Hot Tips for Engineering Job Seekers

Jim Lemke

Staffing & Systems Consultant

Have You Tapped this Hidden Job Market?

Where have you been searching for your next job? Are you skimming the entries on the mega-size Internet job boards such as Monster.com, Hotjobs.com or Careerbuilder.com ? Have you posted your resume there hoping to hear from employers who can use your skills? If you are, you may be looking in the wrong place.

A survey by iLogos Research finds that Fortune 500 corporations post up to three times more positions on their own corporate web sites than they do on major job boards and consider their corporate web sites vital components to their recruiting efforts. More than 80 percent of Fortune 500 and more than 90 percent of Global 500 companies have career areas on their web sites.

That means, only a third of potential jobs are listed with the big job boards.

So, How Do You Find The Hidden Jobs?

Use the hot new job search tools. Tools such as www.flipdog.com/ use internet "spiders" to search job boards and corporate internet site to track down jobs in your job search query. These search engines are easy to use, and for now, are free.

How Do You Tune Up Your Resume?

Most of the job boards offer free resume advice. The problem is that the recommendations are generic and do not address your specific situation. For that, I recommend "Resumes for Dummies" 4th addition by Joyce Lain Kennedy. Most industry experts have touted this new addition as the "best of the resume books". This book will be available in November at most of the major book outlets as well as at amazon.com (usually a 30% discount) and dummies.com

Tips for Job Seekers

  1. Target employers of interest. To find employers of interest, go to a couple of the large job boards and sort opportunities by location, job function, or industry.
  2. Take your research results and go directly to those companies’ web sites. Look for links labeled "jobs," "employment," "careers," or another career/human resources-related title to get to the organization’s comprehensive job listings.
  3. Narrow your search by using niche job boards—boards directly related to your profession—and professional networking through alumni or industry associations.
  4. Use simple document formatting for your resume: (see Resumes for Dummies)
  5. If a company offers application tools such as a profiling questionnaire, complete it in full and take advantage of the opportunity to distinguish yourself as the best candidate.
  6. Register for job agents—automatic notices of new positions that match your profile—to maximize your job search efforts.
  7. Always research a company’s web site thoroughly prior to interviews and follow-up calls to a company.

 

HOT JOB NEWS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

TRW in Redondo Beach recently received a six billion dollar satellite contract and plan to hire 1000 engineers in the next year. http://www.trw.com/

Northrop Grumman Space Division in Azusa is actively looking to fill over 100 positions by year end. Mostly electronic sensors and satellite engineers. http://www.northropgrumman.com/

Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems is still actively hiring for the Joint Strike Fighter program. They anticipate hiring over 1000 new employees in 2003

Research Sites