2019 Construction Forecast by GineersNow Construction Leaders magazine (Jan-2019)

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The 2019 Construction Forecast S P EC I A L

F E ATU RES

LEADERSHIP Black & Veatch Entrusted to Increase Fresh Water Supply for Hong Kong’s Lantau Island 32

STO R I E S

Engineers’ Common Mistakes When Writing Resume & CV

UK Rail Leaders Lay Foundations for Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing

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AECOM recognized as a top friendly employer for veterans and military spouses 42

Top 10 Best Websites for ECE Majors

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E D I T O R ’ S

N O T E

ithin the past decades, we have seen how technology and innovation revolutionized the field of construction. But if you think that we’ve seen the most of it, that’s when you’re gravely mistaken. Experts believe that 2019 is going to be the breakthrough year for the construction industry.

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With all industries taking numerous initiatives towards a more sustainable future, construction leaders are forecasted to be investing even more on green and cost-efficient approaches and innovations. This year, the term sustainable construction will once again come to life as the industry will shift focus on environment preservation and efficient use of resources in order to keep up with societal and cultural progress. Integration of construction management software will also become a popular trend this 2019. Find out how project management solutions can offer a variety of useful applications from time solution, changing orders, and equipment rentals among others.

With the dawn of the new year, let’s welcome easier and more organized construction processes.

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Breaking through the Walls of Innovation:

2019 is the Year for Construction With the dawn of the new year, let’s welcome easier and more organized construction processes. In terms of work place safety, 2019 is without a doubt the year for the construction industry as more and more wearable gears embedded with smart sensors will emerge to reduce accidents in the field. And of course, robots will still be present in the scene replacing cranes to offer more efficiency, safety, while installing autonomously extremely large building components. In this feature, we will unveil more of these trends that will take over the construction industry this year. We will also be giving insights about the latest tech applications that you should all watch out for. I bet you that this forecast will leave a feeling of excitement and anticipation for the year 2019. And as a bonus for this month’s release, we are to give you a peek featuring different

facets of the life of an engineer—starring hard facts in the professional work environment, life hacks and useful leadership guide. You wouldn’t also want to miss the top websites to visit for your daily engineering grind. Moreover, relate and correct common engineering mistakes in writing an effective resume/CV so that you’ll be able to finally land on that dream job. Get ready as well to learn the secrets of workplace coaching and its benefits for a better and more proactive leaders inside your firm. All of that and more from this issue. Cheers to you, engineer!

Kevin Facun EDITOR


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C O N T E N T S

S P ECI A L

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F EATU RES

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Why is Amazon investing on green energy?

Top-tier companies do not stop moving forward after securing a spot on the Forbes list—they are consistently devoting their time and energy innovating on projects that will not only matter for a particular time but will inspire generations to come. Small steps will surely make a difference once pieced together, how much more if the move for renewable energy starts with the biggest business giants?

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LEADERSHIP

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Timely Global Collaboration – Technology, Value and People

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STOR I E S

Engineers’ Common Mistakes When Writing Resume & CV

Ever wondered why you always don’t get the job?—these detrimental mistakes engineers commit might be the reason why.

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Top 10 Best Websites for ECE Majors

In this age driven by enormous demand for talent, meet the The internet is a known lifeline to ECE Majors. Their breakfast is also time to face their laptops for some programming and software routines. They are the creators of some apps or software you are enjoying right now. new generation of engineers that will patch the source gap.

JinkoSolar Ranked Among the 2018 Fortune 500 Companies in China

Trina Solar Chairman Jifan Gao elaborates on the PV maker’s continued steady growth in 2018

32 World’s first viral engineering magazine www. GineersNow.com

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Europe adds 4.5 GW of wind energy in first half of 2018

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2019

Prediction Trends on Construction Technology In the past years, technological advancements have indeed revolutionized the construction industry from equipment, materials, and processes. Ideally, from all the processes involved in the construction industry, interventions of technology will be a great help to make it more efficient. Experts believe that 2019 is going to be the breakthrough year for the construction industry. 06 6


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s all industries are heading to a more sustainable future, construction leaders will be investing heavily on green and cost-efficient approaches and innovations. Workloads will be automated and data analytics will play a relevant role in improving project management. These trends are expected to be adopted by every company and by the end of the year, a large portion of the industry has already committed to bringing their own solutions to climate change.

