Thanks WelTec for hosting our first “Engineering” bootcamp this week! Oh, and great to learn about the Technology Expo that’s happening on 20 August, that looks like a cool opportunity for Tech students to connect with potential employers!!
We heard from Kristian Jensen, General Manager of Reyrolle Pacific Switchgear, about what makes a good Engineering CV.
The message was loud and clear… it’s your ATTITUDE and your APTITUDE that are going to get you a job! When you’re on the market for an engineering role, your CV is your first sales tool. The purpose of your CV?
…to get you a job interview.
Use your CV as a tool to show your professionalism, your passion, and your potential.
Engineering employers want to know that you can work on a team, that you’ll be a good “fit”, that you bring the skills & energy that will move the business forward.
Do your homework (and know that employers are doing their homework on you, too!)
Ask questions. Find out what you can bring to the organisation. There ARE some great engineering & manufacturing roles in Wellington, but as students, you’ll need to build your connections to industry (here’s some tips from a previous post) in order to take advantage of the hidden “word of mouth” job market.
Thanks to Kristian for sharing some inside tips on what employers are looking for, and how engineering students and grads might approach the challenge of getting their CV noticed!
Here are some notes from Tahnia’s presentation, including GREAT pearls of wisdom about how to construct your digital design porfolio:
A good portfolio is…
Essential to showcase your work, your skills, and your POTENTIAL
Targeted & Focused – on the client (if you’re a freelancer), or on the employer if you’re looking for a job
Different from your CV
Beautiful
Content might include…
Self-initiated art and design projects
Assignments
Collaborated media (make sure you credit the work – state what your involvement was)
Exhibitions
Testimonials
Showcase your personal & unique style…
Include your contact information (include your social media id’s)
Include your software skills (if applicable)
If you’re a freelancer, what’s your availability?
Get your portfolio peer reviewed – involve others (not mum/dad/best friend)
Ideally, include six projects (if possible) – four great ones okay too
Make sure your best stuff is up-front…
QUALITY vs quantity
(only include your best work)
Here’s some links to Portfolio websites:
http://www.behance.net/
http://www.coroflot.com/
http://www.deviantart.com/
http://www.cpluv.com/
http://www.flickr.com/
Tahnia Roberts is a Director at Momentum Studios, a photographer, and a great friend to Summer of Tech!
Thanks for being part of our first ever Summer of Tech – Design Bootcamp!
Here’s an amended map of Victoria University’s Kelburn Campus, there’s a new addition to that carpark, a shiny new building!
See you Monday for our first ever SoT BA Bootcamp!
100…
the number of pizzas ordered from Hell (the one at the top-o-Cuba-Street, of course) today, to be delivered in batches to evening bootcamps happening over the next 6 weeks
84…
the number of SoT students who have registered to attend week 1 of SoT Technical Bootcamps (that’s NEXT WEEK, folks!)
64…
the number of candidate profiles complete and ready to be checked out by keen companies looking for top tech talent on the SoT website NOW!
21…
the number of days students have left to sign up to participate in Summer of Tech, and be in with a chance to be chosen for an internship at one of Wellington’s top IT or Manufacturing companies
4…
the number of spots available for the Code .NET bootcamp on Wednesday (students – be in quick, it WILL fill up!)
0…
the number of minutes SoT students should wait before logging in to complete their online profiles 
Over the last couple of days, I’ve had a quick look at the around 20+ resumes and I thought it would be good to revisit a previous post about resume structure – What Does A Good Resume Look Like ??? In that post, I give an outline of a resume structure and give a sample resume of “Michael Knight” aka David Hasselhoff . Make sure you have a read of the post as it will help you think about the structure of your resume.
Thinking about the tips that I gave over the past couple of days here are a couple areas that you might want to double check you’re happy with your resume.
- In your Personal Statement, you need to tell me what you’re interested in for your career and why. I want to know why you are interested in that area of interest.You should make sure that you balance your broad interests with your special interest. Finally telling a company why you are interested in tells them how you’re unique.
- Nearly all resumes need to provide more proof of their skills / attributes. I want to see explicit examples of how you applied your skill and what was the outcome / result of your actions. This ensures that you back your skill up with genuine examples.
Following on from Rebecca Ray’s SoT Tips, here’s another guest post from SoC Alumni. Raja Bhadury did SoC in 07/08 and 08/09. Here’s his words of wisdom for SoT2010 students:
So, you’re in your second or third year at Uni, and not really thinking about getting a job or starting your career. You have a wee bit of a ‘meh’ attitude at having to find a job during the middle of your semester and probably reckon that even if you don’t do anything about your career prospects right now, something will pleasantly fall into your lap.
