This post is for two people: those looking for a job and those looking for clients. With the economy like it is everybody isn’t spending money the way they were a year or two ago. But people are spending money on civil engineering projects. They are the best people to have as clients right now, and the companies that service them are the best ones to work for.

Colleges and Universities
When the economy goes down and people start getting laid off many people start going back to school. That means higher enrolment and more tuition dollars coming into the school. Schools frequently spend that money on new buildings, renovations and upgraded facilities.

Cities and Counties
Government budgets are generally set well in advance. The budgets are based both on expected income from tax dollars as well as money already received. Many local governments are still spending money on projects because they already have the money set aside for them. Tax dollars are still rolling in, and in many cases bond funds are still waiting to be spent.

Stimulus Funds
The federal government is spending billions on infrastructure. This money is being spent directly by the federal government as well as being funneled through many organizations to work on specific projects. There are several sources on the internet for finding out where the money is going. www.recovery.gov is one source.

Private Funds
There is still some private money being spent on civil engineering projects. Many companies are using a wait and see plan. However, many are also taking advantage of the lower prices in the down economy.

What are some other places that are still building? And are still spending money on CE projects?

The fact that the economy is tight right now is no surprise to anyone anymore. But there are jobs still available. I found my job at the end of the year when the economy was going south. I have several friends that have found jobs recently and I have several that are look. I’ve compiled a list of the things that I’ve seen, experienced and heard from others about finding jobs in this market.

Employers want to see experience
There are not as many jobs as there were a few years ago. Because of that, employers can be more selective. One friend of mine told me that several companies weren’t interested in talking to her until she told them about her experience. This is why internships in college are so important. If you don’t have work experience then talk about the projects you worked on in school that relate to the job you are applying for.

Find out where the customers are
People are still spending money. Find out who is still spending money on engineering services and apply to the companies that work in that field. For example, city and county budgets are set at the beginning of the year. In part it’s based on tax money they have already received. They will spend that money on projects. Engineering companies that cater to municipal clients are still doing well in this economy.

Learn people skills
This is an area that engineers typically don’t do well. Engineers work in teams and work with many different types of clients. The ability to talk to people is a valuable skill. When you talk to hiring managers and recruiters talk to them. Don’t just give them your resume and run away.

Do your homework
Know something about the company that you are applying to. Ask questions that directly relate to what they are doing. Use your answers to show how your skills relate to what they are doing.

Focus your resume
Make adjustments to your resume based on the job you are applying for. Each company has their own unique needs. Make sure that your resume shows that you meet those needs. You can find out those needs by reading the job description or by spending a few minutes on their website.

Differentiate
Use your resume, cover letter and face time to show how you are different. If you have more education than the next person, show it. If you have experience that the prospective employer could use, tell them about it. Make sure the employer knows why you are the perfect person for the job.

The basics matter even more
Since there are fewer jobs right now it is more important than ever to follow the basic rules when applying for a job. Make sure there are no typos in your resume or cover letter. Dress properly for an interview. Talk to your references so they aren’t surprised when they get a call. Be positive. Send thank you cards after an interview.

I could go on and on, but this covers the basics. What are some other important things you’ve found?

Since I started my first internship I’ve gotten a lot of advice on how to get ready to apply for my Professional Engineer (PE) License.  I’ve listed below a lot of the advice that I’ve gotten.  It’s all from Engineers that are licensed in Texas, but will probably apply to most states.

Check Your State’s Professional Engineer Licensure Requirements
Find out the specific list of what is required.  That way you know ahead of time what’s expected and you aren’t scrambling at the last minute.  Your states board of professional engineers or other PE governing organization will have the list.

Create a Log
Log what you do each day or at least each week.  Keep track of the projects that you worked on and what you were responsible for on that project.  Most states will have you document the engineering work you’ve done since you graduated.  That’s a lot easier to do if you have a log of all of your work.

Keep a Copy of Your Projects
You don’t have to keep every sheet.  I was told to keep the following sheets from a plan set: project title sheet, quantity sheet, cost estimate.

In addition to those sheets, also keep a list of specific things you were responsible for on the project, the client name and contact info, design fee, dates you worked on the project and anything else that you think is important.

Go After Challenging Work
You generally will need to show an increase in responsibility and quality of your work between the time that you graduate and the time that you apply for your PE license.  A great way to do that is to go after work that is increasingly more difficult.  Don’t over extend yourself, but look for opportunities to learn more and take on more responsibility when you’re ready.