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Each company should take note of the up and coming trends that will surely ensure greater productivity. Here is our forecast about the technologies that will change the face of the industry, making companies up-todate, relevant, and competitive.

Each company should take note of the up and coming trends that will surely ensure greater productivity. 9


C O V E R

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E V O L U T I O N I N C O N S T R U C T I O N M A N A G E M E N T

Construction management software is integral to achieve a successful construction project because it provides managers with a systematic approach and they are fairly easy to understand. Developers are continuously improving these systems and they now even offer bundled project management

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solutions. Thus, project management solutions will be able to offer a variety of things from time solution, changing orders, and equipment rentals among others. This basically makes processes easier and organized. However, advancements in tech-


Construction management nology are not limited to software development. Recently, the use of drones for aerial photography has become popular because not only do they provide photos and videos of the landscape, they also increase safety at the job site.

Drones are here to stay. One important role that drones play is for post-storm assessments. The use of drones makes recovery and rehabilitation efforts easier because they can survey large areas and communicate feeds to the command center.

software is integral to achieve a successful construction project because it provides managers with a systematic approach and they are fairly easy to understand.

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S T O R Y

Drones are here to stay. One important role that drones play is for post-storm assessments.

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S T O R Y

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D A P T I O N F R E E N E C H N O L O G Y

Reports show that the construction industry produces 20% of global emissions thus, the adaption of Green Technology in construction will surely be an enormous help. Green technology in construction lowers the carbon footprint and makes building structures more sustainable and energy-efficient. Sustainable construction is characterized by environment preservation,

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efficient use of resources, and the capacity to keep up with societal and cultural progress. This may be exemplified by a building using natural light to illuminate some parts of the structure consequently reducing electrical cost or having a building that can recycle used water from sinks and toilets and use it for fountains for added attraction.


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Aside from that, an energy-efficient green building is actually able to automatically turn off HVAC systems when not needed. This is actually to help and just maintain the correct temperature and humidity for optimum health. Furthermore, advanced software and sensors can now be put in place to monitor the ventilation system to prevent CO2 from underground garages from cycling throughout the building.

Sustainable construction is characterized by environment preservation, efficient use of resources, and the capacity to keep up with societal and cultural progress.

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O D U L A R N D R E F A B R I C A T E D O N S T R U C T I O N R O J E C T S

Modular construction is off-site production. Modular construction companies build based on provided specifications and transport the finished components to the job site. Most modular construction companies provide 90% of the component part which relieves the site crew from much of the work. A hot trend in the construction industry is the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM). BIM is basically a process of creating and managing digital representations of both the physical and functional aspects of a structure. BIM can predict how long a building can withstand wear and tear and predict performance. This will save cost and can plan for a better construction. Today, Cloud operation is a growing trend and will continue in 2019 and even beyond that. By using a cloud, only one set of data or one set of truth is made available to all stakeholders. No information can be altered or hidden. Anyone can see the entirety of the project even its minute details. This will allow the project to be scrutinized by project managers for better quality and foster collaboration minus the confrontation.

