Resume help

[duckpro3313]

So I am currently an undergraduate and about to graduate this December. Last spring as with many colleges we are tasked with a problem to go about addressing from a particular company. My team worked very hard and in my opinion harder than a lot of the teams in the senior design contest. From our toils we were able to win our competition, and our sponsoring company is going to apply to patent our idea. My question is, do I mention this in my resume? (I'm leaning towards yes) And if so how should I put it into/word it into my resume. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks!!!

 

[MintJulep]

Yes, you should mention it.

How to word it depends in part on if there are any restrictions in place from the sponsoring company.

I would suggest that you call whomever what in charge of the project/competition at the company and discuss with them. Note that this gives you a nice excuse to talk with this company that is already apparently impressed with your ability and remind them that you'll be looking for a job soon.

 

[TheTick]

Definitely worth a mention.

As with all resume items, keep it concise and readable.

If a patent is filed, then it is public record and you can say just about anything that is on the patent application. Be careful not to disclose too much (but you're going to be brief, anyhow, right?)

 

[DRWeig]

Welcome to eng-tips.

Trumpet that project. That's exciting to me, so I'll probably blather on at great, annoying length. I yam what I yam.

If you can't mention specifics, here's a first thought:

Member of winning senior design competition team, in which my team designed a solution to a real-world problem for a local [manufacturer, processor, utility, or ???]. The company's engineers were quite pleased, have implemented our solution, and have applied for a patent on our innovation.

Good advice in the other posts, too. TheTick's "concise and readable" is a must. MintJulep urged you to get permission to disclose stuff. Any of the generic terms I used would have much more impact if they were actual descriptions and names.

Don't get too wordy, but since you're fresh out of college there should be room to go four or five bullet points on this project.

I'll make up one quick that will probably need lots of editing, trimming, shortening, and other work:

Member of winning senior design competition team, in which we designed a solution to a real-world problem at Dow Corning's Long Beach solvent plant. Given the task of reducing frequent failures of a small process damper actuator, my team and I gained experience with:
[ul]
[li]Forensic engineering,[/li]
[li]Thermal analysis of process equipment,[/li]
[li]Team dynamics,[/li]
[li]Communication with experienced professionals, and,[/li]
[li]Innovation in design.[/li]
[/ul]

We ultimately determined that process heat was damaging the actuator through a thermal bridge that was far from obvious. Our design of a new mounting bracket with a thermal break solved the problem, and Dow Corning has applied for a patent naming me and my team members as inventors. My hard work was a key to this success.










Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[miningman]

" me and my team members ". Whatever happened to the importance of good spelling and grammar on a resume?? Surely " my team members and myself" would create a better impression??

 

[SLTA]

Uh, no.

My team members and I, not myself.

 

[SNORGY]

I thought it was grammatically correct as written.

 

[DRWeig]

Please take this in the spirit intended, miningman and slta, but you each struck on a pet peeve of mine. If more discussion is needed, we can move it over to the Engineering Language/Grammar skills forum. Good grammar is very important in a resume, and the first-person pronouns are some of the most frequently misused words I see. Improper use of 'myself' is one of the miscues that will put a resume at the bottom of the stack if I am reviewing them. Such usage is becoming accepted in informal English, but should never be applied in formal writing.

..."naming me and my team members..."

Both 'me' and 'my team members' are objects of 'naming.'

...by naming me (not 'naming I' because 'I' is the subjective case).
...by naming my team members...

Combine them and you get:

...by naming me and my team members...

-or-

...by naming my team members and me...

Putting 'me' in the first position places emphasis on the resume writer's contribution. Putting 'me' second is a bit more proper etiquette-wise, but either is acceptable grammar-n-style-wise. That's a personal choice.

'My team members and myself' reflects poorly on the writer. 'Myself' is a reflexive pronoun and must refer back to another first-person pronoun, such as 'I did it myself,' in which 'myself' reflects back to 'I.' More in context with my phrase, 'I did it by naming myself Sue' is fine, the subject is 'I' and 'myself' reflects to the subject. "They did it by naming myself Sue" is not correct. 'Myself' has no precedent in the sentence.

Dad named me Sue [correct]

Dad named myself Sue [incorrect]

Juanita decked me with a left hook. [correct]

Juanita decked myself with a left hook. [incorrect]

Sorry, but I think if you consult the style manuals (see links below) you will see the same explanations. My mom was an English teacher. I had this stuff hammered into myself from kindergarten and it hasn't stopped yet, even though she just turned 90. End of rant. Bring on the arguments!

'I' versus 'me'

'Myself'

More on 'myself'





Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[SNORGY]

Refer to my post...

 

[DRWeig]

Thanks Snorgy -- I started my post, took a lunch, and finished it later. Yours happened in the meantime.

Best to you,

Goober Dave

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[duckpro3313]

Thanks everyone for your help and suggestions! It is greatly appreciated!