before the application deadline. Its pretty common for people to spend upwards of a hundred hours on their resume, and for every application, you should spend at least a couple hours on customizing it to excel your aligning qualities to the job. I'd highly recommend going to an engineering career counselor, or some sort of one on one resume building session at your school, and working closely with these counselors to write your resume. These people really know their stuff. They've been helping Engineers get interviews for years, and know what they're talking about. Don't take what they're saying as a grain of salt.

[sannin]

i will send you a link of a sample resume that is more in line with an engineering resume...
the summary of skills is not worded correctly, the bullet points.

Knowledge of GD&T is better to put than proficient, cause GD&T is a science on its own, and there is a lot of guys in automotive who think they know and don't know, it took me 3yrs to be proficient at it and i was into gd&t stuff, so i was good at it.

will send u a link later today or tomorrow...and better wording for ur summary of skills.

Did you manage to get a hold of that link yet?

[supersnazz]

Tailor your cover letter to the specific job/company to which you are applying and THEN tailor your résumé to your cover letter.

I would structure your résumé as follows:

- Education
- Work Experience (reverse chronological order, indicating which positions were co-op); start each bullet point with a verb and provide sufficient detail as to what YOU did. Do not be vague in your descriptions (e.g. "managed projects" is too vague... explain *how* you managed the projects.
- Awards
- Skill set (I would omit this, actually).
- References available upon request: this is acceptable. If interviewed, you will bring your references to the interview. Prospective employers won't call your references unless they are interested in hiring you. Reference checks are done to verify statements you've made in the interview and to help ascertain how good of a fit you will be with the prospective employer.

I don't think it's necessary to mention the relevant courses that your took in university. Undergraduate engineering in Canada is accredited, meaning, everyone takes the same courses and all programs are equal. In my opinion, mentioning your courses is redundant.

As a brand new engineer, employers aren't looking for an experienced person. They are looking for someone who's interested in what they will do, will be a good fit, and will be capable of doing their work. The start of your career will be spent assisting more senior engineers with *their* work, crunching data, collecting samples, conducting field work, monitoring production, etc.

[j3tang]

updated OP

[Bazooka Joe]

I'm having some trouble finding work in my field of mechanical engineering. I've got work experience through co-op, good grades, good co-op references, I have my masters in the field of material characterization (which crosses over partly into chemical).

My past work experience encompasses design/drafting, manufacturing and project engineer, facilities engineer, research lab. This work coming in automotive as well as pharmaceutical industries.

I've been searching in the GTA/London/Waterloo/Guelph through workopolis/monster/job fairs. I've tried quite a lot of options really ...

Are people turned off because of my masters? because they don't want to pay the higher salary?

I've asked a lot of people around me and nobody has really given me a "deal breaker" reason from my resume. For instance, I've asked other young engineers for their opinion, I've asked my girlfriend's dad who is an engineering manager, on top of some of the comments received here in this thread.

I've gotten comments about where certain sections should go, and all vary. I really don't believe that where I place the sections is such a big deal that employers will not interview because of it. I've made a lot of changes to the resume, trying to rephrase things into layman's terms and have gotten positive feedback about it (other than a few members that feel that "i'm not using descriptive words" and "i stand around and do what I'm told"), which i don't feel is the case. Mind you, the resume has also been through the hands of a career counsellor from school.

I think at this point, I shouldn't be trying to market myself as an experienced engineer even with all the co-op experience.

Your resume looks 100% better than it did, the biggest difference being the addition of "co-op" to the inflated job titles (manager is usually someone with 10-20 years experience in consulting). If you apply for entry level positions with that resume you're a shoe-in.


I think people will tend to believe that co-op students really don't do much, but in the terms that I've been through, where the engineer I was supposed to work under was not around, and I've had to take on his position, there has been loads of learning, and you'd be surprised. Nevertheless, I think I should try to market myself as a young unexperienced engineer that's eager to learn .. is there any problems with that? This is exactly the tack you have to take until you get your P. Eng. As that's exactly what you are - inexperienced.


Due to the above point, I've placed a section for "strengths & qualifications" and listed a bunch of stuff in there. This was suggested to me by my gf's dad. I'm not entirely sold on the idea that saying "i'm highly organized, critical thinker, etc etc" is very convincing since anyone can say such things. Am I incorrect in thinking that?