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I M P R O V E D S A F E T Y E Q U I P M E N T

It is presumed that construction sites have all safety measures in place and that workers are highly trained to prevent accidents from happening. But the same is not always true. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), one in ten construction site workers get injured each year. These accidents either result to temporary or permanent disability and worse, death. Safety equipment companies are always on the research and development of new and improved safety equipment that will lessen the number of accidents at construction sites every year. Safety equipment companies have developed sensors and cameras embedded in construction helmets which can be used to identify proximity to hazardous and dangerous zones. Another wearable technology that’s becoming popular these days are smart working boots which include GPS, IMUs Wi-Fi, lighting, RFID, and motion sensors. These smart work boots promote transparency in workflow by having real-time insights, avoids hazards, provides automatic alerts of

unsafe and unhealthy environmental conditions, and allows real-time reporting of any incident. Thus, Exoskeleton technology is also a promising innovation. Construction workers are prone to developing poor health and about 20% of construction workers suffer from severe body pains. With this technology, workers are spared from carrying heavy construction hand tools because it makes the tools feel weightless. Crane will eventually be considered a thing of the past in 2019. Robotized systems can replace these cranes because the former operates more efficiently, safely, and can possibly install autonomously extremely large building components. This is popular with building refurbishments. These are just some of the numerous things in store for you this coming 2019. But one thing is for sure and we can all agree with, the construction industry is heading towards an exciting new year—a year that will ground break colossal improvements in the sector.

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Black & Veatch Entrusted to Increase Fresh Water Supply for Hong Kong’s Lantau Island

Capacity of Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works will be doubled to meet the future needs of residents and businesses

ciated raw water supply systems. Capacity will expand from the existing 150 000 cubic metres per day (m3/d) to 300 000 (m3/d).

he Water Supplies Department (WSD) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has entrusted Black & Veatch with the responsibility the future water demands

“Our global experience in water treatment has helped us identify ozone-activated carbon filtration as a possible solution for the extension of WSD’s Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works. The ozonation process increases the disinfection capacity of the plant and improves water quality,” said Andy Kwok, Managing Director, Black & Veatch Hong Kong.

T of addressing of Lantau Island.

The project consists of extending Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works and enhancing the transfer capacity of the asso-

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The expansion of the water treatment works will help enable the Hong Kong government’s various housing and economic developments along the northern shore of Lantau under the Sustainable Lantau Blueprint.

Cost efficiencies can be achieved through the longer lifespan of the filters while coping with North Lantau’s anticipated increase of water demand.

Black & Veatch will be carrying out the investigation study, site investigation, design, preparation and assessment of tenders and supervising the construction works of the Siu Ho Wan Water Treatment Works extension. The Siu Ho Wan project reflects Black & Veatch’s long-term business strategy of supporting the provision of safe drinking water to communities in Hong Kong. A recent example of this strategy includes the company’s appointment as one of the independent inspectors of Hong Kong’s reservoirs. The consultancy agreement is based on New Engineering Contract (NEC) principles that facilitates sound project management practices and defines legal relationships. Project success in terms of time, cost savings and improved quality is achieved through deeper collaboration with clients, like WSD, to identify and resolve risks.


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Otis wins major contract for Shanghai Metro Line 18

Continuing it long partnership with Shanghai Metro, Otis Electric, Otis’ sub-brand in China will provide more than 210 escalators for the new Line 18. This marks the ninth Shanghai Metro project for Otis Electric, which has previously provided equipment for Lines 2, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 16 and 17.

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pon completion, the 36-kilometer Line 18 will supplement the extensive Shanghai Metro which serves the Greater Shanghai area.

Otis Electric has provided equipment and services for metro networks in 17 cities

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across China, covering more than half of the cities in the country that have opened rail transit, according to the China Urban Rail Transit Market Report issued in November 2017.


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UK Rail Leaders Lay Foundations for Positive Mental Health and Wellbeing On World Mental Health Day 2018 (10 October), HSRIL (High Speed Rail Industry Leaders), which supports and champions high-speed rail in Britain, has committed to a new charter to promote a step change in supporting positive mental health and wellbeing. Launching the charter and report, “Laying the foundations for positive mental health and wellbeing”, HSRIL is leading an ambition to promote awareness and action on mental health and wellbeing through the delivery of High Speed 2, the biggest rail investment and construction program in the U.K. in decades.

