Engineer Your Own Success IEEE Press 445 Hoes Lane Piscataway, NJ 08854 IEEE Press Editorial Board Tariq Samad, Editor in Chief George W. Arnold Mary Lanzerotti Linda Shafer Dmitry Goldgof Pui-In Mak MengChu Zhou Ekram Hossain Ray Perez George Zobrist Kenneth Moore, Director of IEEE Book and Information Services (BIS) Engineer Your Own Success 7 Key Elements to Creating an Extraordinary Engineering Career Anthony Fasano, PE Copyright © 2015 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. 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ISBN: 978-1-118-65964-9 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Contents A Note From The Series Editor, xiii Acknowledgments, xv Foreword, xvii Preface, xix Introduction: Use This Book Strategically 1 PART I YOUR GUIDE TO ENGINEERING A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH 3 1 Building a Winning Résumé 5 1.1 Building a Winning Résumé (Online and Offline), 5 1.2 There Is One Key Factor to a Great Résumé, 6 1.3 The Importance of Customizing Your Résumé, 6 1.4 There Is a Formula to Building a Winning Résumé, 7 1.5 Determining the Proper Length of a Résumé, 8 1.6 Effectively Show Non-engineering Experience on Your Résumé, 12 1.7 The Importance of Honesty During the Interview Process, 13 1.8 Seven Steps to Creating a LinkedIn Profile That Can Land a Job, 14 1.9 Your LinkedIn Profile and Your Résumé Should Be Perfect Professional Snapshots, 16 1.10 Key Points to Remember, 18 2 Landing and Acing an Engineering Job Interview 19 2.1 Leverage LinkedIn Groups to Land a Job Interview, 19 2.2 Understanding Prospective Employers and Their Needs, 20 2.3 Interview Research and Preparation, 22 2.4 Interview Etiquette and Attire, 23 2.5 Performing During the Actual Interview, 24 v vi CONTENTS 2.6 The Follow-Up to the Interview, 25 2.7 Jobs Can Affect Your PE License, 26 2.8 Key Points to Remember, 26 PART II THE 7 KEY ELEMENTS TO AN EXTRAORDINARY ENGINEERING CAREER 29 3 Career Goals Act as Your Destination 31 3.1 Career Goals Act as Your Destination, 31 3.2 Start by Defining “Success”, 32 3.3 Define Your Values, 33 3.4 Ask Yourself Where, Why, What, How, and Who, 34 3.5 More on Why, 35 3.6 Think Big and Then Think BIGGER!, 36 3.7 Formulate and Prioritize Your Goals, 37 3.8 Be SMART and Use Small Steps for Big Results, 37 3.9 Let Your Definition of Success Guide You, 40 3.10 Motivate Yourself to Pursue Your Goals, 41 3.11 Time to Celebrate!, 42 3.12 Key Points to Remember, 42 4 Obtain Credentials That Will Help You to Reach Your Goals 45 4.1 Credentials Bring You Credibility, 45 4.2 Set Yourself Apart From Others, 46 4.3 Recognizing the Difference Between Patience and Procrastination, 47 4.4 Exam Preparation: Start With the End in Mind, 48 4.5 Tips for Approaching the PE Exam, 49 4.5.1 Take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam as Soon as Possible, 49 4.5.2 Start the PE Exam Application Process as Early as Possible, 50 4.5.3 Submit the Application as Soon as Possible, 51 4.5.4 Don’t Take the Exam Just to See What It Contains, 51 4.5.5 Take a Review Course Whether You Want to or Not, 52 4.5.6 Ask Others What Worked for Them, 52 4.5.7 Bring the Right Materials to the Exam, 53 4.5.8 The Day of the Exam, 54 4.5.9 The Day After the Exam, 55 4.5.10 Credentialing Processes Around the World, 55 4.6 If You Fall Off the Horse, Get Right Back On, 55 4.7 Master’s in Engineering or Business Administration?, 56 4.8 Awards Are Underrated, 58 CONTENTS