This is stuff everyone puts in their resume. This is also easy questions for your interview, so prepare ahead of time. In the interview you'll be asked questions like "You have written in your resume that you're a strong communicator. Give me an example where you showed your strong communication skills."


Another question is, for instance, if a job description asks for "MS Office" is this something I should put in my resume, or is it something that should show up in the cover letter? or both? Nobody has been able to give me a straight answer as to whether listing "AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Unigraphics, Inventor, etc...." is necessary in a resume or a cover letter. I've gotten advice from people saying the "key words" in the job description posted by HR people are the words they look for in your cover letter, and they say, in a crude translation, "make sure your cover letter looks like the job description". I've been doing this all along, and I'm no idiot, so I'm not the type to cop/paste the job description into my cover letter. My letter is usually 3 paragraphs with a 4th paragraph saying "thanks for your time..etc"

And yes, I try to tailor my resume and cover letter to EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE job application. Anyways, the updated resume has been made available.

List everything on your resume to start off with. If a position specifically asks for Office, I wouldn't go into detail on the cover letter as it's pretty standard. However, more specific applications (project, AutoCAD, Solidworks, etc) I would detail on your cover letter how much experience you have and how you got it, assuming the job calls for it and relies on it. If you don't have good experience, leave it vague on your resume and prepare for the inevitible interview question.

Edit: FYI, trying to use the title "Engineer" without being registered with the PEO (don't know if you're registered with PEO as an Engineer-Intern-Training - if so put that instead or you're still doing something illegal) can be a fine of up to $10,000 for the first offense and $25000 for each additional offense. Although it's generally overlooked on entry level resumes it comes across as unprofessional. I'm quite surprised your girlfriend's dad didn't mention this, any manager should pick up on this instantly.

http://www.peo.on.ca/enforcement/2003%20_PEO_Enforcement_%20Brochure.pdf

[GTABuySell]

Bazooka Joe is right on. Calling yourself Engineer when you are not a Professional Engineer is probably one of the most serious mistake you made in your resume.

If you are not a P. Eng, then take the word Engineer out of the job title (you can use the word Engineering as such Engineering Associate though). I understand you probably just used the same title the company gave you when you worked for them, but don't use it in your resume until you are licensed. This was probably the biggest turn off to a P.Eng when he/she read your resume.

FYI, at the company I work for a Project or Program Manager is a senior position. Mixing Program Manager with Co-op or Student in a job title just doesn't sound right. Our Program Manager has a Technical degree plus an MBA.

Lastly, I think your Objective needs to be tailored to the job you are applying for.

"Seeking long‐term position with opportunity for development and assuming responsibility as a prospectiveve professional engineer" doesn't tell the interviewer ANYTHING they don't already know.

So, again:


Don't use the word Engineer (I am assuming you are not yet a Professional Engineer).
Use a job title that matches the job description (Don't use something like Program Manager - Student or Co-op) even when the company gave you that title.
Tailor your job Objective to the job you are applying for.


Good luck!

[j3tang]

points well taken and I've changed the position titles.

Here are some points I've come across about an objective the past while:


The key to a good objective is to find the delicate balance between being so vague or diverse that you show indecision or being so specific that you eliminate good options. The most specific term that exists is a job title - what one particular employer labels a specific job. Another employer may label the same tasks or functions differently, so make sure the terminology you use is general enough that it has meaning to several potential employers. A good career objective should contain a few of the following elements:

>Job Function - Whether you work for an arts, service, financial or scientific organization, the tasks performed will involve some of the following basic functions:
-Production of goods or services
-Research and Development
-Management/Administration
-Finance and Accounting
-Sales and Marketing
-Technical Services
These are general types of activities, and are often reflected as different departments in an organizational structure. The important question is "What will you be >doing with your body of knowledge or skills?"
>Occupational Field or Title is a more specific label of what you want to do and communicates something about the content of the work. Examples: biologist, writer, illustrator, banker, public relations, social worker.
>Specialty Areas could describe a specialized function within an occupational field (i.e., advertising is made up of creative, media, research, and account services subfields); or it can describe a specialized body of knowledge that you want to use in your field (i.e., among the areas in which a biologist could specialize are molecular, genetical and physiological content areas).
>Type of Organization - Small, medium, large, local, national, international, private or public sector.
>Industry (products or services) - Computer equipment and software, education, electronics, entertainment, government, health and medical services, insurance, printing and publishing, social services, telecommunications, etc.
>Functional Skills - An ability or expertise that is significant to the career. Examples are supervisory skills, creativity, attention to detail, knowledge of HTML, familiarity with statistical packages, communication skills, analytical skills, etc.



