A Note From The Series Editor xiii -- Acknowledgments xv -- Foreword xvii -- Preface xix -- Introduction: Use This Book Strategically 1 -- PART I YOUR GUIDE TO ENGINEERING A SUCCESSFUL JOB SEARCH 3 -- 1 Building a Winning Résumé 5 -- 1.1 Building a Winning Résumé (Online and Offline) 5 -- 1.2 There Is One Key Factor to a Great Résumé 6 -- 1.3 The Importance of Customizing Your Résumé 6 -- 1.4 There Is a Formula to Building a Winning Résumé 7 -- 1.5 Determining the Proper Length of a Résumé 8 -- 1.6 Effectively Show Non-engineering Experience on Your Résumé 12 -- 1.7 The Importance of Honesty During the Interview Process 13 -- 1.8 Seven Steps to Creating a LinkedIn Profile That Can Land a Job 14 -- 1.9 Your LinkedIn Profile and Your Résumé Should Be Perfect Professional Snapshots 16 -- 1.10 Key Points to Remember 18 -- 2 Landing and Acing an Engineering Job Interview 19 -- 2.1 Leverage LinkedIn Groups to Land a Job Interview 19 -- 2.2 Understanding Prospective Employers and Their Needs 20 -- 2.3 Interview Research and Preparation 22 -- 2.4 Interview Etiquette and Attire 23 -- 2.5 Performing During the Actual Interview 24 -- 2.6 The Follow-Up to the Interview 25 -- 2.7 Jobs Can Affect Your PE License 26 -- 2.8 Key Points to Remember 26 -- Part II THE 7 KEY ELEMENTS TO AN EXTRAORDINARY ENGINEERING CAREER 29 -- 3 Career Goals Act as Your Destination 31 -- 3.1 Career Goals Act as Your Destination 31 -- 3.2 Start by Defining “Success” 32 -- 3.3 Define Your Values 33 -- 3.4 Ask Yourself Where Why What How and Who 34 -- 3.5 More on Why 35 -- 3.6 Think Big and Then Think BIGGER! 36 -- 3.7 Formulate and Prioritize Your Goals 37 -- 3.8 Be SMART and Use Small Steps for Big Results 37 -- 3.9 Let Your Definition of Success Guide You 40 -- 3.10 Motivate Yourself to Pursue Your Goals 41 -- 3.11 Time to Celebrate! 42 -- 3.12 Key Points to Remember 42 -- 4 Obtain Credentials That Will Help You to Reach Your Goals 45 -- 4.1 Credentials Bring You Credibility 45 -- 4.2 Set Yourself Apart from Others 46.

4.3 Recognizing the Difference between Patience and Procrastination 47 -- 4.4 Exam Preparation: Start With the End in Mind 48 -- 4.5 Tips for Approaching the PE Exam 49 -- 4.5.1 Take the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam as Soon as Possible 49 -- 4.5.2 Start the PE Exam Application Process as Early as Possible 50 -- 4.5.3 Submit the Application as Soon as Possible 51 -- 4.5.4 Don't Take the Exam Just to See What It Contains 51 -- 4.5.5 Take a Review Course Whether You Want to or Not 52 -- 4.5.6 Ask Others What Worked for Them 52 -- 4.5.7 Bring the Right Materials to the Exam 53 -- 4.5.8 The Day of the Exam 54 -- 4.5.9 The Day After the Exam 55 -- 4.5.10 Credentialing Processes around the World 55 -- 4.6 If You Fall Off the Horse Get Right Back On 55 -- 4.7 Master's in Engineering or Business Administration? 56 -- 4.8 Awards Are Underrated 58 -- 4.9 Take Advantage of Company Benefits 58 -- 4.10 Key Points to Remember 59 -- 5 Find and Become a Mentor 61 -- 5.1 The Many Faces of a Mentor 61 -- 5.2 Finding a Mentoring Program and Selecting the Right Mentor 62 -- 5.2.1 Try to Select Someone from Your Specific Discipline 63 -- 5.2.2 Consider Your Level of Comfort 64 -- 5.2.3 Don't Settle on the First One That Comes Along 64 -- 5.3 The Mentoring Relationship for Protégés 64 -- 5.3.1 Establish Levels of Confidentiality 65 -- 5.3.2 Set Expectations for Mutual Accountability 65 -- 5.4 The Importance of Accountability 66 -- 5.5 Getting the Most from Your Mentor 67 -- 5.6 Become a Mentor 67 -- 5.7 Selecting the Right Protégé 68 -- 5.8 Being the Best Mentor You Can Be 69 -- 5.9 How to Graciously End a Mentoring Relationship 70 -- 5.10 Actions to Avoid for Mentors and Protégés 71 -- 5.11 Key Points to Remember 71 -- 6 Become a Great Communicator 73 -- 6.1 In Today's World Communication Is a Whole Different Ball Game 73 -- 6.2 Project/Team Communication Starts In House 74 -- 6.3 Communicate Early and Often 75 -- 6.4 How to (Almost) Explain Rocket Science to a Nontechnical Person 76.

