4 minute read
Engineering: A Beginner’s Guide
Work experience will impress graduate recruiters and can even help you with career decisions.
Recruiters value work experience. Accordingly, an engineering placement is the gold standard – it shows that you have hands-on industry experience to complement your degree, demonstrates your commitment to the sector and indicates that you know what to expect when you start your graduate job. It will also help you get a feel of where you want to work, and indicate to employers that your decisions about where to apply are based on more than guesswork.
However, if you cannot manage an engineering placement or you have left it too late, there is no need worry; work experience or part-time jobs in any environment – even if it is in a different industry – can help you develop the transferable skills needed, as well as give you some work experience. As such, they too, are well thought of by employers.
Engineering placements
Some degrees incorporate a year in the industry; if yours does not, take the initiative and look into arranging one. Placements will give you a sense of what life as a graduate engineer is like, help you build skills that are relevant to graduate positions and give you the chance to build up a network of contacts.
A placement is also a great opportunity to get to know a firm better than just by reading company literature. This will give you a good basis from which to figure out whether it is the sort of business you could work for on a long-term basis, and whether or not you feel the area of engineering and kind of role you are considering are right for you.
It also gives employers a chance to get to know you better. Many recruiters like to hire students who perform well on their placements, and some may even offer sponsorships to help you complete your degree.
Small engineering employers may not run formal schemes, but they can still be a good source of work experience. You could ask to shadow someone in an area or organisation that interests you for a couple of days, or look for paid, part-time work.
Go to your university’s careers service for advice and contacts, and check job boards on online portals. Many companies will happily consider your application for a graduate job even if you do not have engineering work experience – as long as you have done something else worthwhile with your time that you can draw upon when discussing your background and skills. For instance: • Part-time work during university terms or vacations will help you develop interpersonal skills as well as the ability to work in a team. You may even be able to go a step further and come up with a suggestion or improvement that will help the business prosper.
• Helping to run university clubs
and societies also offers the opportunity to pick up skills, and you should provide examples of these. For instance, you may have led a team effectively, came up with innovative ideas and carried them through, solved problems, or organised events.
• Charity work, volunteering and
independent travel will also help you grow in ways employers may appreciate and give you something interesting to talk about in your applications and interview. Furthermore, having a range of interests shows you are a multidimensional person who is enthusiastic, motivated and likely to be an asset in the workplace.
What is important is for you to use these as concrete examples of how you have developed skills useful for the graduate engineering job you are applying for. After all, having these experiences on your resume is not enough if you do not explain how they make you a good candidate for the job. • Start figuring out where you can get work experience from your first year of study. Although most employers looking for placement students only take applications from the beginning of your second year, planning ahead is ideal. • Getting an industrial placement is not automatic, though employers will view your application favourably if you combine good academic results – first year results do matter! – with evidence of career commitment.
Have something on your resume that will attract interest. • Career services centres on campus may be good starting points, but the more people who know you are looking for an internship, the more help you can get. There is always competition for advertised placements, so apply your networking skills if you are on the lookout for alternatives. • If you really can only find a supermarket job, try to make the most of it by asking for additional responsibility. Find out how the business operates and talk to your managers. That way, you might be able to get a bit of work experience in a more relevant job function.