At least that’s what I thought before getting involved with Summer of Code. I’ve been fortunate enough to be in the programme for summers ’07/08 and ’08/09. Over the past few years I’ve been working mainly with Ruby on Rails at ProjectX, as well as helping out with the SoTech programme.
If I had just one piece of advice, I’d say to keep in mind that what you do now will determine how your career begins. The post-recession job market is incredibly competitive, especially those going into new/entry level jobs. Keep in mind that Wellington is also a pretty tight-knit ICT/Technology space, so its not necessarily about whether or not you’re some kid-genius and have been in to your tech since intermediate, or about getting an A+ average. Its about making connections, knowing people and having a positive, can-do attitude.
With the latter, the onus is on you. The former is what Summer of Tech is here to help you with. You owe it to yourself to take every opportunity that the programme has to offer, whether it be networking at meet-ups or knowledge and practical skills at boot-camps. Looking back, I wish I had attended more. Remember, you are competing with all the students in your year in and around Wellington. If you aren’t hungry enough, it shows. It shows when you present a very average CV, despite having ample opportunity (and John’s vidoes/slides) to make sure your CV stands out. It shows when you approach employers during meet and greets or even interviews and don’t have a clue about what their project is or what they do as a company. And what you may not realise, is that it shows when you don’t attend boot-camps. In fact, going to boot camps and giving things a hands-on go can be the difference between you being recommended for a position with a late-to-sign-up company, even if you missed being matched to a company the first time round.
Job stuff is serious. And yes, it can be scary. But this is life. Yours to be exact. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone a little. Seize every beneficial opportunity that Summer of Tech has to offer. And remember to make sure that you take up those drinks offered to you at meet and greets – nothing lubricates socially like a beer or two . Good luck in SoTech 2010!
This is a guest post by Rebecca Ray:
First, some background (to give me some credibility!). I participated in Summer of Code in 2008 and 2009. The program has played a big role in improving and adding to my skills – and my confidence in them. I finished my degree at the end of 2009, and am currently working for a small open source company in Wellington.
Now, for the important part: Five Summer of Tech Tips:
1. Your Marks Aren’t All That Important
Companies will be paying more attention to your “soft skills” at this stage in the game than your marks or what industry-related skills you’ve gained. Focus your CV on your ability to learn, your commitment and determination, and the like. You’re being hired as an intern, the companies aren’t expecting 10 years experience and an expert in the field- they’re looking for someone who will be able to learn the material, who will contribute to the company, and who will work well with the team.
2. The Meet and Greet is the Most Important Part of the Process
The meet and greet is your best chance to make a lasting impression on potential employers and secure an interview. Do some research on the participating companies so you know who you most want to speak to – and be sure to search them out. If you don’t have a chance to speak to them on the night, contact them the next day. Make yourself memorable- there will be a lot more students than employers there- come up with something that will make an impression. Be it a funky (or geeky) piece of clothing, or an interesting story, find something to make yourself memorable. Just remember that being memorable means they’ll remember the bad as well as the good!
3. Remember You Only Have a Few Minutes in the Interviews
The one downside to Summer of Tech is the short interview times. You’ve made a good, lasting impression through your SoT profile, CV, and meet and greet- and now you only have a few minutes to seal the deal. Do some (more) research on the companies you have interviews with before the big day and think up some unique question. Be sure to get someone’s contact details at the end- and to follow up within the next day or two with any questions you have and a reaffirmation of your interest in the position.
4. Network, network, network
Getting a job is not the only point of Summer of Tech. The program is an excellent opportunity to meet people from all aspects of the industry and form professional relationships – regardless of whether you get placed in a job for the summer or not. The bootcamps, meet and greet, and summer seminars serve more than one purpose. Start conversations with as many people as you can. Who you know in the industry can go a long way in securing that “dream job”. Twitter, LinkedIn, etc are other resources you should take advantage of – you never know who you might get to know, or what you’ll be able to learn from them.
5. Be Yourself
Employers will be looking for people that will fit with their company’s vibe. Trying too hard to impress an employer will result only in them not having any sense of who you are or how you would work within the company. Add some personality to your Summer of Tech profile- give people a sense of who you are, what makes you unique. The same goes for the meet and greet and interviews. Wear clothes that you’re comfortable in (just not the ones with holes in the knees!) and start discussions on topics you’re comfortable with. It’s cliché, yes but “be yourself” is the most important thing you can do throughout Summer of Tech – not only will it ensure that employers get a sense of who you are, but it will make it much more likely that you will enjoy the job you get.
Good luck, everyone! Take advantage of the opportunities Summer of Tech is offering to you – they’re hard to beat.
The fabulous Cameron has just posted the video of the first SoT2010 bootcamp, John Clegg’s career talk, here.
