As the world’s largest aerospace company, Boeing is almost always in hiring mode—especially when it comes to engineers. And not only does the company offer well-paid internships but also entry-level engineering positions with extensive mentoring and opportunities for further education.
“Engineers are the backbone of our business,” said Boeing Intern Coordinator A. J. Dale at Tuesday’s Speaker Series talk sponsored by the College of Engineering’s Office of Professional Development and Internships. “We want you to learn as much as you can.”
The company is active globally, even recently expanding its manufacturing to India. Locally, the company operates facilities in Seal Beach, where the focus has changed from defense to commercial, and Huntington Beach, where new products are created. For defense, Dale said St. Louis, MO is currently ramping up.
The presentation drew a standing-room only crowd of students eager to find out how to create resumes that will attract Boeing recruiters’ attention. As someone who’s read thousands of resumes over the years, Dale was able to provide specific guidance on creating one that’s both readable and tells a compelling story.
Simple and clear is better than long-winded and convoluted. Name and contact information, an objective statement, education, and any relevant experience or project work are the typical components of a college resume, Dale said. A simple font such as Arial or Helvetica is the best.
Bullet points, and using bold and underline formatting, are fine, but Dale cautioned against italics and pdfs, which may experience formatting problems when emailed. Including social security numbers, pictures, sensitive information, height and weight, ethnicity, and relationship status is verboten.
Recruiters are interested in an applicant’s college experience: major and minor, courses taken, projects completed, and GPAs. It’s not important to include information about high school, even if you were the valedictorian.
When responding to a job ad or posting, be sure to carefully read the job description or requisition. The real trick is matching job requirements to your experience, painting a strong picture that you’re exactly the right one for the job, Dale said.
And students should always carry a hard copy, just in case they run into a recruiter. Make sure the text is in a large enough font size to read, otherwise the recruiter may just say thanks and throw the resume in a stack with many others.