vii 4.9 Take Advantage of Company Benefits, 58 4.10 Key Points to Remember, 59 5 Find and Become a Mentor 61 5.1 The Many Faces of a Mentor, 61 5.2 Finding a Mentoring Program and Selecting the Right Mentor, 62 5.2.1 Try to Select Someone from Your Specific Discipline, 63 5.2.2 Consider Your Level of Comfort, 64 5.2.3 Don’t Settle on the First One That Comes Along, 64 5.3 The Mentoring Relationship for Protégés, 64 5.3.1 Establish Levels of Confidentiality, 65 5.3.2 Set Expectations for Mutual Accountability, 65 5.4 The Importance of Accountability, 66 5.5 Getting the Most from Your Mentor, 67 5.6 Become a Mentor, 67 5.7 Selecting the Right Protégé, 68 5.8 Being the Best Mentor You Can Be, 69 5.9 How to Graciously End a Mentoring Relationship, 70 5.10 Actions to Avoid for Mentors and Protégés, 71 5.11 Key Points to Remember, 71 6 Become a Great Communicator 73 6.1 In Today’s World, Communication Is a Whole Different Ball Game, 73 6.2 Project/Team Communication Starts In House, 74 6.3 Communicate Early and Often, 75 6.4 How to (Almost) Explain Rocket Science to a Nontechnical Person, 76 6.5 Honesty Really Is the Best Policy, 77 6.6 How You Say Something Is Just as Important as What You Say, 79 6.7 Public Speaking: The Ultimate Differentiator, 80 6.8 How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills, 82 6.9 Confidence Encourages Communication, 84 6.10 Sometimes Listening Is the Most Powerful Form of Communication, 85 6.11 Responsiveness Impacts Reputation, 86 6.12 Key Points to Remember, 87 7 The Ability to Network 89 7.1 What Is Networking and Why Is It Important?, 89 7.2 Secrets to Building Lasting Relationships, 90 viii CONTENTS 7.2.1 Their Interests Should Interest You, 91 7.2.2 Listen to Others, 91 7.2.3 Relationship Value Is a Two-Way Street, 92 7.3 Network in Your Industry Through Professional Societies and Organizations, 92 7.4 Finding and Developing Project Leads Gets You Noticed, 94 7.5 Opportunities Have No Limits, 96 7.6 You Are Never Too Young (or Old!) to Network, 97 7.7 Overcoming Low Confidence and Language Barriers, 98 7.8 How to Deal with a Boss or Supervisor Who Is Holding You Back, 99 7.9 Interoffice Politics and Workplace Relationships, 101 7.10 Monitoring and Controlling Your Professional Image in Social Networking, 102 7.10.1 Controlling Your Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ Messaging, 102 7.10.2 Maximizing LinkedIn, 103 7.11 Key Points to Remember, 104 8 S tay Focused, Organized, Productive, and Stress-Free 107 8.1 The Three Rules to Time Management and Work–Family Balance, 107 8.2 Rule #1: Be Organized in All of Your Efforts, 108 8.2.1 Deploy a Minimalist Mind-Set, 109 8.2.2 Use the Old (and New) Trusty Notepad, 110 8.2.3 Manage the Never-Ending Pile of Business Cards, 112 8.2.4 Remember That Missed Appointments Equal Missed Opportunities, 114 8.2.4.1 Use Your Calendar Religiously, 114 8.2.4.2 Fill in All Pertinent Information, 114 8.2.4.3 Confirm All Meetings, 115 8.2.5 Avoid the “I Am Not Sure What Color My Desk Is” Syndrome, 115 8.2.6 Prepare for Your Annual Performance Review, 116 8.3 Rule #2: Stay Focused and Productive, 118 8.3.1 Create Consistency Through Routines, 118 8.3.2 Establish Your Most Important Tasks Early Each Day, 119 8.3.3 Complete or Assign Your MITs First Thing Each Day, 120 8.3.4 Control Your Own Schedule by Breaking Bad E-Mail Habits, 121 8.3.5 Slow Things Down through Meditation, 123 8.3.6 Focus Intently on What You Are Doing, 123