Try Out Several Fields Then Pick One
This is one I also hear contradicted sometimes.  The afternoon PE exam is specific to one area of civil engineering.  When you get your PE License you are probably working your way to becoming an expert in one of those fields.  It’s good to specialize.  The civil engineering industry is way too broad to become an expert in everything.  However, when you become a project manager you will need to have at least a basic understanding of how the other fields of civil engineering work and interact.

This is some of the advice I’ve heard most often.   Since I don’t have my PE yet I can’t add much of my own to the list.  What sort of advice have you been given or what sort of advice to you have to offer?

Whether you are interviewing for a full time job or an internship the basics are the same.  Here’s a few notes, tips and things to keep in mind for interviews.

BEFORE THE INTERVIEW

Everybody Has The Internet

Clear off anything that you posted on the internet that you wouldn’t want the interviewer to see.  Many companies regularly do a Google search before an interview.

Dress The Way The Boss Would

Guys, you should wear a suit and tie.  If it’s a hot environment or in the summer you can probably get away without a coat, but wear the tie.  Ladies, dress equivalently.  The civil engineering world is fairly conservative.  Dress professionally and at least one level higher than you think the job would generally require.

Prepare Answers for Questions

I’m planning an entire post on interview questions.  But have answers to typical questions ready.  Know a few strengths, at least one weakness, some goals, how you’ve handled difficult work situations in the past, etc.

DURING THE INTERVIEW

Qualifications

The interviewer knows that you are probably qualified or they wouldn’t take the time to interview you.  So during the interview, when they ask you about your qualifications, give them examples of specific things you have done in the past.

The Interview is Not About You.  It’s About How You Can Help the Company.

The interviewer wants to find out how you can help them.  The questions they ask will be geared toward this.  Tell them about your accomplishments and how you can use your accomplishments and skills to help them.

Part Of It Is A Personality Test

Whether or not they give you a written test interviewers will try to find out if you will fit in with the team.  The civil engineering field is very team oriented.  Engineers aren’t stereotypically know for there interpersonal skills.  Being able to work well with people is very important.  That is true for your coworkers as well as internal and external clients.

Ask When You’ll Here From Them

When the interview is winding down ask when you can expect to hear from them or when you should call them.  This will set your expectation.  Some places will take months to get back to you.  Some, just a few days.

Don’t Lie

Just like on your resume, don’t lie.  Tell the truth.  If you don’t know the answer then say so.  If the answers looks negative on you, then say what you’ve learned from the experience.

AFTER THE INTERVIEW

Say Thank You

Send a thank you note, or call the interviewer and thank them.   Not a text message or email.  Write the note by hand, or call them.  As old as this advice is it is amazing how few people do this and how effective it is.

Follow Up

If you say you’ll follow up with them at a certain time, then do it.

That’s a few key points.  What are some that you’ve run into that others should know?

Deadlines are interesting things.  They are both written in stone and constantly changed.  Especially if you work with government organizations.  In the past few weeks I’ve had deadlines moved up, moved back, eliminated and switched from don’t work on it to due tomorrow.

Through all of this I’ve learned a few things about deadlines.

If you are working for a private sector client then the schedule and deadlines are pretty well set.  They expect the product when you agree to provide it.

When you work for a government organization deadlines and schedules seem to be more of a target than a law.  The organizations will want to review plans at different stages and offer comments.  Sometimes it can take a long time to get comments back.  Sometimes you have the comments right away.

The schedule will change
Things always come up.  Any number of things can move the schedule back or forward.  Be ready for it.

90 percent of the work is in the last 10 percent of design
That last little bit of time is where you clean things up and make sure everything is perfect.  It’s also the time you find any mistakes.  Plan for changes.

Don’t wait until the last minute
The last minute is already full of final corrections, clean up, enhancement, etcetera.  Make sure that you aren’t doing any design at this point.

Work ahead
Just because a project isn’t due for a while or you are waiting for specific information doesn’t mean the project shouldn’t be touched.  Work as far ahead as you can with what you have.  That way you are ready when the next step comes.  Cramming doesn’t work any better in civil engineering design than it does before finals.

Always be ready for the deadline to be moved up
This is especially true if you are told that the next due date is now unknown.

Don’t relax on projects that aren’t due right away
Just because a project isn’t due soon doesn’t mean you can let it go.  The due date could get moved up or other projects could come along and demand your attention.  Be ready for them

Be ready for some overtime
If you are able to work ahead and are prepared early, then you shouldn’t have to worry about overtime or working weekends.  But sometimes it still happens.  When projects are due you want them to be as perfect as they can be.  That may mean some overtime just before the due date.