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The scale of HS2 creates the opportunity to lead a transformation in support for positive mental health and wellbeing in the rail and construction sectors and beyond. This includes addressing mental health and wellbeing in working environments for those constructing HS2 and communities where construction takes place, as well as how the railway operates for staff and passengers, designing for wellbeing from the start.

Whilst the U.K. is one of the world’s safest railways1, the industry recognizes more progress must be made to achieve positive mental health and wellbeing. The U.K. construction and building sector represents 11 per cent of more than 13,000 workplace suicides each year, one of the highest rates among the professions. 2 All but ten of these suicides in the sector were men, with two-thirds of those aged over 40.3 Mental ill health accounts for four times as many days lost than safety related injuries.4


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The HSRIL report draws on innovations and approaches that HSRIL members have put in place or are developing and which lay the foundations for a commitment to a step-change and new industry standard in the U.K.: • Creating a culture of openness including through role play sessions to enable conversations about mental health and to counter the stigma and taboos, which particularly affects men • Establishing mental health first aiders and champions in the workplace to signpost support • Treating mental health on par with physical health and agreeing a step change in approach led 38

from the top of organizations • Proactive and preventative approaches to mental health and wellbeing • Changing the nature of construction through manufacturing centers with less dangerous site work needed as a result; and designing out future problems such as destressing environments • Supporting national mental health awareness events and campaigns • Establishing employment assistant programs to support employees as well as their families • Developing fitness and nutrition schemes, not just treating ill health but seeking prevention,

leading to less surgery and quicker recovery times • Engaging staff in activity to support positive mental health as well as supporting positive forms of engagement in the workplace • Enabling young employees to develop communication and soft skills to address low confidence that can lead to stress, anxiety and a dissatisfied work life “Mental health is rightly receiving much more attention around the need to change the conversation and do more to support mental wellbeing,” said HSRIL Board member and Jacobs Client Account Director for Rail Solutions, John Downer. “As a rail industry, through the delivery of


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HS2, our members can support a step change in how we support positive mental ill health and wellbeing. Our industry has real challenges to face but HS2 enables us to set a new standard. Just as the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 were the safest ever constructed, so too must we build the safest high-speed railway supporting positive mental

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health and wellbeing at its heart, not just in construction but in every aspect of the program.” “In 2016, Jacobs launched our mental health matters strategy, which grew out of our safety program, BeyondZero©, with all staff making safety a personal value that extends outside the office walls, beyond the project site and

into our travel, homes and communities,” said Jacobs Senior Vice President Catriona Schmolke. “The promotion of mental health in the workplace is a natural extension of this culture, helping our staff understand, protect and sustain their mental wellbeing.” “To support this, we introduced positive mental health


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champions and designed a special program around recognizing and managing stress,” added Schmolke. “Our champions make a difference in fundamental ways - they promote positive mental health, raise awareness and break down the stigma associated with mental health conversations. Champions are available for staff to talk to and trained to direct staff to appropriate professional healthcare when necessary.” Jacobs is a member of HSRIL – a coalition of industry experts 42

who have helped deliver major infrastructure projects in the U.K. and around the world, ranging from creating entirely new highspeed networks through to maintaining and improving the U.K.’s existing rail network.

1 Rail Standards and Safety Board 2016 2&3 ONS, Suicide by Occupation, England: 2011 to 2015 Work-related ill health accounted for 82 per cent, or 25.7 million days lost, compared with 18 per cent or 5.5 million days 4 Health and Safety Executive website Working Days Lost, 26 October 2017


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AECOM recognized as a top friendly employer for veterans and military spouses

AECOM has been ranked as a Top 100 Military Friendly® Employer for 13 consecutive years and a Military Friendly® Spouse Employer for six consecutive years ECOM, a premier, fully integrated global infrastructure firm, announced today that it has been designated as a 2019 Military Friendly ® GOLD Employer and 2019 Military Friendly ® Spouse Employer by VIQTORY, a veteran-owned business that connects military veterans to previously unknown civilian employment, entrepreneurship and education opportunities.