WHAT IT IS NOT...

>It is not what you want out of the positions, but what you can offer to the employer. Avoid phrases like "an opportunity to develop my skills..." or " to gain experience in the field of..."
>Avoid what is too general or vague. How do you want to "work with people"... collaborating, servicing customers, public speaking? Even "management trainee" by itself is vague. Do you prefer to manage data or supervise people? What type of industry, product or service interests you?
>Leave out clichés that say nothing, i.e. "challenging work," "position of responsibility." Do you think someone would define a college-level vacancy as "unchallenging with little responsibility?"
>Listing a string of diverse fields in one objective can reflect indecision or desperation. It is acceptable to have two resumes with two different objectives. You may find that the content even changes in order to better support the objectives. You are probably spreading yourself too thin if you have more than three.
>It probably should not reflect long range goals, particularly if it is not a common next step in the career ladder of the employer. Otherwise, the employer will unnecessarily anticipate a move out of the organization, or figure you are hoping for your potential supervisor's job.


Below are some of the "examples" that they give (which to me, looks like a lot of them don't meet the requirements of their description above). Is it me, or do they not sell the skills of the employee and come across as what the employee wants, and not how the employer can benefit.



-Staff accountant position in the public accounting field in the Houston area.

-Retail management position in the New York City metropolitan area.

-Reporter position with a major news daily. Open to relocation.

-Marketing position with a computer software vendor in the Chicago area.

-Electrical engineering position in the silicon chip industry in California.

-Multimedia software development position. Open to travel and/or relocation.

-Permanent position in the management information systems field. Areas of interest include applications programming and system analysis and design.

-To work in the field of industrial design using a modern approach to create new products.

-A position in the health field using experience in organizing groups, clarifying ideas and problems, making public addresses, and writing reports and newsletters.

-Research responsibility in a public affairs area of a corporation.

-To obtain a position as an engineer in the field of structural engineering, stress analysis, or civil engineering.

-A position as an assistant in product marketing, development or general research


Sample objective for the job description here: http://www.workopolis.com/work.aspx?action=Transfer&View=Content/JobSeeker/JobPostingView&jobid=9931768&lang=EN&SResultsUrl=%2fwork.aspx%3faction%3dTransfer%26Vie w%3dContent%2fJobSeeker%2fJobSearchResultView%26Se archId%3d629353854%26OldUrl%3d%26pageno%3d0&OldUrl=


Seeking permanent position as mechanical engineer or designer at manufacturer for specialty equipment utilizing my attention to detail and efficient problem solving skills.

[Bazooka Joe]

More huge improvement, it's looking quite good atm.

If you want to tweak it a little more, try and put more numbers in there. This line is awesome:

Design optimization of planetary gear carrier transmission component (7% material savings, 2% stress tolerance increase)

A line like that will get a lot of attention from another engineer. You're saying "This is what I did, and this is how successful I was - I can bring this to your team". When you get asked about this in your interviews you'll have to humbly brag about it. :D

Also, since you were in a co-op program, doesn't your degree say something different than just Honours Mechanical Engineering? At Queen's you get the "with Professional Internship" to add at the end. This will go a long way towards explaining a bunch of short jobs throughout the year (not to mention waterloo co-op is very competitive and worth bragging about).

[Adage]

You should remove your first couple of co-op placements. Most employers are looking for things you have done within the past 2-3 years. So things such as your co-op jobs from 2001-04, the employers will not look at since they are a lot farther back. They want to see more detail of your recent activities.