6.5 Honesty Really Is the Best Policy 77 -- 6.6 How You Say Something Is Just as Important as What You Say 79 -- 6.7 Public Speaking: The Ultimate Differentiator 80 -- 6.8 How to Improve Your Public Speaking Skills 82 -- 6.9 Confidence Encourages Communication 84 -- 6.10 Sometimes Listening Is the Most Powerful Form of Communication 85 -- 6.11 Responsiveness Impacts Reputation 86 -- 6.12 Key Points to Remember 87 -- 7 The Ability to Network 89 -- 7.1 What Is Networking and Why Is It Important? 89 -- 7.2 Secrets to Building Lasting Relationships 90 -- 7.2.1 Their Interests Should Interest You 91 -- 7.2.2 Listen to Others 91 -- 7.2.3 Relationship Value Is a Two-Way Street 92 -- 7.3 Network in Your Industry through Professional Societies and Organizations 92 -- 7.4 Finding and Developing Project Leads Gets You Noticed 94 -- 7.5 Opportunities Have No Limits 96 -- 7.6 You Are Never Too Young (or Old!) to Network 97 -- 7.7 Overcoming Low Confidence and Language Barriers 98 -- 7.8 How to Deal with a Boss or Supervisor Who Is Holding You Back 99 -- 7.9 Interoffice Politics and Workplace Relationships 101 -- 7.10 Monitoring and Controlling Your Professional Image in Social Networking 102 -- 7.10.1 Controlling Your Facebook Twitter and Google+ Messaging 102 -- 7.10.2 Maximizing LinkedIn 103 -- 7.11 Key Points to Remember 104 -- 8 Stay Focused Organized Productive and Stress-Free 107 -- 8.1 The Three Rules to Time Management and Work-Family Balance 107 -- 8.2 Rule #1: Be Organized in All of Your Efforts 108 -- 8.2.1 Deploy a Minimalist Mind-Set 109 -- 8.2.2 Use the Old (and New) Trusty Notepad 110 -- 8.2.3 Manage the Never-Ending Pile of Business Cards 112 -- 8.2.4 Remember That Missed Appointments Equal Missed Opportunities 114 -- 8.2.4.1 Use Your Calendar Religiously 114 -- 8.2.4.2 Fill in All Pertinent Information 114 -- 8.2.4.3 Confirm All Meetings 115 -- 8.2.5 Avoid the “I Am Not Sure What Color My Desk Is” Syndrome 115 -- 8.2.6 Prepare for Your Annual Performance Review 116.

