CE Internship Question

[EngineerGal]

So I am about to graduate with my CE degree and I am also waiting on my FE scores....boo NCEES...but I am wondering when applying for internships and jobs what are things employers are looking for from a soon to be graduate and also a post graduate? I feel like I have done so much so far but I'm not sure how to put everything together in a certain way that would make an employer realize how valuable I would be to their company. Any advice from people who have been hired or who do hiring on things engineers like to see highlighted on resumes and in interviews? Thanks to much!! :]

 

[ALBin517]

So I am about to graduate with my CE degree and I am also waiting on my FE scores....boo NCEES...but I am wondering when applying for internships and jobs what are things employers are looking for from a soon to be graduate and also a post graduate? I feel like I have done so much so far but I'm not sure how to put everything together in a certain way that would make an employer realize how valuable I would be to their company. Any advice from people who have been hired or who do hiring on things engineers like to see highlighted on resumes and in interviews? Thanks to much!! :]

Work experience and leadership, I would say.

Also, a good share of civil firms like to start grad engineers as inspectors to increase their "hands on" experience. So they want to know that you have the stones to call-out a contractor, from your first day on the job.

 

[XOXOXO]

So I am about to graduate with my CE degree and I am also waiting on my FE scores....boo NCEES...but I am wondering when applying for internships and jobs what are things employers are looking for from a soon to be graduate and also a post graduate? I feel like I have done so much so far but I'm not sure how to put everything together in a certain way that would make an employer realize how valuable I would be to their company. Any advice from people who have been hired or who do hiring on things engineers like to see highlighted on resumes and in interviews? Thanks to much!! :]

Make sure your resume doesn't have silly things on it, like hobbies and non-professional society memberships on it (belive me, I've seen it all). It should be ONE page, and focus on your objectives, since you have no direct work experience. Make sure to join ASCE and all other pertinent organizations, and have them listed on your resume. Be up to date on Autocad, and microstation if possible.

Create a concise cover letter, and include it with your resume everytime you fax/email/mail it.

Always, always, send a thank you letter to anyone who you interview with. My cover letter and thank you letters have gotten me noticed more than a few times...many people never send a thank you letter, and an interviewer may have spent the day interviewing a hundred people.

What do CE employers want? Well you should be familiar with Codes and Standards, if by name only. You should also be familiar with any State specific references, (ie. the New York State Dept. of Transportation Bridge Manual and AASHTO is the Holy Grail for NYS bridge engineers). There is also a Highway Manual. You may not be experienced with them, but that you know they exist and you are good at doing research to find out what you would need on the job is a plus. Know the lingo.

Look pretty, but look professional if you get an interview. Don't afraid to be a woman, but don't jingle or smell up the room with perfume. I wear a suit, but will have a pretty nail color on and my hair down. I wouldn't want to just "blend" in, but I don't want to stand out like some sort of nut either.

And don't forget to SMILE. I like people who smile. Don't take yourself TOO seriously.

Oh, and good luck!

 

[Dleg]

Make sure your resume doesn't have silly things on it, like hobbies and non-professional society memberships on it (belive me, I've seen it all). It should be ONE page, and focus on your objectives, since you have no direct work experience. Make sure to join ASCE and all other pertinent organizations, and have them listed on your resume. Be up to date on Autocad, and microstation if possible.

I disagree with this. Definitely keep it to one page, but I wouldn't hesitate to put a hobby or interest on there that might show how you would be suitable for a job. You're a new grad, you've got virtually no work experience that anyone is going to be interested in. However, if an employer is looking for someone that can be thrown out in the field and survive as an inspector, having something like "backpacking" or "mountain climbing" might give you an edge over some other, anonymous new graduate. Similarly, if you held an officer position in some club or organization, that can show you have initiative and the ability to manage and organize, and that you're not just a couch potato.

Personally, I like to see a little more about the person when I am looking through resumes.

Look pretty, but look professional if you get an interview. Don't afraid to be a woman, but don't jingle or smell up the room with perfume. I wear a suit, but will have a pretty nail color on and my hair down. I wouldn't want to just "blend" in, but I don't want to stand out like some sort of nut either.

