Figured I'd try out some of this new-fangled future Internet technology and put a link to my resume on my blog.
I am sure that any potential employer who designs to Google me is going to come across this blog anyway, so I might as well make pertinent information easy to find!
As for my job objectives, I am specifically targeting (in the San Jose/Santa Clara, California area) either:
(a) A position entailing electrical engineering / EMC duties at a company which designs and/or manufactures medical devices (i.e., life-support, EEG, etc.) or assistive technology (text to speech, mobility assistance, etc.)., or
(b) A position entailing EMC test engineer duties at a laboratory
I believe that my experience, skills, and enthusiasms would go well with either (a) or (b) above (SUPER bonus if I could somehow apply my EE/EMC background in a position contributing toward longevity biotech or something of that nature!). So if any readers know of any companies looking for someone in those areas, feel free to pass that information along. I will certainly return the favor if I come across any information myself that may be of interest to fellow job-seekers.
Thanks!
11 comments:
Your resume looks good. You may want to choose some stronger verbs. Instead of "held lead role" you might want to use "lead team on," focusing more on the leading than the holding. Instead of "began pursuing" you might want to use "specialized" or "specializing".
Be prepared in interviews to give anecdotes of your accomplishments. Not just what you did, but how you did it and what benefits your work provided to your employers.
Overall it looks good. You focused on the value you've added to past employers, which is very important because it implies you'll add value to the employer who hires you (which is what they want).
May or may not be interesting, but Alcor's hiring: http://www.alcornews.org/weblog/
Um, that's "deigns" to Google me. Kin ah git a job az yer Pru-freder? Snork.
To get serious: If you have, or can get, a security clearance, you might want to say something about that on your re-zoomy.
jtg: No, no security clearance, no interest in getting one, and no interest in working for the defense industry again.
I think I understand you, Ma'am. I recall reading a book about the Apollo project in which the author talked about how a lot of the aerospace engineers hired for that were enthusiastic about the opportunity to design and build something "with no guns on it.", for a change.
P.s. I should say, I think, that I was a co-op at Marshall Space Flight Center in about 1971-1973. Some of the Original Space Nazis still worked there when I was there. Wehrner had already been "kicked upstairs" by the time I got there, but I did meet Eberhard Rees at the condiment stand in the cafeteria of the 4200 building. He said to me, "Who shtole ze vinegar?"
From what I've I've read about him, he was that kind of a vindictive guy.
They were not all bad, though. I mind Georg von Tiesenhausen. I think he's still alive, and is active in the Space Camp thingy there. He had an office about 30 feet down the hall from mine.
He is only distantly related to the other von Tiesenhausen who sank HMS Barham with a torpedo from his U-boot.
I never experienced the payoff from having a college degree. I got a bachelor's in mathematics from the University of Tulsa in Dec. 1985, and for the next 4-5 years tried various things to turn the degree into some kind of college educated person's career, without success. Then I just gave up and went back into servility work, managing small motels for the past 19 years. (Even then I don't feel I do this sort of job well because I don't have the right kind of personality for it.)
It probably made a difference that (1) I didn't want to go to TU in the first place, because it treats the academic functions of a university almost as a nuisance; and (2) I didn't want to major in math, a subject I lacked passion for and don't have that much ability in.
But I still empathize with all the knowledge workers in the U.S. who've seen the economy just throw away their educational investments and personal development by their 30's, often because someone in, or from, an Asian country can do the same work cheaper. I hope that doesn't happen to you, Anne.
Stephanie: I wasn't really looking for critique on my resume but the comments are appreciated nonetheless. I am sure there are still things I can do to improve it, though it's gotten heaps better than it was a few months ago, that's for sure! (The job-searchy agency my former employers set up for us laid-off folks has been REALLY helpful in that regard).
That said, I don't think it would be appropriate to put "lead team on..." instead of "held lead role..." because I did not actually lead a team of people, but rather served as the primary (or only) person covering EMC issues on a number of projects. Which is a "lead role" in the sense that I was responsible for a particular technical subject area, but it did not entail any management duties or "team coordination" or whatnot.
And, yeah, one thing the job-searchy agency has emphasized a lot is coming up with lots of "accomplishment anecdotes" in advance, which for me I know is going to be critical. Because I know I HAVE done a lot of stuff, but I'm not so good at the real-time spontaneous verbalization thing, and hence having wording and such prepped before an interview or similar is going to be the only way the details of my experience will truly come through.
Mark Plus: I've found that whether someone receives a "payoff" from one thing or another tends to depend on a huge variety of factors (your health, the job market, etc.). I am hence annoyed when people make it out like having a degree is some kind of Magical Key To Your Dreams(TM), because without lots of additional things being done or falling into place, that isn't going to be anywhere near the reality.
I've been ridiculously lucky in some parts of my life (less so in others) and when it comes to finding new employment I guess I figure all I can do is go after what I want and see what happens. Which is exactly what I am doing now in targeting local medical device companies and EMC test labs. One thing I know I am NOT going to do is wait for someone to come to me!
AnneC,
I'm preparing to launch a resume writing service, so I figured I'd offer the fruits of my studies.
In regards to held/lead, you may want to try a third verb. The stronger the verb is the more impact the statement is likely to have. "Held" tends to be a weak verb. Perhaps "spearheaded" would be better. I can come up with a list if you're interested.
In regards to your accomplishments, you may want to include a written version (and perhaps samples, if available) in your portfolio which you can bring to your interview. You can provide a copy to the interviewer(s) and reference the actual document as you talk about it. I've found such a safty net useful for when my verbal skills don't seem to match what I'm really trying to convey.
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