Volume 2 of Harry Roman’s trilogy, A Living Resume-Vol. 2: Documenting Your Writings, Awards and Honors, emphasizes realizing the power such special recognition can have in furthering your career. Roman advises documenting them in your living resume-not sweeping that powerful information into a corner. Further, he explains that such documentation should be carefully itemized and detailed. After all, companies like to see what characterizes the professional side of the engineers they will hire.
Roman writes that one of the greatest assets a professional will ever have is the ability to communicate well. Further, he asserts that excellent writing and speaking skills will lead professionals along a successful career path. “Many a career has been dashed on the rocks of poor communication,” he says.
He elaborates that throughout your career, you will be making presentations, giving speeches, attending conferences, conferring with other professionals, leading teams, or providing guidance in professional forums-activities and tasks that make excellent communication skills essential.
Roman advocates highlighting these occasions, and giving them a special place in your living resume-for they represent your abilities to sell ideas, as well as motivate and lead colleagues.
“Such activities establish you as a good communicator, someone who is active and recognized in their profession,” Roman writes. These activities also help expose you to new, potentially important people, as you contemplate career moves and changes. Being in the “public eye” may also bring new opportunities your way-people who will want to reach-out, make contact, and offer you chances for growth-both inside and outside of your company.
Among other topics, Roman explores the importance of documenting papers, articles and books; patents and intellectual property; professional awards and honors; and college or continuing education courses, taken or taught. Regarding continuing education, he notes, “If there is a major activity all employers like to see, it is someone who knows the value of continuous education. Our globally competitive, fast-paced, unforgiving world demands that everyone stay up-to-date, or be left behind.”
In the Appendices, the author offers readers a valuable list of eight critical skills for the workplace, including analyzing information; converting information into knowledge; selling new ideas to management; and communicating concepts clearly and succinctly. Roman says that developing these skills and abilities will help readers achieve, and maintain, rewarding positions in today’s progressive companies.
Now through 15 October, IEEE members can get a free download of Roman’s “A Living Resume-Vol. 2: Documenting Your Writings, Awards and Honors.”
Simply go to https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6978696. Log in with your IEEE Web account, add the book to your cart, and use promo code SEPTFREE16 at checkout.
CALL FOR AUTHORS
IEEE-USA eBooks seeks authors to write an individual eBook, or a series, on career guidance and development topics. If you have an idea you think will benefit members in a particular area of expertise, please email your proposal to IEEE-USA Publishing Manager Georgia C. Stelluto at g.stelluto@ieee.org.
Georgia C. Stelluto is IEEE-USA’s Publishing Manager, and Manager/Editor of IEEE-USA eBooks.
