I'd start with 'an' amazing cv.

Actually, I'm curious as to how simply a 'good graphic' would enhance any engineer's odds at getting a great job. Judging by my experience with engineers, if I was a head engineer looking for a 'real' engineer, I'd be suspicious about anything that looked too polished.

You might make more of an impression if you think about what an engineer likes to read-- spec sheets, tech drawings-- and use the graphic 'look' and document structure of these to present your facts. Get it printed on blueprint paper for example... or some kind of graph paper. Mount the actual meat of the resume (stripped to it's bare facts) on a larger sheet and use tech callouts and dimension lines to add little explanations to main points. Better to appear creative in your overall ability to communicate your 'language' than to simply borrow and plop in a nice commissioned piece that could easily be dismissed as 'clipart'-- especially if you don't understand how to work into layouit optimally.

First thing that popped into my head was 'blueprint', Maybe a faded blueprint effect on the paper (like a watermark)... But Broacher has taken that idea to another level! The good thing about Broacher's ideas too, is that you wouldn't need to hire anyone, as you should be able to do it yourself!

I once applied for an inhouse graphic design position at an electronics engineering company. It was one of those places that insisted on a 'salary expectations' statement from the applicant. Personally, I don't like these things because they're used to bluntly by the HR drones to quickcut the applicant deck, too often ignoring other possibilities in negotiations... anyhow, when it came to that section, I merely glued a small resistor after the words "Salary Expectations:" and in parenthesis I added "Please note tolerance".

Actually, the resistor I used didn't have a tolerance band, which means, by default, there's a possible 20% deviation.

I thought it was clever and a bit funny. They, apparently, did not.

Ah well... who wants to work anywhere that doesn't have room for humour?

Hahaha. I loved that lil' story, Broacher. lol

lol! I bet if it actually got to the Engineers, they'd have loved it! That's HR for you; all they actually do well is make long over-complicated sentences, to give themselves feelings of superior inteligence!

If anyone reading this actually works in HR, don't take this too personally.. I just HATE you!

The sad thing is that too often today, the HR Trolls are just doing their job. Which is to follow the 'filtering' rules laid out by mostly clueless management.

I am often stunned on how some people have essentially bluffed their way into technically demanding posts simply because the person hiring has even less clue of what's involved than the bluffing applicant-- but doesn't want to reveal so in an interview by challenging what is essentially techno-babble.

I feel stupid, but what's "HR" stand for?

human resources

Oh, yeah.

On that note, am I alone in thinking "human resources" sounds like a really demeaning term?

no, but that's why they don't have to treat us like people.

resources are expendable.

Among the cubicled chattel, it's a classic debate as to whether we prefer to be thought of us 'human' (Human Resources) or 'persons' (personnel).

I suppose 'Human Resources' might infer that somewhere in the organisation (accounting, perhaps?) there resides a group of Non-human resources. Or what about human non-resources? I know a few of those.

And personnel as opposed to...? Canine-nel? Lemurnel? It's all so full of ... possible interpretation.

Makes me wonder whatever happened to 'Staff' or 'Staffing'.

I think staff just moderate forums now...

my friend Joe is a non-human resource.

Interesting post. I like the blue print resume idea. I'll add my story. I work in the "Carpet Industry" as a graphic artist and we do a lot of layouts for carpet sample books. They are generally 2, 3, or 4 panel folders and end up getting several swatches of carpet glued into them. Usually they have large "feeler" swatches that are glued onto the outside panels covering the entire panel (usually 8 x 10 or 9 x 11 in size). This feeler swatch is glued at the top only so that a customer can grab hold of it and feel the thickness and texture of the carpet sample. There is usually a glue line 3 or 4 inches down from the top and then under the part of the swatch that can be lifted they generally print the technical carpet specifications. Then below the feeler swatch they usually print the STYLENAME of the carpet below the swatch and flush left. They print the colorname centered below the bottom of the swatch and then flush right below the bottom of the swatch they usually print "Lift swatch for specifications". Then the rest of the colors for the particular style of carpet being sampled are glued into the inside panels in small swatches usually 4-12 swatches per panel depending on how many colors in the colorline etc. The colorname for each swatch is printed underneath it. Usually a thick quarter inch black line is printed for each swatch so that when the swatch is glued in the book an 1/8" of the black shows all around the swatch outlining it. Then of course they list various features and yarn systems in the spine. Of course on the front of the folder they have their LOGO and the carpets stylename prominently displayed. The stylename is also on the outside spine and sometimes they list the yarn system and carpet width at the bottom of the spine in small type. On the back panel they either put a "Story" written by the marketing department about that style of carpet and at the bottom of the back panel they usually have their company name and address complete with phone numbers web address, email etc.

So I created a carpet folder layout that had my name as the stylename. My address, phone number, email etc. were listed at the bottom of the back panel. I wrote a short story selling myself on the back panel. I put "Lift swatch for job history" under the one feeler swatch and then I listed my job history under the feeler swatch in place of the carpet specifications. The stylename was of course "Randall Gennick". Since I created a 4-Panel folder I actually had two feeler swatches. One on each of the outside end panels and so under the other feeler swatch I put short paragraphs about some of my key accomplishments I had done at companies in my past. and I had the statement "Lift swatch for accomplishments" under that swatch. In the space where the little swatches went I put various pictures of some of my different projects etc. I know that I put a picture of me and my brother hauling "sap" in our sugar bush at home when we were teenagers (My first entrepenurial enterprise). I listed short descriptions of each pic under the picture. The short descriptions took the place of the colornames and the pictures looked really great surrounded by the 1/4" black borders. I listed some key items in the spine. I had all the crop marks drawn which in this industry you not only put the corner marks but you also put marks at each of the grooves where the book folds. So there are quite a few marks involved. When I was finished I actually imaged 4-color seperations of film and then made matchprints of it. They looked really cool! Expensive but cool. I have to say it was an attention getter! Everyone that saw it immediately recognized it for what it was - First and foremost a MATCHPRINT! (A contract proof) something most of them dealt with on a regular basis. Secondly it was obviously a carpet folder! Also something very familiar that they saw everyday. But then thirdly they saw that it was indeed a resume. It was obvious that I knew how to lay out artwork specifically folder artwork. I had the quarter inch grooves, the 1" wrap, the two end panels 1/8" shorter than the two center panels so that the book would fold up properly. All the measurements listed in the margins like any good artist would do in this industry. The job number (My Social Security # and job description "Job Hunting Resume" listed in the bottom left corner where most artists usually put that information in this industry. I never gave one out that didn't get read. I actually picked up a lucrative part time job with it.

Never hurts to be creative!