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AECOM earned this recognition based on its recruiting, retention, advancement and overall commitment to veterans and military spouses. The company has a long-standing commitment to supporting those who serve as well as those who have returned to 44

civilian life. As part of this commitment, AECOM partners with organizations such as the Wounded Warrior Project, Semper Fi Fund, American Corporate Partners, the Officers’ Association, the Career Transition Partnership, Yellow Ribbon Fund and America’s Wounded Warfighters, that assist veterans with obtaining the support they need during and after their service. “AECOM values the diversity, knowledge and outstanding contributions military veterans and spouses make to our business and we are honored to receive this recognition,” said John Vollmer, AECOM’s president of its Management Services group. “As a company, we employ more than 9,000 veterans on projects around the world, in a multitude of profes-

sions, disciplines and markets. Our continued commitment to this community enables us to better deliver transformative outcomes for our clients and communities.” This is AECOM’s 13 th consecutive year to appear on the Top 100 Military Friendly ® Employer list and its sixth year as a Military Friendly ® Spouse Employer. Military Friendly ® is the standard that measures an organization’s commitment, effort and success in creating sustainable and meaningful benefit for the U.S. military community. A major contractor to the U.S. Federal Government, AECOM works with government agencies, providing cost-effective and innovative solutions to help them achieve mission success. AECOM leverages its global defense, civilian and commercial expertise to deliver services across the entire life cycle for its clients’ most challenging projects – from concept design, development, construction, acquisition, management and operation, to testing, training, sustainment and environmental management, to closure and decommissioning.


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Engineers’ Common Mistakes When Writing Resume & CV 46


Ever wondered why you always don’t get the job?—these detrimental mistakes engineers commit might be the reason why.

he engineering world is a vast ocean, there are a lot of fishes swimming and it’s up to you whether or not you’ll choose to be beaten. In this age, where innovation and engineering solutions grow rampant, companies are on the lookout for the best hire to edge out rivals.

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This only means that even though the demand is high, the competition also leveled-up. What’s left to do now, is to take the first strike and figure out what it takes to be hired. When it comes to job hunting, your number one weapon is a well-crafted resume. You have to tailor your resume both for a computer and for a person because many businesses have several filters. If your resume falls short of the minimum job requirements, your phone isn’t going to ring, no matter what. Here are some of the most common resume-mistakes engineers make and ways to prevent or fix them:

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L E A D E R S H I P

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1. NO SINGLE RESUME IS GOOD ENOUGH It’s pretty much obvious that you won’t be applying for a single company, right? There are a lot of engineering firms around and the more you apply equals the more chances of you getting hired. But perhaps the most common and most harmful mistake engineers make, is thinking that one resume will suffice. The truth is that you have to update your resume for every position you’re applying for.

2. TOO LONG, LESS ENTICING Long resumes will take too long to review. Remember that recruiters got a lot of applicants, so sending in

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a long one has a tendency to consume more of time. Customize your resume. Fit the most relevant experience onto that first page, making it easy for prospective employers to find your best qualifications. It also proves that you know how to prioritize what is important, a highly desirable trait in any employee.

3. GLARING MISTAKES ARE SORE TO THE EYES Resume writing is an art. And the more mistakes it has, can cause it to become unappealing to the eyes. Formatting, grammatical, or spelling error, tells all the wrong things about a candidate. Thus, it is always worth it to pay someone to edit your resume to make sure it is clean and presentable.

4. VA G U E F A C T S ARE NOT SMART When engineering firms post a job vacancy, they provide specifics. They are looking for that perfect hire who at least have the same level of attention to detail as their future employees. In this case, you should make it a habit to give them what they want. For instance, if you’re applying as a computer engineer include the kind of apps you know how to program.

