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  • Author Author: cookieglitch
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cookieglitch

Something got me thinking, a big part of any job specification is the amount of experience that a candidate has. In the current job market (Such a thing does apparently exist, its not just jobs for friends and ignoring anyone else), every little bit of experience seems to help. The question is however, how do you get this experience when no one will hire you? Do employers actually consider personal projects that might not necessarily follow a proper project life cycle?

If personal projects are can be worth the effort, what is your preferred way to show them off? On one hand you could list it on your resume (CV, whatever you wish to call it), or you could use a portfolio in a similar way to artists. How would you go about it?

 

Any one out there have any experience of getting going in the electronics/embedded software industry in these relatively tough times?

  • in reply to DAB

    Some very good advice there for students. The staff are there to be used, always good to take advantage of any practice sessions they offer.

     

    I do like the idea of a tech aide system. While some courses do offer placements with companies, they are some times lacking in relevant areas, if you find any at all! When I did mine, there was nothing in the area involving embedded systems, despite there being a reasonable number of companies in the area. Ended up doing unrelated office work in another area of software.

    The chances you managed to produce through this programme are a great idea, from my experience however chances like that are very hard to find. Even junior positions are rare.

     

    Thanks for the input on taking along something to demonstrate. A hands on demo of what you have done is always good. The biggest problem I have found, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this, is demonstrating that you have done things before you get to the interview stage. It starts to raise the questions like "Is my git repo enough? Should I be doing more than linking to some project pages like including a mini portfolio?". With the economy the way it is, it does make you think about what you can do to stand out without being off putting (In this region its not uncommon to see simple help desk jobs get 150+ applicants, and similar high numbers for development jobs).

     

    Thanks for the input! I hope many people find this post useful.

  • in reply to fustini

    Thanks for the links, shall take a look!

  • Hi John,

     

    You ask a very important question.  I cannot speak for everyone, but when I was working, I always set up a "tech aide" program where we could hire college students to do little tasks on our projects.  The key to finding good people was to try them out in a no lose environment.  Once I had the program up, I would look at how well the students did on classes and practical applications.  Yes, I did consider home projects if they demonstrated initiative and an understanding of the skills we needed at the office.

     

    When all skills were equal, I always hired the person that demonstrated the best "attitude."  Essentially, I wanted the people who looked confident and were willing to do the small jobs with enthusiasm.  After a while, there were a lot of little things I could see during the interview that convinced me that certain people had what it took to work in the business.  Those I hired.

     

    Over twenty years, over 80% of the tech aides I hired transitioned to full time engineers.  Many exceeded our expectations.  Some did not and we did not hire them.  Overall, we had very little office turn over, because we only hired people who would get the job done right the first time.

     

    So if you are starting out, research the company you want to apply to.  Highlight the skills they need on your resume.  If you have a home project that shows off those talents, great, but be aware, some interviewers are not as open to them as I was.  Above all, dress right, walk straight, use yes sir or maam when you talk with the interviewers and feel confident.  If you are nervous, and you will be, try to keep focussed and look people in the eye when you talk.  Don't mumble your answers and do not use street slang or tech speak.  You are dealing with professionals, act like one.

     

    Do not be disappointed if you do not make the cut.  If you leave a good impression, they may develop another opening later and dig out your resume.  I did this in a number of cases for people I wish I had openings for when I first interviewed them.

    If you are nervous about interviews, set up practice sessions with your guidance counsilor.  If they are any good, they can run you through practice sessions.  If your school has one, join a public speaking class or a debate team.  The better you can communicate impresses more people.

     

    Above all, keep trying.  Persistance is also one of the things I would look for in a person.

     

    Hopefully this post will help.

     

    DAB

  • Check out this episode of The Amp Hour: http://www.theamphour.com/2012/04/22/the-amp-hour-92-vellicate-videogame-vocation/

     

    Jeff Keyzer (aka mightyohm) is an EE who recently started at Valve's new hardware group.  He talked about how he likes bringing hardware he's designed to interviews.  If nothing else, he says they can't ask him super hard questions when he's talking about his own designs image

     

    Chris Gammell and Dave Jones, the engineers that host the show, also talk about interviewing, resumes & personal projects in this episode.

     

    Cheers,

    Drew