8.3 Rule #2: Stay Focused and Productive 118 -- 8.3.1 Create Consistency through Routines 118 -- 8.3.2 Establish Your Most Important Tasks Early Each Day 119 -- 8.3.3 Complete or Assign Your MITs First Thing Each Day 120 -- 8.3.4 Control Your Own Schedule by Breaking Bad E-Mail Habits 121 -- 8.3.5 Slow Things Down through Meditation 123 -- 8.3.6 Focus Intently on What You Are Doing 123 -- 8.4 Rule #3: Avoid Stress and Worry at All Costs 124 -- 8.4.1 Simplification through Elimination 125 -- 8.4.2 Empty Your E-Mail Inbox Twice per Day 125 -- 8.4.3 A Good To-Do List Can Work Wonders 126 -- 8.4.4 Keep Your Body (and Mind) in Shape 128 -- 8.4.5 Eat and Sleep Well 129 -- 8.5 Work-Family Balance Is Achievable 130 -- 8.5.1 Define Work-Family Balance 130 -- 8.5.2 Build Flexibility into Your Career 131 -- 8.5.3 Be Present in the Moment 132 -- 8.6 Key Points to Remember 133 -- 9 Be a Leader Every Day 135 -- 9.1 You Are a Leader 135 -- 9.2 The Power of Positivity 136 -- 9.3 Great Leaders See Only Opportunity 137 -- 9.4 Understanding Your Role 139 -- 9.5 Delegate Delegate and Then Delegate Some More 140 -- 9.6 Earn the Trust and Respect of Your Team 142 -- 9.7 There Is No “I” in Team 143 -- 9.8 Key Points to Remember 144 -- 10 The Time Is Now: Take Action 147 -- 10.1 The Time Is Now 147 -- 10.2 Do Not Settle for Less 148 -- 10.3 You Must Make Time for Your Own Development 148 -- 10.4 Think Like an Entrepreneur in Your Career 149 -- 10.5 Take Action 150 -- 10.6 Key Points to Remember 150 -- 11 Tools and Templates for Setting and Achieving Your Career Goals 153 -- 11.1 Template for a Winning Résumé 154 -- 11.2 Action Exercise Worksheet-Define Your Values 155 -- 11.3A Action Exercise Worksheet-Define Your End Results in One Year 155 -- 11.3B Action Exercise Worksheet-Define Your End Results in Two Years 156 -- 11.3C Action Exercise Worksheet-Define Your End Results in Five Years 157 -- 11.4 Action Exercise Worksheet-Formulate and Prioritize Goals 158 -- 11.5 Action Exercise Worksheet-SMART Process to Achieve Goal #1 158.

11.5 Action Exercise Worksheet-SMART Process to Achieve Goal #2 159 -- 11.5 Action Exercise Worksheet-SMART Process to Achieve Goal #3 160 -- 11.6 Action Exercise Worksheet 161 -- 11.7 Action Exercise Worksheet 162 -- 11.8 Action Exercise Worksheet 163 -- 12 Engineering Your Own Success Stories from Practicing Engineers 165 -- 12.1 Planning to Be an Extraordinary Engineer 165 -- 12.2 Realizing a Dream of Becoming a Structural Engineer 166 -- 12.3 A Big Step Forward for an Aspiring World-Class Engineer 167 -- 12.4 A Boost of Confidence to Spur Maximum Potential 168 -- 12.5 The Push Needed to Take Action 169 -- 12.6 I Decided to Start Planning for Me in My Career 170 -- 13 The Best of the Blog 171 -- 13.1 What Is Your Ultimate Career Goal? (September 10 2010) 171 -- 13.2 From Design Engineer to Manager in 2012: You Can Do It! (January 4 2012) 172 -- 13.3 Twelve Rules of Zen Monks That May Help You Reduce Stress and Improve Quality in Your Engineering Career (June 5 2012) 174 -- 13.4 It's My Birthday! Who I Am Away from Work and Important Lessons That I Have Learned (August 26 2012) 176 -- 13.5 What to Do in Your Engineering Career When You Don't Know What to Do (May 30 2013) 178 -- 13.6 Preparation Is Key to Engineering Balance in Your Career and Life (July 25 2013) 179 -- 13.7 Six Ways to Reinvigorate Your Engineering Career Development (July 31 2013) 181 -- 13.8 The Only Stability You Have in Your Engineering Career Is You (September 24 2013) 182 -- 13.9 Be Cautious Even When You Find One of the Highest-Paying Engineering Jobs (August 15 2013) 184 -- 13.10 If You Set Lofty Goals You Will Engineer Their Reality (October 22 2013) 185 -- 13.11 Seven Keys to Success for Engineers and Alaskan Sled Dogs (November 14 2013) 187 -- 13.12 Do All Engineers Need to Check Things Off to Feel Productive? (December 11 2013) 188 -- 13.13 How to Not Mess Up Your Annual Review for Engineers (December 24 2013) 189 -- 13.14 Three Steps to Becoming a Partner in an Engineering Firm Directly from an Engineering Partner (February 5 2014) 191.

Appendix: Recommended Reading 193 -- About the Author 199 -- Index 201.