Announcement

CSUS, College of Engineering and Computer Science, Career Services Office

January 2009 CAREER EVENTS

GET YOUR CAREER LIFE TOGETHER!!!

ECS CAREER WORKSHOPS and EVENTS

Monday, January 12 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm RVR 1008	Career Planning & Job Search Strategy Critical first step: Identify strengths, interests, job options, career goals, and develop long-term career plans! You will develop a list of target companies and a strategy for getting the right job for you in spite of the tight economy! The Ultimate Career Planning Manual for Engineers and Computer Professionals will be used at this workshop. It is available through the CSUS bookstore.
Tuesday, January 13 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm RVR 1008	Interview Techniques/Salary Negotiation/Resumes & Portfolios Find out what you can expect in a technical interview and how to prepare for the most intense interviews. Learn how to Negotiate Salaries effectively! Write the best ever resume to get the job you want! Find out why the CSUS technical grads compete so well with candidates from competitor schools! The Ultimate Career Planning Manual for Engineers and Computer Professionals will be used at this workshop. It is available through the CSUS bookstore.
Wednesday, January 14 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm RVR 1008	Internship/Summer/Student Job Seeking Start now to get the best job and begin your career on the right foot. Internships and student jobs forge relationships that could lead to long-term career opportunities... This is the best way to secure a career job before graduation!!!
Thursday, January 15 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm RVR 1008	Immigration Attorney - Thi Do Foreign students transitioning from school to work will learn about the current immigration policy and the process for sponsorship.
Wednesday, January 21 10:00 am Tour sign up required	Visit to Eskaton Home of the Future - Roseville You will learn about amazing high tech solutions that help seniors stay in their own homes as long as possible with sophisticated technology from Intel including sensors and remote monitoring systems. Sign-up for Eskaton Tour

All ARE WELCOME- NO SIGN-UPS NECESSARY
http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career

Article

Erroneous Assumptions

Cici Mattiuzzi
Career Programs Coordinator
College of Engineering & Computer Science
California State University, Sacramento

In the past month, I have received numerous calls from alumni who are being laid off. In many instances they are panicked. This is understandable considering that they have homes and kids to support, and the prospect of unemployment is terrorizing.

This is a tough job market. It is therefore especially critical that you understand reality and not allow yourself to be victimized by your own erroneous assumptions. You think there are no jobs? That is wrong. You think no one is hiring? That is also incorrect. You think that no one is interested in talking with you about the opportunities in their companies? Believing that is a huge mistake. When times are tough, it is easy to view the labor market in a negative light.

The news on the economy is growing more painful by the day. The Economist reports that this is the worst economic crisis since the great depression. The US unemployment rate of 6.5% hit a 14-year high in October and the California unemployment rate currently stands at 8.2%.

Companies are shedding jobs at a breakneck pace. A day does not go by without hearing about huge layoffs. Circuit City announced they expect to lay off 7300 people. CitiBank announced 53,000 layoffs. Intel is expected to announce cuts later this month in the range of 10,000 to 20,000 worldwide. KLA Tencore, a microchip maker cited the worst demand environment since 2000 for the projected cut of 900 jobs. El Dorado Hills County Board of Supervisors announced they would cut 90 jobs.

It is easy to become discouraged if you are looking for work. Amid all of the bad news, it is hard to be optimistic. But the reality is that labor demand is not uniform across all job types. The unemployment rate for engineers is typically much lower than it is in other job categories. That is not to say that engineers and computer scientists are immune to lengthy spells of unemployment; they tend to have more stability. Demand is higher for engineers and computer scientists because there are fewer available. They are harder to find and very costly to train. Although engineers and computer scientists make up about 10% of the graduating population nationwide in any given year, they typically get 40% to 50% of the offers of employment at graduation. And engineers are incredibly versatile and flexible. Their skills are transferable to a multitude of environments and jobs. When one industry goes down, they can shift to another. The resume may need a makeover, but shifting to a new industry is entirely doable.

When the economy is tanking, you need a well thought out job search plan and extreme effort. But still, there are pockets of jobs and great opportunities to be found. When the news is bad, it is much harder to think logically and usher the resources necessary to get moving again. It is like finding anything. It is easier to assume that no one is hiring than it is to collect information, analyze it, and figure out who is hiring. Most people sit back and wait for things to land in their lap. This reminds me about my husband's search-and-find strategies. At my house, if it is not out there biting him, my husband cannot find it. It doesn't matter where it is, when he is looking for something, he asks me where it is. Actually it is a very good strategy for him to ask since I always know where things are.

The same is true for people looking for jobs. Ask! You have to go outside your little world and talk to people who know what is happening: faculty, career counselors, fellow students, contacts in other companies, and friends from past classes. Networking is the most effective way of locating a job. Most people get their jobs by networking, and by getting a direct contact with a manager. Managers often tell me that when they see talent, they will figure out how to make a hire, even if no job is actually available. Even if you have submitted your application, you still want to keep trying to make contact with managers in the company.

Keep in mind that when networking, you do not necessarily have to know the person you are going to contact. It is enough if you simply know of them and can provide them with some idea about how you are connected.

I received two calls this week from EEE alumni who are anticipating layoffs. They were certain that there are no jobs in their respective fields. Turns out that I knew of three organizations that are hiring and where they would be a good fit. One company was hiring in the interview room next door to me. I walked their resumes over and that was that. This is true of all of our majors. There are actually a number of organizations hiring right now. Many organizations will continue hiring, even while they are laying other people off. In response to change and focus, they need people in some areas and need to shed workers in others. For example, some engineering firms that were doing residential development are switching over to transportation projects. That is how companies stay in business. The ability to change is essential for the survival of the enterprise. It is also essential for engineers and computer scientists. No one wants the old new thing... everyone wants the new new thing.

So who is hiring? Students and alumni have reported receiving offers from the County of Sacramento, Kiewit Pacific, Rudolph and Sletten, Timec, DMEA, Dorado Software, HP, PMC Sierra, Accenture, Deloitte Consulting, Hansen Information Technologies, LexisNexis, LidenLab, Northrop Grumman, Sutter Health, VSP, Intel, PG&E, San Diego Gas & Electric, Stantec Consulting, Western Area Power, El Dorado County, KW, Murry Burns and Kienlen, Rain for Rent, RLW, Siemens Duewag, Airco Mechanical, Caltrans, 3DI, Chevron, and CEI.

We also have 54 organizations signed up for Career Day 2009. They report a total of 1605 openings! Government agencies, engineering firms, defense contractors, consulting firms, construction firms, energy firms manufacturing firms and insurance firms are all on the list. I have included the complete list below.