~HEY PART 1s!~
Opps, I’m sorry – I didn’t mean to scare you with those rather large…and fRiGhtEniNg…words in the title, especially on the first blog of the year 😃😅! But, I have a rather urgent matter to discuss with you. Rather than introducing each specialisation and telling you exactly what BME is right off the bat in our first post, I thought that I would highlight to you another (& potentially extremely valuable opportunity) that you can harness with what is happening around you right now. What if I told you that there was a way to help you decide what to pick and get a head start on bagging an int*rnsh*p for next year?
If you’ve already read through this or are short on time (aren’t we all lmao), then feel free to go to the relevant sections below:
Ok, let’s get into today’s topic:
Or as we say in Part II…
Now, whilst you might be internally screaming “ALREADY? I haven’t even got a spec yet!! Shouldn’t I be thinking about that first?? How am I supposed to land an int*rnsh*p? AHHHH–“, here me out.
It’s all well and good to just pick what you want if you have a clear idea. But for 90% of us, simply “choosing” a specialisation “that you have to live with for the rest of your life” can feel so overwhelming, especially if you don’t even know what engineering industries do or what you actually even like! There often a huge fear of making the “wrong” choice.
BUT Knowing what is out there in the market though research and n*tw*rking early on means that you can make informed choices now about your specialisations and career paths rather than going off of a romanticised idea (or even worse, not really caring at all).
If you learn about what engineering jobs actually look like in the “real world”, you will get a much clearer and more motivating image of career paths that you can actively start working towards. And if you learn about industries through n*tw*rking, you will form invaluable connections directly into industries and specific companies (aka potential for internships/mentoring…).
But, why does networking make it more likely for a company to hire me?
What do you reckon that employers subconsciously look for first? Technical skills? Nope. Communication? Actually nah, not even close.
It whether they cantrust you.
They are putting an investment into hiring YOU rather than eveeeeeeryone else out there applying for the same job. Why? Because they know you, or they trust in someone else’s judgment of you. So in becoming a trustworthy name through either familiarity or through the screening process, you convince them that you are less risky to the company and that you have strong potential for a high return.
That’s why n*tw*rking actually comes down to how you market yourself: If you can persuade them that you are a good fit and can be trusted to deliver, then you’ve got yourself a j*b!
Promoting YOU
Ok, I get it. For the typical engineering student, this situation looks simply (aHaHha) *terrifying*. But here’s the secret: that’s a very good thing. The fact that the majority of students in your cohort would potentially avoid this situation actually puts you in a stand out position if you can learn how to connect with people well.
This is a skill that comes with practise. I know it can seem scary if you’re not naturally inclined to be super-duper sociable (especially if they are people that have the power to give you a j*b!), but there is good news! It is a skill that can be learnt. Here are a few little tricks for building up your social skills for networking:
1. When you first meet someone, the most important thing is to come off with a good energy for the mood. If you’re at an expo for instance, you want to be engaged, interested and positive. The easiest way to do this is to give yourself “20 seconds of confidence” – just start talking and creating the first impression with that energy for 20 seconds, and you’ll find that you feel more confident and that the overall interaction goes much better ❤️.
2. One of the best ways to practise going up to new people is through joining Clubs or social events, especially ones that do not have many people you know. In situations like these, there is no net negative – either the interactions go well and you learn/make a friend, or they go badly and you never have to talk to those people again – that’s the same as career expos. So at the end of the day, you may as well shoot your shot 🙌!
How do I find out what I like and what industries should I target?
- Find a way to market your specalisation for the industries that you like (or think you might like).
For example, through networking, I’ve figured out that I’m interested primary in the following three engineering sectors:
Consulting: You need to be able to look at the entire engineering process to
Software: BME learns a good basis for coding, and you can take electives in years to come that focus more on coding or data science. Therefore, you can market your degree as having a focus on coding languages. Heck, you even learn the basics of python and networking in one of your first papers in Part II! This makes you more qualified for applying to internships than the mechatronics kids are before they take their coding paper in Semester 2.
Devices Design: As I’ll expand more on in one of the future posts, BME is actually very similar to Mechatronics in the sense that it covers elements of Mechanical, Electrical and Software engineering. Because you learn about the way that these three elements interact with each other, you can create a pretty convincing case t
Obviously for other specialisations your answer can be harder to mould. BME sometimes needs a bit of explaining as well as it being one of the broadest specialisation, which leaves you open to marketing it in a truthful and helpful way.
f you can find a way to overcome your
Think of it like an experiment. Find a test group (like a club), test out putting your best foot forward – and hey! if it doesn’t work out, you never have to interact with them again
Find a test group
Whilst it is obvious, remember that you should never lie about your experiences or fabricate your capabilities. At the end of the day, you are providing a solution to them as well that they are investing into, and you want to form a genuine connection with people through mutual respect, curiosity and trust.
