In today’s increasingly mobile society, even the job search can be accomplished simply using your smartphone, a few apps, and maybe a mobile web browser. This added convenience helps when you discover a potentially perfect engineering position on the go and you don’t have access to your desktop computer. A few finger presses and swipes and your résumé gets sent on its way — even with a cover letter!

Let’s take a closer look at smartphone résumé authoring and the mobile job process.

The Engineering Job Search at the Speed of Light

With a specialized discipline like engineering, HR personnel are beginning to see the advantages derived from the mobile job search. Weaning through potentially hundreds of paper résumés sent through the regular mail is a time-consuming process that siphons off productivity. So the job seeker isn’t the only one benefitting from the mobile résumé.

LinkedIn, Craigslist, and other online job forums also offer a means for HR and job hunters to virtually interact. Email, instant messaging, and even video chat services, like Skype all play their own role in fostering communication related to the job hunt.

A Wide Array of Résumé Building Apps for iOS and Android

A simple search reveals a wide variety of résumé authoring apps for both the iOS and Android platforms; LinkedIn even has their own app that easily connects with the service. Tablets also hold a usability advantage over the smartphone when it comes to any form of word processing or typography. Tablet users can leverage mobile versions of office software suites to put together a résumé, or even edit one created on the desktop.

Additionally, many apps connect to online services specifically formed to assist job seekers in résumé creation as well as helping to manage the job search. Zerply and ResumeBaking are two examples. With the growing popularity of these digital means for the mobile job hunter, the days of the paper résumé may be on their way out.

If you need any assistance in your engineering job search — mobile or otherwise — talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As one of the top engineering staffing agencies in the Seattle area, they have the knowledge — and the engineering job opportunities in Seattle — to ensure your success. Schedule some time with them today!

The annual review is a chance for all engineers to take stock of their performance in the previous year; set some goals for the following 12 months, and making some longer-term plans for professional, and potentially educational, growth. Those who simply look at the review as a chance to get a raise aren’t taking full advantage of everything an annual performance review brings to the career development equation.

Let’s take a look at some ways for you (and your career) to make the most out of your annual performance review.

Don’t Prepare for your Review at the Last Minute

Rushing at the last minute to put together some notes for your performance review is not a good idea. Make it a point to keep a project diary throughout the year detailing the challenges you faced, any innovative solutions, and your quantifiable successes. Having this at the ready should make the review a simpler and more effective process.

In short, treat your review materials as a recurring documentation project. Few engineers like to do documentation, but get over any prejudices. Spending the time now will help your career in the long run.

Set Realistic Short-Term and Long-Term Goals

Performance review time is perfect for managing short-term and long-term goals. This involves looking at last year’s goals to see if they were met, as well as spending the effort developing a new set of clearly-stated goals for the upcoming 12 months. Yearly goals should reflect tangible accomplishments that provide positive impact to your company’s bottom line.

Take the time to analyze your progress towards longer-term career goals. In fact, the scope for your long-term career hopes may go beyond your current employer. Any time spent on career reflection is worthy.

Ultimately, be positive during the review and thank your manager for the opportunity to help the company grow.

If you need any additional advice on career development in the world of engineering, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. As they are one of the leading engineering staffing agencies in the Seattle area, they have the talent to ensure your career stays on the right path. Schedule some time with them today! If you are looking for engineering jobs in Washington, contact us today.

Engineers are in luck. The jobs in their industry are plentiful with good pay and benefits. And the good news is that industries keep growing, needing even more engineers to help build organizations and solve complex issues.

Several industries have been named as “growing areas” for engineers. These can include anything from mechanical and electrical to civil, computer and environmental engineering. As new technologies grow and expand, engineers will be needed to take these projects to the next level.

Some of the leading fields have to do with natural resources and the energy sector. Engineers will be needed for surveillance and extraction technologies, as well as working to develop new technologies that can drive our natural resource use down. Green technology is a large industry of growth, looking to find ways to curb the energy use of the planet.

The shale gas industry, known for hydraulic fracturing or hydro-fracking, is looking for engineers to increase the effectiveness of flow control and quality of treatment products. The United States and China are the global leaders in this field.

The shipping industry is looking for engineers to reduce sulpher and NOx emissions from over 70,000 ships, as well as fit them for ballast water treatment systems that reduce discharges from invasive species.

Power and manufacturing plants are looking for engineers to build water treatment systems to figure out how they can use, recycle and reuse wastewater for their facilities.

Vehicle and coal companies are looking to engineers to control the release of NOx into the atmosphere. NOx control technologies have seen double-digit growth in recent years.

Aquaculture, or fish farming, is a growing industry due to the overfishing of our seas. Engineers are needed to improve filtration and build better recirculating tanks.

Environmental infrastructure in developing countries remains unsound. Soil and groundwater need to be remediated, and engineers are going to have to be part of the process.

Waste product management for engineers is including waste-to-energy projects in developing countries. Landfills will be long gone as biogas, by organic waste breakdown centers, will be produced.

Renewable energy will always be a market that needs to be further developed and marketed. The wind and the sun will always be there, and improvements in those energy producers will always be needed.

These areas for engineering can prove it a worthwhile career, allowing for not only job security, but the satisfaction of contributing to the sustainability of our planet, our country and developing countries as well.

Contact The Talley Group to get to the head of the job line in growth engineering industries.