5. HIGHLIGHTING THINGS THAT ARE NOT IMPORTANT As engineers, you should be output-driven. Forget about the boring elaboration of your previous duties


and come straight to the point. Focus on what matters like how efficient you can be. If you work on an assembly, highlight how much you can process in an hour and the percentage of your work that was accepted.

7. ADDING GRAPHICS WHEN NOT APPLYING AS AN ARTIST

6. WHY USE WEIRD AND UNPROFESSIONAL EMAIL ADDRESS

Although, this can get the attention of employers, graphics just takes up space. Even if you work with graphics for a living, you should provide a link to a portfolio instead than cramming everything onto your resume. Engineering resume needs to highlight experience, not a headshot or image of you.

If you think you can get away with small details, well you’re just as wrong. Email addresses are important as it tells how seriously you want to take on the position. Professional engineers don’t use personal and offensive email address as much as their former employer’s email address. Try out a simple one with your name on it from gmail.com.

8. NO LINKS NO PORTFOLIOS

9. UNFOCUSED, UNSTRUCTURED RESUME Staying organized is a feat that makes it to the cut. Sections inside your resume need to be clearly defined, previous positions should be easy to view (especially the duration of work for different divisions or companies), and bullets should be consistent. Remember, hiring managers average about 6 seconds on a resume during the initial perusal, so they need to be able to find all of the basics so that your resume ends up in the pile for further review instead of in the discard pile.

If you are a computer engineer or an ECE with a proud experience in software design and web development, one fatal mistake is not including a link to your portfolio. What could have been a perfect opportunity to show more than the contents of the resume would be wasted away if you dare forget this.

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L E A D E R S H I P

S T O R I E S

10. IGNORANCE WITH KEYWORDS

OMITTING THINGS THAT A R E R E L E VA N T

If you really want to prove that you are truly interested with the job, then you shouldn’t miss the job description part. It includes key words in it that are pleasing to any employer’s eyes. Also, include as well the keywords of your profession. Use those engineering buzz words to show that you know how to use them and that you possess in-depth knowledge of your profession.

Have you ever done any volunteer work? Put all of this on your resume if you can tie it back to why it makes you a valuable employee. There should be a section on your resume that covers your extra-curricular activities and hobbies. Everyone has hobbies, and odds are those hobbies require a level of expertise, organization, and planning that can be applied to the job.

11. INCLUDING FLUFF AND WEASEL WORDS ON YOUR RESUME

15. T O O PA I N F U L T O LOOK AT

Remove all the excess and uncertainties. Words like very, nearly, and approximately really don’t have a place in your resume. You need to keep it as clear and concise as possible. If a word is not required or does not offer a deeper description of what you did or achieved, delete it.

12. OBJECTIVE NOT FOUND There are two ways to mishandle the objective section of your resume. The first is to leave it out entirely. This can be an extremely easy way for potential employers to eliminate your resume within the first second of checking it. The second way to mishandle it is to be vague.

13. MISSING VERBS

Style is as important as the content of your resume. Using different font types (or just a really bad font), more than two font sizes, or too much information crammed into too little space are indeed sore to the eyes.

16. BADLY SORTED EXPERIENCE Bring more logic to the way you present yourself. What you highlight in your resume should flow in a way that makes sense, such as including meeting related activities together, programming items together, defectmonitoring tasks together, customerdriven tasks together, and so on. Each point should flow into the next one.

17. PRESENTING I R R E L E VA N T JOBS

Verbs are the heart of your resume. It keeps the content flowing. Lack of action verbs is a really easy item to fix, but a mistake that far too many job hunters make. The best way to fix this is to change all of your bullets to start with an action verb.

If you’re an engineer would it benefit you to include positions not even related to the job you’re applying to? Cull things that don’t pertain to the position to which you are applying and delete jobs that you did more than 15 years ago. You can also provide the type of degree you have without including the year.