[j3tang]

You should remove your first couple of co-op placements. Most employers are looking for things you have done within the past 2-3 years. So things such as your co-op jobs from 2001-04, the employers will not look at since they are a lot farther back. They want to see more detail of your recent activities.

I would beg to differ on that .. removing 2001 experience maybe, but not 2001-2004 :s

removing some of the older experience would leave a half blank page .. which is usually not that great an idea.

you do realize that if i remove co-op from 2001-2004, i'm left with an empty 2nd page right? The only "work" experience left would be the one from my masters research ....

[Mint]

I feel your pain. When I first graduated it took me a long time to find work and suggest you keep doing what your doing (trying to solve this 'problem' and making improvements). There are probably a few threads I posted on RFD asking the same thing.

Lot of good comments/suggestions already, particularly the comment about removing "engineer" from your title. I think that error alone would have been enough for people reviewing your resume to turn it down. I'm surprised your school counselor didn't pick up on that.

If your an EIT, I would add a section for "membership in professional societies" and include a bullet like "Engineering Intern, Professional Engineers Ontario - Engineering In Training Program" or something along those lines. Check out the PEO website to see the exact titles EIT are given.

I personally think you should add an "Extra-Curricular Activities" type of sections. It helps people know a bit more about yourself and don't think your just a typical number crunching/problem solving engineer; nobody wants to hire a robot. I would add some of the stuff you like doing: travelling, snowboarding, basketball, hockey, reading, etc etc,

Edit: Some additional comments:
- I would create an email with your full name like Jack.Tang@gmail.com or jacktang@gmail or Jack_Tang@gmail. Something that reflects your name easily.
- Objective: I'm not a fan of the "objective", but I think it can go either way. The objective is pretty specific, so be sure to change it according to the job your applying for. So if your applying to a consulting position, the objective you have now may not apply.

There are some grammar errors as well that makes it hard to easily read what your objective is saying. I would suggest the following edits:
"Seeking a permanent position as a mechanical engineer or designer in a manufacturing environment that utilizes my attention to detail and efficient problem solving skills."
The exact wording can be revised as you see fit, but I think you get the point.
I think having grammar or typo errors will typically add your resume to the 'no' pile. I think it is what the HR person looks at in particular. (That's how my company is, but then again, attention to details in writing is very important in our co.). You also have a "." at the end of your objective, where as the rest of the resume you don't use it. I'm probably nit-picking here, but you never know what the HR person picks up on.

Header: I noted your header has "Mechanical Engineer", that should probably be deleted.

You should probably have a professional go through your resume, I didn't note any glaring errors, but I think some things can be worded differently.

[woodstock827]

I find mechanical engineering field has been pretty quiet/slow ever since the loonie went to par with the US dollar.
I graduated from Waterloo Mech back in 2006, and have been working in a construction/structural engineering company since then. I'm now looking to switch back into mechanical field since last October, but there just aren't enough job postings around. Even where there is mechie job, they're usually either looking for P.Eng or someone in HVAC (which I didn't take in 4th year =/)

If you're really desperate, going west (Alberta) would be MUCH easier, but I just don't want to leave GTA. I want to find a job in the East end (Markham, Oshawa, Newmarket) and that makes it even harder... :(

[NiteHawk]

Reading this is all very interesting, as I am also a Waterloo Mech Eng about to graduate at the end of April (seems like alot of Waterloo students use RFD!). I have had a few interviews but its too early to tell what will happen.

[Drthorne]

you should send your resume to these guys, http://www.mmm.ca/careers/Careers.aspx

[j3tang]

Thanks MINT for the suggestions, and making minor adjustments :)

I originally thought since the objective section was the only part of the resume which was written as a full sentence, so i put the period. But you're right, although it's not starting with a bullet point, I've written it so that it sounds like a bullet point while omitting small words.

I also added a hobbiest and interests section at the end.

Before I did any edits and posted my resume online, i had a section on affiliations but decided to remove it. I just browsed around on the PEO site, I no longer can be a "student member" of the PEO since i'm not a student, and the other thing that allows me to be affiliated with the PEO is if I register as an EIT for $75 a year. That doesn't sound very enticing ...


you should send your resume to these guys, http://www.mmm.ca/careers/Careers.aspx

already have .. was several weeks ago :)