Those are a few of the things I’ve learned since I started doing civil engineering design.  To sum it up; do the work right and do it right now because something will happen.  It’s a lot easier to be ahead on a project than behind.  And the day before it’s due is not the time to be fixing major problems.

After dealing with a lot of different projects, deadlines and a few other things that helped inspire this post, I’ll be back on track.  I’ll be posting more on internships soon.

This goes along with my post the other day.  Not only should you check your project site regularly, because things can change, but you also need to try to make sure that anyone that might need to know what is going on knows what is going on.

For one of my projects we are redesigning an intersection.  The intersection will be completely rebuilt to make it more efficient and bring it up to current standards.  Both the city and the department of transportation are involved.

The DOT has a program where they go around the state adding ADA ramps at intersections.  It’s a good program.  Many intersections are not currently accessible.

The other day I saw this DOT crew building ADA ramps at this intersection.  The DOT spent thousands of dollars building these ramps that will be torn up in a few months.  If both departments had been talking, they would have spent the money on other intersections that aren’t scheduled to be torn up in a few months.

This also applies within our own companies.  Talk with people working on similar projects or in similar locations.  That can help you pass on lessons learned as well as reduce the possibility of wasted effort and double work.

For many jobs that you apply for, the first thing that a potential employer will see is your resume and cover letter.  Here are a few tips for your resume.  I’ve posted a layout that has worked well for me in the past. Sample Resume.

Keep it simple and easy to read

Hiring managers don’t have a lot of time to try and figure out what you’re saying.  Us an easy to read layout like the sample I posted.  1 inch margins, clear sections, bullet points in each section.

But not to simple

Make sure you don’t sell yourself short.  Include enough important facts about yourself to show the potential employer how great you are.

Be relevant

Look at the company’s website and at any job adds the company may have out.  Make sure you tailor your resume to show your skills that are important to that company.  Listing things about yourself that would appeal to that employer.

When I worked retail I got a resume from a kid.  On the resume he said that he could hold a hissing cockroach without flinching.  We thought that was great, but it didn’t help us any.  He didn’t get an interview.  We had limited time and other people talked about relevant skills.

Be specific

List specific accomplishments.  Being specific shows the potential employer what you have accomplished and what you might be able to do for them.  Specifics work much better than generic phrases like: I’m a go getter, or I’m responsible.  Say it with specifics.

Target your resume

Don’t use the same resume for every company that you apply to.  Make adjustments to your resume so that you highlight the things about you that are most important to that particular company.

Don’t lie

Integrity is very important in the engineering profession.  You will hear about engineering ethics a lot. When you get caught, and you will, it will be known.  It can hurt your career.

No work experience? Talk about school.

If you’re still in school, employers know that you won’t have a lot of experience.  List the engineering classes that you’ve taken.  Talk about any scholarships or awards that you’ve won.  List some projects that you’ve done.

Those are some of the tips I’ve followed when working on my resumes.  For those of you that have been down this road before, what are your recommendations?

With the new semester starting up soon it’s time to get into learning mode.  Most people remember to sign up for the right classes to get there degree, but a lot of people don’t know about, or don’t go after one of the most important learning tools you can get as a student; an internship.  Over the coming days I’m going to post some articles on how to find internships, how to prepare your resume, what to expect at an interview, first day on the job, and other things along those lines.  But today I’m going to talk about why an internship is important.  Here’s a list of why every civil engineering student should get an internship.  In no particular order.

You get paid

Most internships pay.  Civil engineering interns get paid pretty well compared to most jobs you can get while in college.

Learn how it works in the real world

You learn a lot of great theory and background in school.  But frequently you never really see how that works out in the real world.  In an internship you get to see first hand how the process works in your field.

You get to work on real projects

This is perhaps the best part.  You get to actually use what you’ve been learning and learn new stuff that can help you in school.  Sometimes the projects that you work on in your internship can go more in depth in a week than you will get in a semester in one of your classes.  Plus they are all things you can put on your resume for when you graduate.

Your bosses understand

If you have a civil engineering internship chances are you’ll be working for someone with a civil engineering degree.  They’ve been where you are.  They know what it takes to get and engineering degree.  They are willing to help out.

Credit at school

Many schools will give you credit for internships.  The school I went to would let you get up to three credits and could count it as one of your electives.  Get with your adviser before the semester starts to find out what your school can do.

