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Careers in Engineering and Computer Science

Librarian

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Amy Seipke
she/her
Contact:
Mardigian Library, RM 1159
University of Michigan - Dearborn
313-593-5617

Presentation Slides

Looking for Information on a career in Engineering?

  1. Navigate to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook 

  2. Follow the links to search  under “field of degree” for engineering

  3. You will come to a page that has information about the field of engineering in the United States 

  4. From here explore the graphs and click on the hyperlinks for business sectors or occupations that sound interesting to you.

  5. Once you are done exploring for now, let’s take a close up look at the profile page for a field.

  6. The tabs across the top of the page show the different types of information that are available here about each occupation.

  7. Check out some of the other occupations that are listed in the "similar occupations" tab. 

  8. Click on the links for the related occupations and explore those as well. Some of these descriptions will include links out to O*NET where you can find more detailed information on some of the more targeted occupations.

    • The Occupational Information Network (O*NET) is developed under the sponsorship of the U.S. Department of Labor/Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA) through a grant to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.

 

Getting into a Career in Engineering

1. Look for articles that are interesting written on topics that interest you:

  • Check library databases if you know what topics you are interested in

  • Check out our digital journals in BrowZine to browse if you don’t know where to start

Find out about the authors - what companies do they or have they worked for? (Is there a job there you’d like?) What degrees do they have? What internships have they done? (Are those things you are interested in pursuing?)

 

2. Check out the websites and/or the journals and conference proceedings for professional organizations that represent the field you are interested in:

  • Many of these organizations have a whole section on their website dedicated to prospective students. 

  • They may also offer training for new professionals or networking events where you could meet other professionals in the field.

 

3. Read job postings and job boards:

  • Look for postings on large job search sites, with the alumni placement office here at the University, on the sites of companies you are interested, or in the “job posting” section of the professional organizations you are interested in 

  • Ask HR departments for potential employers where they post jobs so you can look for the postings even before you have the credentials to apply so you ensure that you don’t overlook any of the skills needed when you are ready

 

4. Networking - talk to people!

  • University Faculty

  • Mentoring Opportunities

  • Informal Interviews

Learn About Companies

Use the Mardigian Library's subscription to D & B Hoovers database to find information about the companies that you are interested in working for.

Make sure that you are logged in to the campus VPN before you try to access this. If you have tried before logging in to the VPN then you will need to clear your cashe and try it again once you are on the VPN.

Search by company name

  1. Check address and website to make sure it is the right company
  2. Follow them on LinkedIn to keep up on the company news
  3. “Contacts” - you can search for people you know and see who reports to them and who they report to.
  4. “Competitors” - will give you a list of other companies you may want to look at for jobs.
  5. Prepare for your interviews: by creating a report to include the information you want to reference in your interview like their SWOT analysis or the list of technologies in use that you are proficient in, by clicking on "One Stop" from the company's main page.
  6. Look for the opportunities or weaknesses listed in the SWOT and the technologies in use (so you know what to study up on and how to frame your answers to interview or application questions)

Search by technologies 

“Search & Build List” will allow you to create filters to make a list of companies you might be interested in who are using specific technologies you are qualified to work in and which you may be interested in working as part of your job.
 

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