Engineering as a whole is an exciting and rapidly expanding branch of employment and expertise. As a graduate, you have a lot of options and a lot of opportunities, but sometimes even the most seemingly basic can be the most important and most often overlooked. Here is some of the best advice for new engineers.

BUILD YOUR RESUME

You may already have an application, CV, or resume that you've been working on, but make sure that you have it ready for whatever job you're going to be applying for. Studies show that most employers spend less than ten seconds looking at each application they receive, so you want to make sure that yours is both tailored to the job you are applying for, and also interesting and succinct enough to draw your employers in from the start.

NETWORKING AND FINDING A MENTOR

Networking is a very powerful tool when it comes to looking for a job. Having an internship somewhere is going to serve you well, but also look into industry events in your area or major cities that you can participate in and meet new people in the industry that can help you. Building up experience like that, and meeting people, will only help strengthen your rise from engineering graduate to a higher position later on down the road that will afford you even more opportunities. Through networking, you can find a mentor as well. Mentors will help you learn and hone your skills and personal projects, forcing you to always be better and improve. Having an engineering mentor is vital to growing your potential.

JOB SEARCHING

When searching for a job, keep in mind that you'll be starting at the bottom, so don't get hung up searching for the ultimate dream career from the very beginning. Also realize that committing to a specific discipline may not be your best option, so casting a wide net to explore multiple opportunities is a must. Every small step will yield more results, and having a large and experienced background in engineering projects will only help your forward momentum. There is no easy, fast way to the top of the game, but being patient and steadfast will get you through the path and on your way to the position you've always wanted.

KEEP LEARNING DISCIPLINES

Keep up to date on what's going on in the industry. Engineering is a rapidly growing field due to the fact that technology is always evolving in new and impressive ways. Keeping up with what changes are happening will help you exceed expectations and plan for the future so that you don't get slipped up on information you were five years late on. This will also help you, as you should always be prepared to look into specialties outside of your own, which will make you a more intriguing prospect for promotions or better job opportunities. This will also increase your worth as an overall manager of projects and departments, as you will have a handle on many other aspects of engineering.

ATTITUDE

Engineering skills and prowess are extremely important, but a poor attitude and work ethic will limit your potential. Be excited and passionate about your craft, and be respectful. There is always more to learn and will afford you better opportunities in the future.