I would only recommend this if you are a woman. :2cents:

 

[EngineerGal]

Hi and thanks for the advice! I should have been more precise. I have had a bit of experience. I had 2 internships, one in which I am at currently, both with environmental emphasis working with engineers but not PE's. I just passed my FE and do want to be licensed eventually. I am worried as a female I wont be taken as seriously as a man applying for the same position. I know a lot of people tell me not to worry about it but I do :[ I was also in a sorority on my campus and held numerous positions there as well and I am so afraid to put that down as experience even though I did so much. Does anyone have any insight into this or their feelings about seeing a female application with more "girly" things on them? I am involved in the CE clubs on my campus as well as those 2 internships but I'm trying to figure out how to put things down so I do seem tougher and not so girly. I have been on construction sites and I know I don't fit in but I can hold my own, but I need to know how to convey that to a potential employer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[IL-SE]

Hi and thanks for the advice! I should have been more precise. I have had a bit of experience. I had 2 internships, one in which I am at currently, both with environmental emphasis working with engineers but not PE's. I just passed my FE and do want to be licensed eventually. I am worried as a female I wont be taken as seriously as a man applying for the same position. I know a lot of people tell me not to worry about it but I do :[ I was also in a sorority on my campus and held numerous positions there as well and I am so afraid to put that down as experience even though I did so much. Does anyone have any insight into this or their feelings about seeing a female application with more "girly" things on them? I am involved in the CE clubs on my campus as well as those 2 internships but I'm trying to figure out how to put things down so I do seem tougher and not so girly. I have been on construction sites and I know I don't fit in but I can hold my own, but I need to know how to convey that to a potential employer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

To highlight your work experience, I would list a few specific duties on your resume. Don't just say "computer analysis", say "modeled storm runoff using *insert program here*, conducted field visits and maintained non-conformance log" Try to give them a clear understanding of your experience. Come up with a few examples that you can use in an interview to highlight an issue you discovered on site and how it was dealt with.

I personally would probably leave the sorority off the resume, but maybe use it in the interview if it comes up. I think there are probably more relevant examples of your work/leadership that you can pull from. Your other internships are really what you want to focus on.

I agree that sending a follow up thank you letter is a good idea and will help set you apart. Also, if you haven't heard back from them, it never hurts to email or call (once or twice total...not once a week or anything). When I was hired, my employer was dragging their feet at getting back to me. I had spoken with them a few times and they just didn't have an answer either way. I finally told them (6 weeks after my interview) that I wanted to work for them, but needed to start responding to other offers. They made an offer to me by the end of that week, which I gladly accepted.

I've never found being a female engineer to hinder me. The biggest thing is to have confidence. When you don't know the answer, just say "I need to run some numbers on that and get back to you." When you do know the answer, own it!

 

[menstrom]

Hi and thanks for the advice! I should have been more precise. I have had a bit of experience. I had 2 internships, one in which I am at currently, both with environmental emphasis working with engineers but not PE's. I just passed my FE and do want to be licensed eventually. I am worried as a female I wont be taken as seriously as a man applying for the same position. I know a lot of people tell me not to worry about it but I do :[ I was also in a sorority on my campus and held numerous positions there as well and I am so afraid to put that down as experience even though I did so much. Does anyone have any insight into this or their feelings about seeing a female application with more "girly" things on them? I am involved in the CE clubs on my campus as well as those 2 internships but I'm trying to figure out how to put things down so I do seem tougher and not so girly. I have been on construction sites and I know I don't fit in but I can hold my own, but I need to know how to convey that to a potential employer. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

You're over-thinking this. I'd place your sorority membership along with the highest position you held (or the one you have the most to talk about) along with all your other extracurriculars. Just avoid listing every single position and cause you were involved with. You may interview with another greek, and that experience may set you apart in their eyes. If someone is going to discount you because of your gender, you don't want to work for them anyway.

Good luck!

 

[Dleg]

You could also just try to summarize it all under the heading of "extracurricular activities" with something like "held numerous officerships and was active in the management of various student clubs and organizations during college".

Good luck, by the way. I have worked around women engineers for a long time. In government, at least, I think they are more or less treated and considered equal with men. But ultimately I think it really depends on the people you work around, which will always vary by industry, geographic areas, and many other factors. I trained one female field engineer in the oil field many years ago, and she had a little rougher time physically than she would have in another industry, and really acted tough to compensate. I never thought she really needed to - while of course there were a few Neanderthals around, most of the men in our company and even on the drilling rigs were very respectful of her as an engineer. I've also worked in more backwards places where women engineers and other professionals get almost zero respect and have to really fight to get anywhere (where I am now...), and that's just more of a cultural/foreign thing.