If you are in the industry or national labs sector,
- When you are in a hiring position for an entry level position, what is the first thing/quality you look for? (e.g. Degree? Technical skills? Previous Job Experience? Presentation Skills?). If you have a very impressed encounter, can you share with us?
We do a lot of hiring of foreign (non-US, year long) interns and domestic (mainly summer) interns. The first thing I look for is ability to communicate, primarily on a "simple" level. I like asking questions along the lines of "What do you do for fun?" "Who is your favorite professor and why?" "Who is your worst professor and why?" "Tell me why you chose XXXXX engineering?" "What circumstances brought you to where you are now?"
For me, I don't really care what the answers are. But I do care about how they communicate them to me. I don't look for an experienced performer, but someone who can talk in detail about something. Hopefully with passion. I have been very disappointed at how many people can barely tell me why they chose materials engineering or even why they like to go for long walks. These are people who I am going to have to teach what to do and who are going to have to interact with their other teammates. I try to figure out if their personality will match or irritate the other team members. Do they have a passion for learning or at least a desire to learn more? Or are they just going to "mark time?" Are they going to talk over others or are they going to listen and learn. Are they going to add some "spark" to the lab? Are they going to be a spontaneous "helper?" What kind of language do they use? Are they telling me what they think I want to hear or are they giving me honest answers.
Perhaps I miss out on some good but quite candidates. But as I am already expecting to have to teach them just about everything (not too many aluminum experts coming out of Universities) I am not too concerned about prior experience. I am looking for someone who is willing to be taught.
- Remember when you started your first job, what is/are the thing(s) that you wish you would have learned from school? (e.g. Maybe a particular software that industry uses? Six Sigma? Industry cert?)
More education on statistics. High level calculus and differential equations have their use, but having a familiarity with standard deviation, t-tests, Z-values, SPC charts, would give them a leg up. I never had the statistics requirement in college and feel I have missed out on a key tool. 6 sigma and other methods use it a lot.
- What is/are one or two things you wish current entry engineers would know before entering the industry? (e.g. can be technical or non-technical)
Statistics (see above). Having co-op / intern experience would help immensely. I remember struggling a lot with figuring out "how" to get such a position, which I never really succeeded at. There are a lot of companies looking for help, and a lot of students looking for experience. Knowing when is the best time to apply, how to apply, how to search is lacking for a lot of youth used to being told what to do next. And a lot of advice revolves around "showing up and handing out a resume." After years of being told to sit down and shut up, suddenly we are expecting them to stand up and get noticed.
- What are some common good/bad qualities that the current entry engineers have? How do they different compared to when you started your career?
Bad quality - laziness. We have had a few bad apples that either think they don't need to be taught anything or are only interested in marking time until the next paycheck arrives.
Good quality - I have been very fortunate to have some very amazingly motivated individuals pass through here. Wish I could have kept a few. Several were non-material science majors (e.g. Mech E and Aero E) who took the time to embrace the work and do a quality job.
Good quality - many are very informed on how to do online information searches and they do them effectively.
Probably no different than when I started.
- Lastly, what is one advice you would give to a student or young professionals?
Network! Join a group or 2 (such as ASM). Go to meetings. Learn to talk to strangers. Listen to what they say, who they say it to, and how they say it. You will learn about corporate politics, common mistakes, and, most importantly, how all companies are "basket cases" in their own way, even if they are big and well known in their field. And you may have some fun, too! You don't even have to take on a leadership role - just participate. You will learn about who the good companies are, what companies to avoid, and can get references when you want to move on to the next level in your career.
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David Betz
Sr. Laboratory Engineer
Hydro Aluminum Metals, USA
dbetzasm@gmail.com------------------------------
Original Message:
Sent: 01-11-2022 16:47
From: Ho Lun Chan
Subject: Looking for Your Thoughts & Advice! – Students, Professionals, and Mentors
Hello ASM members! Happy New Year! I wish you a productive and healthy 2022!
My name is Lun. I am a part of the ASM Emerging Professional Committee (EPC) leading this year's progress on ASM Young Professional Mentorship development.
As we are planning our yearly program, first we would love to hear your thoughts and perspectives on the career development, education aspect of the materials engineering industry. Your thoughts would be of great input to us! You may respond to one or more questions!
If you respond to more than 3 questions, I would send you a certification of acknowledgement!!
If you are in the industry or national labs sector,
- When you are in a hiring position for an entry level position, what is the first thing/quality you look for? (e.g. Degree? Technical skills? Previous Job Experience? Presentation Skills?). If you have a very impressed encounter, can you share with us?
- Remember when you started your first job, what is/are the thing(s) that you wish you would have learned from school? (e.g. Maybe a particular software that industry uses? Six Sigma? Industry cert?)
- What is/are one or two things you wish current entry engineers would know before entering the industry? (e.g. can be technical or non-technical)
- What are some common good/bad qualities that the current entry engineers have? How do they different compared to when you started your career?
- Lastly, what is one advice you would give to a student or young professionals?
If you are a student, may you please let me know your questions:
- Do your school requires an internship or co-op experience to graduate?
- Do your school has a Material Advantage chapter? Are they active?
- Are you involved with your ASM Chapter?
- What is one thing you wish your program can teach you but didn't (e.g. knowing how to use thermocal for example).
Thank you very much for your time! I am looking forward your time and thoughts! After gathering thoughts and your generous feedback, I would love to update this post with our yearly planning!
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Ho Lun Chan
PhD Candidate, University of Virginia
Mentorship Chair, ASM Emerging Professional Committee
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