You get paid more after you graduate

People with experience get paid more than people without experience.  Having an internship on your resume shows that you know what you are getting into and that you know how to do things.  That will make you instantly more marketable than people with no experience.  That could mean not only more money in a job offer, but also more job offers.

Easier to get a job after you graduate

An internship does two main things to help you get a job after you graduate.  It gets your foot in the door for any companies that you work for.  It also gives you specific experience and accomplishments that you can put on your resume.

Find out what you like and what you don’t

I had a friend in college that every summer he worked for a different firm that did a different kind of engineering.  He definitely had the chance to try it all out and find what he liked.

An internship is worth more than a 4.00

While I was in school, and since then, I’ve talked to a lot of engineers that hire for their companies.  It’s been pretty consistent.  They say they’d rather see an internship on a resume than a 4.00 GPA.

A side note on this.  If you look at the Bureau of Labor Statistics data for civil engineers http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm you’ll see that starting salaries for a bachelors degree is higher than a masters degree.  From what I’ve see, that’s pretty consistent for several different places that collect that data.  Based on the people I knew in college I think it’s because most of the people that have a bachelors degree also had an internship.  Most of the people that I know that went straight for their masters after getting a bachelors degree, did not get an internship.  Internships and the experience you get is very valuable.  I’m not telling you not to go after a masters degree, just make sure that you get some real world experience also.

Those are some of the main reasons that I came up with to get an internship.  What are some of your reasons?  What have you gained from your internship?  Any reasons why you think someone shouldn’t get an internship?

I’m no fashion expert.  Far from it.  As far as I’m concerned, Jeans and a t-shirt will work for most occasions.  Work is one of the occasions when jeans and a t-shirt are generally not recommended.  Even on casual Friday.  When you’re new to the office environment, figuring out what you should wear can be a bit confusing.  This is especially the case when you’re given vague terms like casual Friday or business casual.  I may touch on other situations later, but since today is Friday and I’m getting ready for casual Friday myself right now, I’ll just go over that.

One Step Down

The general rule for casual Friday is to dress one step down from what you normally wear.  For example, if you generally wear slacks and a button up shirt, then casual Friday could be jeans that are in good shape and a polo shirt.  Generally you would still wear dressier shoes, not tennis shoes.  For the different firms that I’ve worked for and with, that seems to be the most common situation in the civil engineering consulting industry.  That also seems to be fairly common with the municipal clients.

Following the one step down rule, if you generally wear a tie to work, then casual Friday may simply mean that you don’t have to wear a tie.

The same concept works for both men and women.  The whole point is to be a little more relaxed, while still looking professional.

This is a general rule.  The details vary from one company to the next.  They also vary between different parts of the country and within different industries.  When in doubt, ask your boss.  They know us new engineers have a lot to learn.

How does your company do this sort of thing?

In this economy everyone is looking to save money.  That means not only us, but the companies that we work for as well.  Being able to save your company some money while still getting everything done properly, shows that you care about more than just yourself.  It also shows that you have an interest in helping the company.  That makes you more valuable in your boss’s eyes.

Here are two things that I’ve done recently that helped my company save money.

Rent a car for business trips.

Civil engineers sometimes have to travel for projects.  We can’t always work on projects just down the street.  One place I have to travel to occasionally takes about 4 hours to drive to.  Because of time at the airport, flight time, luggage, car rental, etc. it takes about 4 hours to fly there as well.

The company reimburses me for those costs.  So to drive the company spends about $250 in mileage.  A little more than that to fly with the plane ticket and rental car.  However, I’ve learned that if I rent a car and drive the rental instead of my own car, then the company pays for the rental and gas instead of mileage.  That comes to about half the price of me driving my own car.

Granted, I don’t get that $250 mileage reimbursement, but the company still pays for the gas and I don’t put hundreds of extra miles on my own car.  It saves money for both of us in the long run.

Become a member.

Civil engineers have to constantly take classes.  We have to keep up with the latest laws, technologies, and standards, not to mention learning new areas of civil engineering.  Most companies see the value of taking these classes and are willing to pay for them.

If the class is offered by an association, the association will usually give a discount to its members.  Frequently, the discount is more than the price of membership.  This is especially true if you take more than one class.  Your company may be willing to pay for the membership if you can show them how much it will save them in the long run.

These membership can also connect you with other professionals to help you network.  The organizations also provide a lot of resources to its member that you wouldn’t have otherwise.  Those are side benefits that can help both you personally and your company.

Has anybody else used these methods?  What are some ways that you have saved money at work?  Both for you or your company?