Advice

Start with the quick setup page, the whole guide on one page in seven steps. Then read the four sections in order. Projects give a resume something to show, and the resume starts every application. The author's story page says where the advice comes from.

The Advice section in reading order

Four stops in reading order. Projects: what to build so the resume has something to show, and how to present it. Resume: one page a screener reads in seconds, with a measured result in each bullet. Getting hired: the referral, the rule of 20, the fair, and the interview. Forever learning: datasheets, free courses, societies, the FE exam, and graduate study.

1. Projects

   What to build so the resume has something to show, and how to present it.

2. Resume

   One page a screener reads in seconds, with a measured result in each bullet.

3. Getting hired

   The referral, the rule of 20, the fair, and the interview.

4. Forever learning

   Datasheets, free courses, societies, the FE exam, and graduate study.

Read left to right the first time. After that, open the page for the step you are on.

The advice on these pages is one engineer's opinion, not a set of rules. If you know a better way, use it. The guide is written for EECS students and new graduates looking for a first job in the US. To suggest a change, see the contributing page.

• The projects page explains how to pick one build you can defend and present it.
  • The software page covers embedded firmware, test automation, FPGA and HDL work, and how to show it on GitHub.
  • The hardware page covers bench skills, hardware builds, design teams, and technician roles.
  • The career paths page covers five paths: embedded, power, analog, RF, and controls.
  • The portfolio page covers a project site that shows the work behind the bullets, and a LinkedIn profile that recruiters find.
• The resume page covers a one-page layout, section order, and bullets with measured results.
  • The walkthrough page takes one student's resume from a first draft to a finished PDF, and shows how the page changes once experience takes over.
  • The cleanup page is the audit to run on the PDF before you send it.
  • The workshop page is a timed resume workshop for a class or student group, with a script and handouts.
• The getting hired page covers referrals, the rule of 20 (a rule of thumb), career fairs, and where to look.
  • The networking page covers who to ask for a referral and how to ask.
  • The job market page covers the entry-level market now and how to adjust to it.
  • The how to interview page covers project questions, fundamentals, coding, behavioral stories, and the on-site day.
  • The first internship page shows how to land a first internship with no experience.
  • The first full-time role page covers senior-year recruiting, return offers, and new-grad programs.
• The forever learning page covers datasheets and errata, free courses, the FE exam and PE license, and employer tuition help.
  • The getting into graduate study page is the path to get ready for a master's or PhD.
  • The graduate study page covers when a master's or PhD pays off for an EE, and how students pay for one.
  • The professional societies page covers what IEEE, the honor societies, and SWE, NSBE, and SHPE give you.

Under the help page, the AI use page covers where an AI tool helps in the search and where it costs you, the job boards page says where each board misleads, the resources page lists the repos and lists this site leans on, and the sources page lists every outside link.