Pictures of completed electronics projects on resume?

Thread Starter

jaydnul

Joined Apr 2, 2015
175
Would it be a good idea to include actual pictures of my finished electronics projects on my resume if I'm applying for an electronics design job? Or would this be tacky?

Also, should I have a cover letter? Can't really find any info on cover letters when applying for EE jobs.

Thanks
 

Brownout

Joined Jan 10, 2012
2,390
I don't think it would be a good idea to put pictures on a resume. But I feel you and how you want to share your personal experiences, your projects, with a prospective employer. My suggestion is to put the pictures on the web, and provide the links within your resume. Now, for ideas as to how to get the manager to use the links....
 

ISB123

Joined May 21, 2014
1,236
You should make a list of projects you completed and then put it on the resume. If manager cares enough about you he will ask for details in case he doesn't ask from my experience that means you didn't get the job.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
If you get an interview, bring the pictures with you. Just as snapshots is probably OK, but it would be better to have them organized into a portfolio of sorts. I woudl also have an extra copy, just incase the interviewers asks to keep the pictures. I suspect that is unlikely, but if it happens, you want to be able to say "yes."

John
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
Would it be a good idea to include actual pictures of my finished electronics projects on my resume if I'm applying for an electronics design job? Or would this be tacky?

Also, should I have a cover letter? Can't really find any info on cover letters when applying for EE jobs.

Thanks
HR departments are extremely unimaginative. If you were talking to the FOUNDER of the company...yes....under normal conditions, NO!
 

Thread Starter

jaydnul

Joined Apr 2, 2015
175
Ok, sounds good. What about the cover letter?

When sending the resume by email, I've read that the cover letter should be in the email text. How long should the email be? I was planning on just a few sentences to make it apparent what I was applying for and that my resume was attached.
 

KL7AJ

Joined Nov 4, 2008
2,229
Ok, sounds good. What about the cover letter?

When sending the resume by email, I've read that the cover letter should be in the email text. How long should the email be? I was planning on just a few sentences to make it apparent what I was applying for and that my resume was attached.
Corollary to above point: Not only are HR departments unimaginative; they have very short attention spans....anything more than a page for them seems like reading the Old Testament. Keep it short.
 

Thread Starter

jaydnul

Joined Apr 2, 2015
175
Corollary to above point: Not only are HR departments unimaginative; they have very short attention spans....anything more than a page for them seems like reading the Old Testament. Keep it short.
Hahaha that's the last thing I want them to think when they read my resume.

Thanks for the pointers!
 

GopherT

Joined Nov 23, 2012
8,009
Would it be a good idea to include actual pictures of my finished electronics projects on my resume if I'm applying for an electronics design job? Or would this be tacky?

Also, should I have a cover letter? Can't really find any info on cover letters when applying for EE jobs.

Thanks
The BS Engineering students are getting recommendations from the recruiting office to bring a set of photos with descriptive short captions of projects (high school to current).
- Make sure you know how to explain the project clearly and quickly
- be clear about your role if it was a group project
- be honest if it performed poorly - have an answer about what you would do differently
- put a more detailed description on an easily accessed web page (not one with 100 characters to type in
- offer it to the interviewer if they are interested (make sure your name and contact info is on each page because it could get separated after it gets back to interviewer's office)
- don't offer it to non-technical interviewers (HR people)

If there is no time to discuss it at the interview, fine. If the conversation slows, it is an excellent way to keep it rolling - simply ask (as you slide the folder out from under your note pad), "would you like to see some of my projects?"

Or, if you are asked about projects or participation in clubs, offer to show them off.

Now, if you are not a student and not a hobbyist, then DO NOT show pictures of prototype or other projects from your current employer. Those projects and ideas belong to your employer. They are confidential. If you show them to a prospective employer, you may as well tell the interviewer, "I cannot be trusted with confidential information".

I just made a sweep of Big10 schools and the project portfolios really stand out.
 

Thread Starter

jaydnul

Joined Apr 2, 2015
175
While we're on the topic, what are some good online resources to find electronics design jobs? Preferably startups/smaller businesses.
 

GetDeviceInfo

Joined Jun 7, 2009
2,192
I've tried a number of different resume styles over the years and have settled on one where I have a greyscale, background image of a herringbone gear set that covers upper right 1/4 of page 1. It creates a 'techy' feel and does stand out in a stack of resumes.I had included other background images as a footer on 2nd page, but they got in the way when I was customizing for specific jobs.

I always provide a cover letter, and frequently speak to the HR crowd through that document.

In my neck of the woods, most jobs are applied online. Consider that when you submit your Resume and Cover, that very often parsers run through them to extract keywords which are databased for comparison purposes. Take every opportunity you have to pumpup the keywords.
 
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