14.

18.

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TOO LAZY TO CUSTOMIZE Once again, resumes represent your profile in every job application. Exert more time and don’t rush it just to get done. Also, customize your resume to show a bit of who you are so that it stands out.

19. U N E QUA L TREATMENT E QUA LS DIFFERENT PRESENCE Ideally, your resume should be nearly identical to your online professional presence, whether on LinkedIn or your own website. Your resume could be a shortened version, but it should be consistent with the experience you present on job boards and on your site.

20. WRITING YOUR RESUME IN THE WRONG POV Of all the times you are prohibited to use the first person, this one counts as an exception. Your resume is one of those places where the first person is necessary. However, since it is evidently about you, you may safely eliminate pronouns entirely. Engineering resumes require careful attention to details in order to become an attractive and compelling presentation of yourself. Make it as concise as possible and maintain the look of a professional.


The internet is a known lifeline to ECE Majors. Their breakfast is also time to face their laptops for some programming and software routines. They are the creators of some apps or software you are enjoying right now.

So, for people specializing on this course, the presence of websites for easy access to study and research would be of best help for future engineers like them. Here are some websites they frequently visit:

1. IEEE Spectrum https://spectrum.ieee.org/ IEEE Spectrum tackles a variety of engineering topics from gadgets and robotics to telecom and transportation. ECE majors will surely enjoy its own blogs and special reports on the latest trends and current issues in technology. IEEE Spectrum reaches different multimedia platforms with its podcasts, slideshows, videos and radio programming.

2. Instructables https://www.instructables.com/ Instructables offers classes in electronics, with step-by-step lessons in creating a project. It runs its own contests and has a community page where covered subjects can be discussed. It also has a compilation of training manuals for a wide variety of machines under their workshop called Pier 9.

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3. Stack Overflow https://stackoverflow.com/

Stack Overflow is an online community for ECE majors where they can learn, share

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their knowledge, and build their careers. It helps them solve coding problems, develop new skills, and find job opportunities for professional and aspiring programmers. Partnering with businesses, Stack Overflow also has products and services focused on developer marketing, technical recruiting, market research, and enterprise knowledge sharing.


articles, invention stories and forums regarding gadgets, machines and, equipment. It also has news, blogs, and reviews as contributed projects.

8. SparkFun https://www.sparkfun.com/

SparkFun offers curriculum, training, and online tutorials in addition to its open source components and widgets. It aims to help learners achieve electronics literacy through its products and resources designed to make electronics more accessible.

4. Make: https://makezine.com/

Make: is a magazine for innovators and has a community named ‘Maker’. It provides learning materials and portfolios in technology and has started a movement called ‘The Maker Movement’ which embraces innovation, creativity, and learning. It publishes bi-monthly in print and features dozens of DIY technology projects.

5. Hackaday https://hackaday.io/

Hackaday serves up fresh hacks every day around the Internet. Its daily posts serve entertainment for engineers and for engineering enthusiasts. It is a platform where

members of the community can share their original projects.

6. edX and Tutorials Point https://www.edx.org/

9. Circuits Today http://www.circuitstoday.com/

Circuits Today, with its official registered name CircuitsToday Electronic Solutions, is a firm under Registrar of Firms in India providing useful content in the Electronics Engineering niche.

edX and Tutorials Point are online learning destinations, offering high-quality courses. These companies offer classes and lessons. After completing a university course, students will earn accredited certificates.

10. MathWorks

7. Engineers Garage

MathWorks is a developer of mathematical computing software for engineers and scientists. It provides products such as software and hardware support. It also gives documentation, tutorials, examples, trainings, videos, and webinars.

https://www.engineersgarage.com/

http://www.mathworks.in/

Engineers Garage provides insights,

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WO RLD’ S

FI RST VIRAL

ENGINEERING

MAGAZ INE

www. GineersNow.com

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