Filling The Resume Job Gap

January 8, 2009

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

How do you bridge the job gap on your resume from employment, layoff to employment? Just because you aren’t working full time doesn’t mean you can’t still stay connected and involved in the engineering industry – in the engineering community.  As I noted in an earlier blog, you need to treat your job search as a full-time job.  This full-time work also can mean keeping involved in the engineering community.

You can do this in a variety of ways.  Here are a few ideas:

Offer to mentor students.  Our November newsletter describes the ACE Mentor program. It provides a great structured program that could use your expertise! Or,  is now the time to take an assignment from Engineers Without Borders? Giving back to the engineering community may actually move you forward to a new exciting job.

Take continuing education classes:  engineering/management/certification or licenses courses will add to your resume.  Yes, I do realize most of these cost money, which is tight. But, be creative…there are ways to do what you really want to do.

Make sure everyone you network with is aware that you would consider part-time or consulting assignments while you continue to look for a full time job.  Job sharing, while not ideal, is an option at some companies.  There are sites that advertise job-sharing opportunities.  Check them out.  

Author an article, BLOG or newsletter for an industry trade publication.  For example, we are always willing to consider a good idea and interesting article for our monthly newsletters!  

Keep your name in front of the people you want to work for and with.  Attend local, regional or national association meetings.  Maybe you can’t afford to attend a national conference, but now you can make those industry association technical luncheons that always looked interesting, but you couldn’t take time off work to attend.

Even if you take a non industry job while trying to find an engineering job, keep involved and up to date.  You’ll be glad you did!

Entry Filed under: The Workplace,Uncategorized. .