SBES General &Professional
Meeting #2
October 30th , 2013
Whose House!?
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
“ To increase the number of culturally
responsible Black engineers who excel
academically, succeed professionally, and
positively impact the community.”
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
“ To increase the number of culturally
responsible Black engineers who excel
academically, succeed professionally, and
positively impact the community.”
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Tiffani Teachey
Former: Region 2 Alumni Ex Chair,
Current: PG&E Diablo Canyon
Engineer
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
Society of Black Engineers
& Scientists
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
by Tiffani Teachey
Region II NSBE Professionals Chair Emeritus
October 30, 2013
tiffaninsbe@gmail.com
6
Overview
• Workplace Success
– Dressing for Work
– Top 6 Rules for Using Cell Phones
at Work
– Email Etiquette
– Top 9 Ways to Make a Good
Impression at Work
• Resume Critique
• Question
• Good/Bad Resume Example
Dressing for Work
• Clothes Make the Man
(or Woman)
– Clothes should be neat and clean
– Keep your shoes in good
condition.
– Your hair should be neatly styled.
– For women: makeup should be
subtle.
– Nails should be clean & neat and
of reasonable length.
– Dress for the job you want. If you
aspire to be a manager, dress like
managers in your company do.
• Rules for Casual Dress at
Work
– Casual doesn't mean sloppy.
Your clothing should still be
neat and clean.
– You can't go wrong with khakis
& a sport shirt or a nice
sweater.
– If you are going to a meeting or
making a presentation,
professional attire may be in
order.
Reference: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/dressingforwork/Dressing_for_Work.htm
Dressing for Work
• Dressing for a Job Interview
– Adhere to the employer's dress
code
• Formal (suit and tie) or Casual
– Dress slightly better than you
would if you were an employee.
– Cover up tattoos and remove body
jewelry until you know whether
they are acceptable
Top 6 Rules for Using Cell Phones
at Work
1. Turn Your Cell Phone Ringer Off
2. Use Your Cell Phone Only for
Important Calls
3. Let Your Cell Phone Calls Go to
Voice Mail
4. Find a Private Place to Make Cell
Phone Calls
5. Don't Bring Your Cell Phone Into the
Restroom ... Ever
6. Don't Bring Your Cell Phone to
Meetings
Reference: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/workplacesurvival/tp/cell_phone.htm
Email Etiquette: Questions to Ask
Yourself Before You Hit Send
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
What does my email address say
about me?
Are the name and email address in
the "TO:" field correct?
Have I properly addressed the
recipient?
Have I used the appropriate tone?
Is my email too wordy (or is it not
wordy enough)?
Have I attached unsolicited
attachments?
Have I proof-read my message?
Reference: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/communication/a/email_questions.htm
9 Ways to Make a Good Impression
at Work
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Use Proper Office Etiquette
Face Up To Your Mistakes
Know When To Call In Sick To Work
Come Through In Crisis
Know What Topics To Avoid Discussing
Manage Your Time Effectively
Dress Appropriately
Avoid Offending Co-workers
Represent Your Company Well At Business Meetings
Reference: http://careerplanning.about.com/od/workplacesurvival/tp/good_impression.htm
Resume Critique
 Switch your resume with a partner and get something to mark with
 Write down one word in the top left that describes your first impression of
this resume
 Write down one word on the top right that describes your first impression
of this person based on their resume
 As we go through the questions, write down the coinciding score on the
back and we will add up in the end
 BE HONEST!
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Resume Critique
VISUAL APPEAL:
 Pages: 1 page is good for most, 2 is fine for more experienced professionals/many
publications (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Paper: Is it fairly wrinkle-free, unscented, and pleasing to the touch? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2,
Needs Improvement = 1)
 White space: too little, just enough or too much? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Margins, headers, & bullet alignment: all words, bullet spacing, section header alignment
are uniform and organized and the document is easy to follow? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs
Improvement = 1)
 Font: Is it legible, appropriate size? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Bold words: Do the bolded words highlight information that is pertinent?
(Excellent = 3, Good =
2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Bullet Punctuation: Is there any punctuation after the bullets? There should NOT be any
punctuation after a bullet i.e. a period – cross those off (No punctuation after bullets = 3, All bullets with14
punctuation = 2, A few bullets with and a few without punctuation = 1)
Resume Critique
CONTENT: Read the resume
 Leading Headers: Does the resume order begin with appropriate sections that align with
the person’s stage of professional life (i.e. recent grads lead with education vs. experienced
who lead with job qualifications)? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Keywords: Do you see any keywords that would appeal to an employer hiring for this
person’s skill-set i.e. six sigma, customer service, client, teamwork, CAD, design, analysis,
forecasting (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Action Words: Does each bullet in the work experience section begin with a powerful
action verb? Is it in past tense for completed work and present tense for ongoing work?
Are the bullets concise and unique? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2, Needs Improvement = 1)
 Accomplishments vs. Duties: Does the candidate highlight what their accomplishments
are/were and what value they brought to a company, teammates, customers or merely the
job description/responsibilities? (i.e. Responsible to manage a team of 3 OR Recruited,
hired, trained and supervised a diverse team of 3 Senior Engineers) (Excellent = 3, Good = 2,
Needs Improvement = 1)
 Extracurriculars: Does the person do anything other than work, work, work? Are
extracurricular activities, volunteer, professional organizations listed? (Excellent = 3, Good = 2,
Needs Improvement = 1)
 Any Typos at all, not even one??? (None at all = 5, I found at least one = minus 5)
 Is SBES/NSBE on the resume? :O (Yes = +5, No = minus 5)
 Would you hire this person? (Yes = +5, Maybe = +3, No = +1)
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Resume Building
 Your resume is your MARKETING tool
 Make sure you include an OBJECTIVE
 Highlight your ACCOMPLISHMENTS, not responsibilities
 What VALUE do you bring to the company, employees, customers?
 Include keywords in your content for employer keyword searches i.e. six sigma
 $$$ stand out
 Lead with your STRENGTHS
 Recent grads – education, projects, volunteer experience
 Short term jobs? – list Spring 2006 instead of 2/06 thru 5/06
 More experienced – work accomplishments
 Same employer for 20 years? List different roles in that company
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Resume Building cont.
 Max 1 page for less experienced, max 2 pages for more experienced
 Make bullets concise, recruiters don’t want to read paragraphs
 No punctuation after bullets/fragments
 Begin each bullet with action verb (past tense for completed work,
present tense for current work)
 Ensure resume is emailable/scanable
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Questions
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Resume Example
 Good Example
 Appropriate detail, easy to read, nice layout
Source: http://www.bestsampleresume.com/sample-engineering-resume/sample-engineering-resume-2.html
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Resume Example
 Bad Example
 Not enough detail, too much white space that can be levearged
Source: www.bryangardner.com/Resume/ResumeFiles/ResumeApr05.ppt
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 Cal Poly Black Alumni Association BBQ: November 9th at 3PM
 University of California Riverside, GEM Grad Lab on Saturday,
November 2, 2013 from 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM at Bourns College of
Engineering
 November 14: (TH) Southern CA Edison @ 6:00pm in Bonderson (Bldg
197), Room 104. “What you should be doing NOW to be a top
candidate for great companies”
Food will be provided !
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo
 Habit Fundraiser
When: November 6th
Time: 4-9pm
Come join us for delicious food, fun and games
 Join DCAB(SBES, SHPE, SWE) as they host the Around the
World Potluck on Nov 22nd @ the ATL
Bring a dish and come have a swell time!!!
SBES
Society of Black Engineers and Scientists
Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo