He acknowledges that engineering is vital in ensuring human social-economic development.  The role that engineers continue to play in solving development issues (transporation, housing) cannot be underestimated. However, he concurs that there is an increased shortage of engineers around the world.  This reality is compounded by the fact that the profession is not attracting as many students, especially in light of the numbers needed to allow us to meet the social-economic obligations around the world.

Obviously the profession should increase its public awareness efforts and rebrand itself as the profession that promotes humanitarian development.  Unfortunately, given the fact that we still lack safe water, sanitation and electricity around the work; Perhaps we as engineering professionals are not doing enough to deliver solutions to problems we are mandated to solve.

Do you concur with Dr. Marjoram assessment? In your opinion, how can engineering be adequately applied to be more effective in delivering solutions for these problems?

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In my years of having to listen to these varying responses, I have realized that the basis of a good question is one that shows interest in the company while still leaving ample opportunities for discussions. Any questions whose responses can be found on the company’s website should be off the table unless you are soliciting a clarification or offering a correction. I highly recommend that you never attempt the latter.

So what is a good question? Well, it basically depends on the position you are interviewing for and how the interview has gone thus far. Ordinarily, you will get the opportunity to ask questions after you have been interviewed; so, if your interview has been sour up to this point, this will be the only chance you get to redeem yourself. On the contrary, if you feel that you have had a good interview, then you have to maintain this perception.

Thus said, here are some of the questions I have been able to collect over the years which I personally found to be well thought-out and adequately open-ended.

General questions regardless of the position

1. What skills and attributes do the people who do well in the company have?
2. What do you like best about working at this company?
3. What results are expected in this position?
4. What specific problems are you hoping to solve during the first six months?
5. What happened to the person who had this job before?
6. What is your philosophy regarding on-the-job growth and development?
7. What are your goals for the department?
8. What do people seem to like most/least about working here?
9. Would it be possible to meet the people who work in the department?
10. Do you encourage participation in community or professional activities?
11. Do you have a management development or internal training program?
12. What are the company’s plans for growth in the next five years?
13. How does the company intend to remain competitive?

Management type of positions

1. What do you see as the three most important capabilities of the person you will hire for this position?
2. What do you see as the primary challenges to building more business or capturing more marketshare?
3. What was the last person’s success in this (territory/region/position)? What would you see as being the capability you’d most like to improve with the new hire?
4. What is your vision for the (region/territory)?
5. How does the performance of this role play into the bigger goal or plan for the company?
6. How are you perceived in the marketplace?
7. In reviewing your current sales staff, what would you say are the key qualities that are common to your top producers, as I’m going to model myself after the best people in your company?
8. I’m also interested in career pathing–logically, is there a next step that would be in progression from this role? (National/Major Accounts? Management?)
9. How many people would I be supervising? How long have they been with the company, and what are their backgrounds?
10. What type of support and tools are provided in this role? Leads? Contact mgmt software? Sales support? Laptop computer?
11. How would you define the company’s unique selling proposition?
12. Historically, what has been the primary concern or logjam in closing a sale on your product?

Project Engineer (Entry level)

1. What design programs/software does your company use, i.e. Microstation, AutoCAD?
2. Assume I’m the selected hire–let’s fast forward 90 days: Give me a taste of what a typical week will be for me in this position?
3. Can you describe your organizational culture?
4. What are the major responsibilities of this position?
5. What are the greatest challenges facing the person in this position?
6. Is there a job description? May I see it?
7. Can you tell me why this position is open?
8. How often has it been filled in the past 5 or 10 years?
9. What are your immediate goals and priorities for this position?
10. What did you like most about the person who previously held this position?
11. What would you like to see the person who fills this position do differently?
12. What qualifications would you expect the successful candidate to possess?

Risky questions to ask

The following questions are termed as risky because the outcome is entirely dependent on the translation by the interviewer. You should use these questions if you have a high degree of confidence that you are one of the preferred candidates. Before you use any of these, we urge to carefully consider the potential reward vs. the risk.

1. Why are you looking at external candidates for this position, instead of promoting from within?
2. How would you describe your management style?
3. What do you see as my strengths/weaknesses for this position?
4. What kind of support does this position receive in terms of people and finances?
5. Do you have a lot of turnover?
6. How much freedom would I have to determine my work objectives and deadlines?
7. How would my performance be measured and how is successful performance usually rewarded?
8. What career progression do you see for someone in this position? Do you normally promote from within?

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Even though there can be hundreds of applicants for one job, there are no excuses for recruiters AND hiring managers to forget that they need to sell their firms. Over the past couple of years, employers have realized that they are in the driver’s seat for many open jobs. Outstanding talent find themselves in a situation of competing for jobs with other really outstanding talent. Many firms, corporate recruiters and hiring managers have become arrogant and lazy. This behavior will lead to future recruiting and retention issues.

Several years ago one of my highly sought after senior candidates interviewed with my client. He was also interviewing with one of their competitors.  While my client was very interested to have him join their firm, their competitor pulled out all the stops throughout the interview process. The competitor’s CEO and a variety of other key company leaders called the candidate at various times over a week to tell him how thrilled they were to have the opportunity to meet him and that they were excited to have the potential to work with him. They did everything but send a new sports car to his house! He was direct in telling me that while he had established a great relationship with me and the executive he would report to at my client, the competitor just simply “out courted my client.” The competitor made him “feel” that they were excited “as a company” to have him on board. He was overwhelmed with the enthusiasm from his prospective colleagues. My client and I were crushed. Tough to hear.

The job market is increasing and firms that don’t step up their dating habits will find themselves with mediocre talent and an increase in open jobs as employees run to firms that know how to win them over! What are your thoughts? Have you seen this with your own firm or with your own interviews?

Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Co-Founder/Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com

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Dr. Wernher von Braun

Following his emigration to the United States, Dr. Braun and his German team worked for the US Army at Fort Bliss, Texas. In 1950 von Braun’s team moved to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Ala., where they built the Army’s Redstone ballistic missile.

In 1960 von Braun became the first Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and the chief architect of the Saturn V launch vehicle, the superbooster that would later propel Americans to the moon
.

Wernher von Braun was said to be the preeminent rocket engineer of the 20th century and was one of the most prominent spokesmen of space exploration in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. He passed away on June 16, 1977.

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The Charlotte Observer ran an AP article in January of this year. It cited study statistical findings:

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1. Be clear of the outcomes

Before you start writing a proposal, ask yourself several times what you intend the results will be. Most of the proposals sound like statements rather than conveying what is being offered. The results should be very objective and should be quantifiable. Writing an effective proposal will become easier once you are able to quantify the results and make it sound like a selling point.

2. Have a central theme for your proposal

From the results that you have envisaged, the strongest result will be the theme of the proposal. Think from the perspective of the organization or the recipient of the proposal and find out what will be the most beneficial result for them. Once the recipient sees the benefit, you will have no problems in getting the proposal through. Most proposals get rejected because you think more about benefits to you rather than for the recipient.

3. Be concise

No one has the time to read through hundreds of pages. An effective proposal should be brief and concise. Come to your point quickly, maybe after a brief introduction. Most studies have shown that business managers read only the introduction and the conclusion. Make both strong and use effective words to make the impact. The conclusion should very subtly point to the benefits the recipient will enjoy accepting the proposal.

4. Give it a life

Give examples while writing the proposal. If the same proposal has improved another organization, quantify the results and present it in your proposal. Business managers are impressed with figures and give them figures to calculate wherever possible. An effective proposal will be liven up with lot of benefits. Count the benefits before you send out the proposal.

5. Rewrite

As you write, you will feel like you have written the most effective proposal. Let the proposal sit for at least 24 hours and then read it again. You will notice areas, which are not as effective. Rewrite these specific areas. You may to continue this exercise a number of times until you are satisfied that it is as effective as it can get.  It is also a good idea to periodically have fresh sets of eyes looking at the proposal to give you additional insights.

6. Cost figures

You need to keep the financials simple and easy to understand. Not all recipients will have a thorough knowledge of the financial terms and will be only looking at how much they will have to shell out and what benefit they will derive. If you give too many ratios and figures, it is very unlikely that the recipient will get interested in the proposal. The pricing should only convey what is the total cost of the solution you are providing.

By spending some time in research and prioritizing the points to be put in the proposal, you can generate an effective proposal. Using clean and simple language in a brief and concise report will help you in writing effective proposals.

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We humbly realize that each engineer has their own list remarkable engineers. We have therefore decided to showcase different engineers on a regular basis in an attempt to highlight the contributions of those who preceded us.

Isambard Kingdom Brunel

Isambard Kingdom Brunel was a British engineer most remembered for his construction of a network of tunnels, bridges and viaducts for the Great Western Railway, which was at the time was the longest and the largest railroad.

Isambard is also the only engineer to have mastered all areas of engineering having achieved many ‘firsts’ in major engineering categories that existed in the era of steam and iron. Long before the Chanel Tunnel, Brunel was the first to build a tunnel under a navigable river.

Brunel’s greatest achievement was his last ship which was able to travel under power more than 10 times as far as anything had ever traveled before – a feat some have argued is the 19th century equivalent of going to the moon.

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The success of a team largely depends on how well each member can communicate with each other. It is important to have all team members involved in the work and hence all the more important for all of you communicate. The underlying principle of team working is to take advantage of each others strengths in achieving the end result. If you cannot listen to a team member or cannot talk to another member, then you are not following the principles of effective team working.

Here are some simple tips to help you work well in a team environment:

1. Understand your role in the team. Work within the boundaries of your role. If you happen to be very efficient in your work and always finish your task ahead of others, ask other members if they require help from you.
2. Respect the schedule that is set for the team and contribute effectively towards meeting the deadline. If for some reason, you are not able to meet the deadline, ask for help. Others will appreciate your openness and be willing to help. This way you will be responsibile for your actions as well as not putting the team in an awkward position of missing the deadline.
3. Treat other team members with respect and support them in whatever way you can. In any team discussions, always be willing to give others a chance to talk and express their opinion.
4. It is always important to remember that you are part of a team and the efforts in achieving the end result are not just yours. Every member of the team has a significant role to play in making the project a success.
   

   Make sure everyone understands their roles in all major project milestones

5. If you are leader of the team or have to step into the leadership role in the absence of the team leader, ensure that the responsibilities are communicated well to all team members. The results of each member should be such that it can be measured objectively. Also it is important that you are open to listening to the issues faced by team members as well as helping them find solutions.
6. Teaming is a collaborative effort towards achieving a goal. Make every team member feel wanted and motivate them to achieve the results.
7. Avoid any type of gossiping or passing negative remarks about the team members. You must always remember that you require the help of teammates to ensure your success. Maintain a positive outlook always and thrash out any differences by discussing it face to face.

Following these simple principles will go a long way fostering a strong bond as well as in working well within a team environment.

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6. Make a graceful exit

Networking at social events

There is usually an undisclosed time limit when it comes to networking, especially if you are in a networking event. General rule of thumb is, if you start running out of content, it is a good idea to give others a chance to interact as well. However, if you feel that you have something productive to contribute, or you feel that you need to get to know someone better, stick around as long as you are not making the other party uncomfortable. Otherwise, close off by telling the person that you enjoyed meeting. At this point you should have already exchanged contacts.

7. Follow through

This is by far the most crucial part of any networking encounter. It does not make sense to go to a networking event, establish a contact and then never follow through afterwards. The initial follow through should NEVER be an immediate request for a favor. Nothing breaks apart a potential networking relationship than only calling when you need something. Remember, networking is all about cultivating beneficial relationships. Thus said, you have to act fast, before you disappear from memory and build up on the initial meeting. Realize that even at this point you still have to maintain a high level of professionalism, so do this in a proper and professional manner.

A good follow through conversation should basically reiterate key points from earlier discussions and leave an open ticket for future correspondence. Ideally, you should seek a face-to-face meeting, but please do this tactfully.

8. Personal Touch

Since networking is, at its most basic level, the building of mutually beneficial relationships, it is important to nurture those relationships beyond business. This could initially be in the form of subtle communications such as Christmas cards, gift certificates etc.  As the relationship progresses, you can move on to bigger and better things.

9. Harvest the networking benefits

You should never be afraid to utilize your networking contact on anything within the realm of their abilities. Such connections might be in the form of job referrals, introductions or help in furthering a particular business agenda.

When you have established that the individual is the proper resource for the type of connection you are seeking, approach them and articulate your request. If you have nurtured a good relationship, then the rest should be easy.

The most adept networkers know how to convey appreciation for networking favors. If someone has been helpful to you, let them know that you appreciate it.  A simple thank-you card should be sent to the person as quickly as possible.

10. Become a resource for others

When you are known as a strong resource, people remember to turn to you for suggestions. In the continuing nurture of the networking relationship make sure you make your contacts aware of your strong points and how you can help them. Whenever favors are requested of you, act on them quickly.

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8. Behavioral

These types of interviews tend to focus almost entirely on questions relating to what you have done in the past. The assumption is that your past behavior in response to complex challenges will provide an example of how you might behave in the future. Instead of general questions about goals or strengths, you might be asked about how you met specific challenges in past jobs or classes.

Typically, a behavioral-based question might ask you to give an account of a, “time you faced and overcame adversity,” or to “describe a time you used your communication skills to resolve a problem.” You might even be faced with a more challenging question like, “Tell me about how you’ve coped with a failure in your life.”

Success Keys: Remember that the purpose of these kinds of interviews is to provide insights into your past behavior. Such insight provides the employer with details to use in determining how your past actions might mirror your future behavior. It is therefore a good idea to answer the questions in a way that is both specific to your past and makes a direct connection to the company’s future. For instance, you might open your answer by acknowledging that you know the company values a team approach to solving problems and then proceed by indicating how a similar approach was successful in a previous company.

9. Situational Interviews

You will mostly encounter this interview format in most governmental engineering jobs.  The most common type of questions include the how-you-would-act-in-situation-x-type of questions.  While there is almost no way to determine which questions will be asked, it a good idea to do some research see if someone has posted example questions on the internet. This forum is a good source on this exact topic. It is not rare that in most companies using this format, they would be using the same set of questions over and over again.

Companies use this type of interviewing format to assess how a candidate reacts to actual or hypothetical situations to mainly determine whether or not they are the proper fit for the position. For entry-level engineering jobs, this type of interviewing strategy may include questions such as, “you are involved with a project that requires you to undermine the competition, what do you do?”

Success Keys: The only way to be successful at this type of interview is to find out ahead of time what traits the company values and gauge your responses to reflect those traits.Following the questions, you may need more information from the interviewers in order to respond appropriately. If possible, prepare yourself by asking questions in to make sure you have enough information. Also, remember that even though the approach of using hypothetical questions or role-playing scenarios may appear silly, you must respond in a serious, mature, professional manner. The interviewer is undoubtedly serious and may even assess your physical reactions to the questions.

10. Multiple Levels

This interview approach typically takes place at a site visit where you interview with employees at several levels in the company. You may interview with  administrative staff, individuals that you might work with directly and senior managers. This interview style is a great way for a company to test how well you would work with (and get along with) people from a broad range of levels within the company. This approach is mostly applied at smaller engineering firms.

Success Keys: It is critical to remember that a poor interview with any of the people you meet with can disqualify you. Give each interview your best effort, showing just as much respect for all the employees regardless of their level in the company. Administrative support staff members are typically concerned with how you approach working with people under you, and they will likely have a different perspective on company operations than the management.

The people you will be working with will typically want to discuss job specifics-they may outline day-to-day duties and expectations. They will attempt to discover if you’re likely to accept staff input and see your coworkers as valuable partners. Senior managers will analyze your ability to fit into the big picture at the company.

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The very definition of networking dictates that a network is “a supportive system of sharing information and services among individuals and groups having a common interest.”  Supportive in the sense that networking is all about building mutually beneficial relationships, from which all parties can derive positive benefit. A classic “scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours” type of an engagement.

So, how you approach networking matters, since it provides the basis of how you might interact with people in your professional life.  The following list provides 10 often ignored tips which provide crucial insights into networking by building sustainable and productive relationships.

1. Never make assumptions

Always approach every networking opportunity with an open mind. In other words, never make assumptions about anyone you meet. The worst thing you can do is to assume that a particular individual is not worth networking with because he/she lacks the characteristics you might be looking for, say a VP of an engineering company.

One of my favorite books, The Tipping Point, provides an interesting analysis of the type of people the author terms as “connectors.”  Connectors, according to the author are those “people with a special gift for bringing the world together.”  So, the casually dressed gentleman you meet at the airport lobby might be a connector with access to several VPs of engineering companies. Share your bagel with him.

2. Relax

Networking is like golf, if you try to hard it shows and you end up playing badly.  If you remember one simple fact, that networking is primarily social and secondarily business, you will be able to network more effectively.  At the end of it all, the more comfortable you are, the more comfortable the person you are talking to will be with you.

3. Listen more than you talk

This goes back to the earlier point about networking being a mutually-beneficial relationship. From the initial meeting, both parties involved should be able to derive meaningful purpose from interacting with each other. So, if you find that you are the one doing most of the talking, and constantly shifting your focus from on candidate to the next, then you are wasting your time.

4. Find a common interest

The goes back to the very definition of networking. In order to cultivate the most beneficial relationship with anyone, it is a good idea to establish early on that you and the other person have common interests or common goals.  If you cannot find any, don’t create them but at least look for commonalities by exploring activities and interests that might have been mentioned in the course of the conversation.

It is usually easy to find a common ground with fellow engineers, be it career, school or the passionate dislike of Biology. However, if after ten minutes you still cannot find a connection, move on.

5. Be impressive

Always make sure you have your business cards

Have you ever had a conversation with someone and realized that at the end of the conversation, you were still did not know anything about the person. This happens because most people’s idea of networking usually involves reciting their skills and objectives to as many people as possible. This type of exercise is not only counterproductive but also negates the desire for anyone to interact with you in the future.

So, how do you capture someone’s attention and leave a positive impact? Simply be yourself and stick to what you know. Networking is all about cultivating potentially beneficial relationships, so rely on your best attributes to impress whoever you are interacting with. Never, under any circumstance, try to bring up topics you are not familiar with in the name being impressive. If you fail at this all-too-common networking tactic, you end up appearing disingenuous and vague.
Next – 6. Make a graceful exit » 7. Follow through » 8. Personal Touch » 9. Harvest » 10. Become a resource

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4. Group attack

The basic idea behind this mode is that several employees will interview you simultaneously and then collectively make a decision following the interview.  These individuals might be part of the same team or different departments depending on the type of job you are interviewing for.   In this type of interview, the interviewers are looking at how well you can manage stress and accommodate different lines of questioning.

Success Keys: Keep in mind that this type of interview allows those who favor you to outvote those who do not, and vice-versa. Therefore, you must attempt to win over everyone. In most cases, one individual will dominate the questioning, but you should still respond to everyone. Remember to make direct eye contact with everyone present. It will also serve you well to memorize names and job titles of all present so that you can target your questions directly to the person your question applies to.

5. Group Interview: Survival for the fittest

Another interesting twist on team interviewing is where one interviewer or a team of interviewers will interview several candidates simultaneously. Questions are posed to the entire group and every one is given a few minutes to respond.

Success Keys: In most cases, companies applying this mode are looking for an employee who is a take-charge leader and one who is also able to work with a team. A leader will always communicate in a manner that includes others and brings out the best in everyone they interact with. During this type of interview your goal is to actively participate with your own ideas and integrate the ideas of others in the group as well.

During your research: During your research, determine the company’s culture and how the company uses teams, and emulate that model during the interview.

Why you should worry: If you are a timid, all-people-pleaser type of person then you might have a challenging time at this type of interview. Most employers chose this type of format because it might imitate the actual job. Remember that if you are not the dominant responder and the smartest one in the group, then someone else is and they will certainly exploit your self-imposed submission. Just ask this engineer.

6. The Real World

This is a popular interview method used by Fortune 500 firms on their MBA-types interviewees.  During the interview, you are given a real-world case-a set of circumstances surrounding a particular work problem and asked to analyze it. For example, in an engineering interview you might be provided with details of a project’s constraints and asked to discuss how you would address such constraints. You may be given anywhere from just a few minutes to overnight to prepare your response. After you respond, the interviewer will usually ask you questions to assess your ability to quickly comprehend relevant materials and communicate them effectively.

Success Keys: The real-world type of questions are meant to be complex and difficult to penetrate, therefore, you are not required to know every answer to a problem. The interviewer is simply attempting to assess whether you can quickly process information and apply some of the concepts you have learned during your education to the workplace. Always cite relevant sources and standards from your past classes, jobs or extracurricular experiences.

7. Presentation: Power Points

This type of interviewing is not popular for engineering jobs but it is still used by some companies nonetheless. In this interviewing style, you are typically requested to prepare a 10-20 minute presentation and deliver it to a team of interviewers. A company will usually ask you to give this talk based on one of three scenarios:

1. in the first scenario you are assigned an issue to discuss;
2. the second scenario you are allowed to choose your own topic; or
3. the third scenario is one which requires you to discuss your job qualifications-in effect, to market yourself.

Whichever the scenario, your approach should be creative and informative clearly highlighting your potential worth to the company.

Success Keys: If a topic is assigned ahead of time, you will have an opportunity to research and prepare. Make sure your presentation has plenty of concrete points and back them up with examples based on your research.

If you are simply asked to present your job qualifications, try to summarize your education, relevant work experience and match your background and future goals with the company and the position.

If you’re assigned a topic on the spot, the focus will usually be something general. Always use a standard presentation format which includes; an introduction, two or three key points and a conclusion. Keep in mind that the company might judge your presentation skills partly by how well you manage the related technology. Make sure you can use an overhead, computer software and computer hardware competently. For a presentation assigned ahead of time, remember to come prepared with backup transparencies just in case a computer hardware problem occurs.

Next – » 8. Behavioral » 9. Situational » 10. Multiple Levels

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Managing change requires that any change be documented in a timely manner, openly discussed, reviewed, and approved in a timely manner before implementation. Changes can be intentional or unintentional. Changes can originate from many parties, not just the customer. Changes can have both negative or positive impacts to cost and schedule.

When writing a change order, the originator must think in terms of scope, cost, and schedule. Contract requirements, customer procedures, and internal policies must be followed. The cost of the change including appropriate supporting documents need to be compiled. Being honest about the change may require a full disclosure of the all costs including overhead and profit.

The customer has a right to change their mind. The supplier (contractor, engineer, whoever) has a right to get paid for the work delivered. Bridging this gap requires appropriate change management.

Understand true, estimated, bid, expected, and budget costs – Back | Next – Day-to-day guide for engineers

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1. Screening

Screening interviews are usually the rarest type of interview you will ever encounter. These types of interviews are usually short, in-person interviews, and mainly take place at a college or a career fair. This interviewing technique is mainly used to dispose unqualified candidates and to find applicants worthy of proceeding to a more detailed interview.

How to be successful: Screeners usually have to make a quick decision to either shred your resume or to ask you for an on-site interview. So, your primary goal should be to immediately impress the interviewer and prompt them to put your resume in the “good” pile. In these kinds of interviews you usually don’t have much time to sell yourself or ask specific questions about the position, so it is imperative that you answer the questions asked in a focused and impressive manner. Make sure your responses highlight your qualifications and what you have to offer the company. It goes without saying that you should have a professional resume ready and be able to answer any questions that might be derived from it.

2. Just the two of us

The famous one-on-one interviewing style is another typical screening process where a human resource representative or a recruiter conducts the interview. Typically such an interview lasts about 20-30 minutes and starts with a broad range of questions and then progresses to questions that are specific to the position in question.

How to prepare: Before this type of interview, you have to make sure that you understand what the job requirements are and how your skills and experience match those requirements. If a human resource representative is conducting this interview you can be assured that they are just trying to separate the wheat from the chuff.  In some cases they could be going through a list of preset qualifications and matching them against potential candidates.

How to prepare: The person interviewing you is the byway to getting to the real decision makers. It is a good idea to show interest in the company and have general questions that imply interest and keenness for details. This is also the type of place you would get the all-too-common “tell me about yourself” question, so be prepared to give a relevant response which also integrates your potential value to the company. Remember that this is your opportunity to find out more about the position and the company, so do not be afraid to ask the interviewer questions.

3. Employer Team

This style of interviewing has been gaining popularity over the years. It is employed by most engineering companies and it is intended to test you on how you interact with other people. Basically, in this format you are interviewed by a number of people at different times. These individuals might be prospective team-members or managers in different departments. You usually spend a few minutes with each interviewer. They might ask you questions from a list of preset questions, but in most cases they ask questions at their discretion. At the end of the day, all interviewers will get together and assess your candidacy.

Success Keys: Just like the “group attack” type of interview, your success at this type of interview is hinged on having a majority of interviewers on your side. All of them is ideal, but we all know you cannot please everybody. So, while you are interviewing, make sure you strike a sort of subtle professional friendship with each interviewer. This should obviously be done tactfully so that it doesn’t come out as unprofessional.  One of the easiest ways to do this is to imply an interest in your interviewer’s past projects or their professional life.

Make sure: Make sure you know who is who and what role they play in the organization. Such crucial insights will help you tailor your responses accordingly, aware of the interviewer’s viewpoint. For example, if an engineer (who you have determined would be your coworker) asks you about your past work experience, they might be trying to figure out what kind of a co-worker you are and how well they will be able to work with you.

Next – 4. Group Attack » 5. Group Interview » 6. The Real World» 7. Presentation

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For example, If you have lost your job, perhaps it is time to reconsider the direction of your career. Maybe you should pursue self employment.  A post-job loss assessment is a good way to rethink everything about your life and figure out which trajectory you want your life and your career to follow onwards.  Besides, you now have the time you always said you didn’t have.

This article will by no means provide you with a solution but rather attempts to point out certain points worth considering.

Opportunities

Every immigrant who comes to America comes believing that in America there exist many opportunities. Many have followed this idea and became millionaires, Nobel laureates etc.  Many accomplished this by taking advantage of the ever-arising opportunities.  Look around and you and figure out what are the changing trends and figure out how you can take advantage of such opportunities.  Once you have figured that out, align yourself accordingly.

Which industry sectors are growing

If you are to take advantage of new opportunities, you also need to understand which industries are growing.  Not all industries and sectors have been affected severely by the economic slowdown. Some of the sectors are still doing well and are creating new opportunities.  If you determine that a certain sector is worth pursuing, then figure out what you need to do to make it happen.  For example, if you are a civil engineer working in the transportation industry and you see opportunities arising in the sustainable building design, then its time you looked into LEED certification.

Plan for long term

Just like anything else that worth having, it is always better to plan you career for the long term.  Certain industries and sectors are there to stay and will report growth in the next few decades. Some areas are also better than others in creating job opportunities. Relatively younger regions would not have reached the peak of the growth curve and hence will have more opportunities than others. Most of the developing countries are reporting substantial growth in their economies despite the slowdown.

Education

Once you have identified the sector and region that you want to focus on, you can take advantage of the new opportunities by honing the skills that you already have. You can acquire new skills and knowledge through continuing education.  Today there are many online schools that offer degrees on different disciplines. You can take advantage of the Internet revolution and add to your knowledge base.

This may also be a good time to consider shift in careers to take advantage of new opportunities arising in other fields. As an engineer you may not have pondered on a career on finance though finance interests you. You may want to take up new opportunities in financial sector, which also requires an engineering background.

In these tumultuous times, it is worthwhile to remember that you need to shift your focus from what you are doing to what you can do. Greater flexibility is required to take advantage of the new opportunities created and quicker you are to adapt, faster you will succeed. Opportunities will not come knocking out at your door, you need to go all out and sniff out those new opportunities and seize them to ensure a lasting growth in your career.

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