Now that I know how to market myself, how do I actually form connections?
Career Expos are your New Best Friends: This is the EASIEST way to connect with people. They are right there and open to connecting with you, so you may as well take advantage of that. Make an effort to go to as many as you can now – engineering, science, business – at UoA or AUT – you name it. You’d be surprised how many engineering connections you can make in the span of 5 minutes each. When you get to an expo, follow this checklist:
- Stage 1: Spend some time first wandering around the stores and figuring out what’s your strongest “line of attack” first – what most likely aligns with your degree and with your interests. Remember if you want to get more information on a company before approaching, you can always search them.
- Stage 2: The Approaching Stage. This is the hardest part. When they have a moment to talk and meet your eye, be immediately *energetic* and *engaged* both vocally and physically – like you’re meeting an old friend. Remember that you’re trying to make a lasting impression and you want to make them feel good 🥰 (everyone likes to feel good and it won’t hurt your cause). Introduce yourself and what you do, and ask them about their company and their experience. The more you get them to talk (which can be done by asking them insightful questions to fill the time) quite often the stronger you will connect with them as long as you keep an energetic, curious and positive demeanour. And hey! If it doesn’t go well, YOU DON’T EVER NEED TO TALK TO THEM AGAIN.
- Stage 3: Securing the Connection. This is one of the most important stages. Once you feel like the conversation is wrapping up (aka when you can’t think of any more engaging questions but the energy is still high), ask to connect with them on LinkedIn in case you have more questions about the company (such as the hiring process) and/or their experience (which ever one you linked the sound of more). Make sure that you do it then and there and make a note of their name somewhere so that you can search them up later (sounds creepy as but promise me this is good 💀).
- Stage 4: Maintaining the Connection! That evening or the next day, go through the list of people that you connected with and send them a short message to thank them for their time and their explanations if you connected well. Confirm with them again if it is ok to connect if you have any questions. And, seriously, do connect with them again if you have any questions. If you’re three months down the line and want to know about e.g. what technical skills you can focus on developing through personal projects, don’t be afraid to ask! They are your friend now :)!
By doing this not only will you make some valuable connections with people in the industry who you can ask for guidance, mentorship and possibly internship opportunities later on, but you can also have some wonderful social interactions with people that make you feel happier and more confident in your own abilities too! 🌟🤗
Google Maps. I’m actually not kidding with this one. There are a few key places around Auckland (and other cities too) which are “Engineering Hubs”. If you know of one of the companies in these areas, you probably know the location of others that you don’t know about yet. Spend some time looking around on Google Maps, and record the list of companies in the same area to look into later…
🤝
I think not. Don’t get me wrong: social skills never fully accounts for unaccountability in other areas, such as academics.
Stay tuned for my future blogs where I will talk about how to think of each specalisation in more detail once you know your subjects a bit more :).
Oh before I forget, this is Basil the BME frog. We’re here to guide you :). basils tip of the post basil’s numero uno for today is
n saying all of this, genuine concerns
- Earning potential straight out of university
- Extra learning later down the line – try to follow what you think you are interested in as much as you can
- But won’t I be behind compared to other people?”
management vs technical
It’s all well and good to just pick what you want if you have a clear idea. But for 85% of us, simply “choosing” a specialisation right now can feel so overwhelming, especially if you don’t know what industries even do or even more so…what you actually like!
You know that old saying “It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know?”.
nowledge of how the system works is holds the most power in breaking in to the engineering industry game.
whilst grades, extracurriculars and even your specialisation choice are all important to make you stand out, understanding how to play the system to your advantgae means gives you the most control over your own career path. if you don’t end up in the “right” spec either in retrospect or because of cutoffs, you do not have to conform to a set path.
What do you think that employers look for? Technical skills? Nope. Communication? Nah, not even close.
And I’m not saying to use your friends, but just think…it would be nice to work in the same office as them for 4 months regarless of what spec you’re in.
- clubs – network with older students, know people out in the industry who are accesible with years more knowledge under their belt
- reach out to lectureres – i had a meeting with a tron guy last year, and with people IN THE INDUSTRY – showing commitment SHOWs that you really care AND it forms a relationship with people early on.
I’m going to be honest with you guys: if you follow these tips sacoreligiously, you are honestly placeing yourself in the top percent of those likely to get a job regardless of what your grades and extra curriculars are like***.
Promote and market yourselfs
Most engerneers do not, so you’re putting yourself out there
So where do I start?
So, what are employers actually looking for?
Jobs. I’m actually not kidding here.
This is a very nice blog! Kudos to the censoring of int*rnsh*ps 🔥