We’re working furiously to get the CV bootcamp edited & uploaded, as I know that you’re all busy writing & reviewing your CVs (exams, what exams??). To whet your appetite, here’s the slide presentation from the CV talk:
Video coming soon… and you definitely had to be there for the “Resume Smackdown” part of the talk… but some great tips here to help brush up your CV/Resume for SoT2010.
PSSSSSST: SoT2010 students: log in next week to book in for some 1:1 advice on your CV.
We’ve been connecting big-time with the Wellington Engineering community recently, and I thought it’d be a good idea to capture some of the opportunities for students to plug into local Wellington networks & events. There’s a healthy amount of professional development and industry networking happening already, so SoE students jump on in there!
1. IPENZ
- This website has a huge amount of information for engineers, with an emphasis on Civil/Structural professionals. Not to mention networking & up-skilling opportunities – check out their event calendar here. You can become a student member for free.
- The Futureintech initiative has some handy info like a list of scholarships, and lists of employers, too.
- They also have a partnership with a recruitment agency and have job listings on their website here.
2. IET
- Big thanks to an SoT2010 student for putting me in touch with these guys. IET also run a bunch of events locally which may be a great chance to network with potential employers & building your wider industry contacts.
- IET also has a reduced membership for students – check it out here.
- There’s also a global discussion forum where you can virtually connect with a much wider industry knowledge centre.
- This site is run by a Wellington-based recruitment agency that do things a bit differently. Most recruiters work in a reactive way, which means that you as a job-seeker looks through job listings and sends off your CV. ANZAC Engineers work more like Summer of Tech – you create an online profile, and employers can pro-actively look for you.
- Since you’ve gone to all the trouble of updating your CV for SoT2010, might be worth signing up with ANZAC Engineers, too (its free!)
Events & networking opportunities like this are a great way to get connected and tap into the un-advertised job market. As we’ve talked about in Bootcamps many times already, often its not WHAT but WHO you know that opens up career pathways. As much as we’d love to guarantee an internship for everyone, Summer of Tech is not going to be able to find jobs for all students. Through our bootcamp series, we’re doing our best to help you put your best foot forward to employers, and we reckon the skills you’ll learn and the contacts you make will help you on the way to a successful career (whether you’re one of the successful SoE Interns this summer, or not).
So, the key message here is: the more you can actively network your way into industry, and thus into a job… the better!
Here’s a quick wrapup of what I learned at Bernie’s Communications Bootcamp:
- Style
Be aware of yours, and consciously reflect theirs when you are trying to impress. Be believable & compelling. Most employers are looking for animated & expressive candidates (even though “amiable drivers” are probably better long-term employees).
- Ask Questions
Be interested (and interesting!) Before a networking event, prepare some open-ended questions that are conversational. Be conscious of “line of thought” when you’re engaging with a potential employer.
- Story
Have a few stories ready that will convey the fact that you’re a genius in a way that’s not too obvious. Describe an incident, have a point, and make sure it’s relevant.
Bernie’s bootcamps really underlined the hidden job market, the fact that it’s “who you know” and “how you present yourself” that is going to get you noticed (and employed). Companies assume you have the technical skills required, but that’s the same as every other candidate. What sets you apart is going to be how you present yourself. Bernie cited this Harvard Business Review article which talks about being able to predict winners of a business plan competition based on their presence & charisma… NOT on the contents of their business plan. Spooky.
Great that lots of SoT2010 students made it to these 2 sessions, huge thanks to Bernie for sharing coaching tips usually reserved for high-flying CEOs! Those of you who weren’t able to make it, I’d highly recommend checking out Bernie’s blog, and watch out for future Summer of Tech bootcamps on the subject of CVs, communication and job interview practice… trust us, this is the stuff that will get you noticed & hopefully employed!!
Phew, finally sorted a venue for next Wednesday’s Communication Skills bootcamp:
Here it is: WHS Map
For more info about the bootcamp and to sign up, you need to log into www.summeroftech.co.nz
We haven’t been able to wangle a room at Massey or VUW Design School… but the next best thing is Wellington High School, slap bang in the middle of Massey’s campus!
See you there!
Calling all SoT 2010 students!
If you do one thing to improve your chances of getting hired this summer, the one thing we’d highly recommend is to polish your communication skills. Employers have told us time & again, that they’re looking at attitude first, then tech skills. Making a good first impression is an art not a science, but there’s some stuff we can suggest, and the only way to get good is to practice!
We’re running a communications “bootcamp” on Thursday this week, facilitated by Bernie White from The Moment.
Bernie will take you through some drills designed to help you network and communicate with others. Log in to the SoT site for more info and to rsvp.