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January 31, 2005 Vol. 76, no. 3S
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| REAL WORLD
ADVICE: "Go to the panels and try and
find out what the alumni do," says Asiya Vorontsova (B.S. '04
IEOR), who now works at Intel because of a contact she made at Real
World Engineering. |
Figuring
out the job puzzle
Recent alumna shares how she went from Etcheverry
to employee
About this time last year,
IEOR senior Asiya Vorontsova remembered she had to start looking for
a job. "I was so busy fall semester I missed fall recruitment,"
she said. "I tried to look for jobs on my own, but I was too overwhelmed.
I didn't know what to do." She saw a flier for Real World
Engineering and liked the idea of a career event with free sushi. So
she went.
Now, Vorontsova is a newly minted graduate and Intel employee, working
on a team improving the efficiency and forecasting of Intel's semiconductor
processing.
Vorontsova credits her new career to a connection she made at Real World
Engineering. Here, she shares her path from Etcheverry to employee with
Engineering News.
I went to the IEOR panel and there were two Intel employees. The name
Intel rang a bell - oh, Intel! It's a good company and I had
heard of it in Russia. I approached one of the panelists afterward and
just asked him about processes, what projects he does, what he likes
about his job, what stimulates him. He seemed so positive. He really
loved his job and what he was doing. This guy seemed happy and I thought,
Maybe I'll be happy. He later asked me what year I was. I said
I was a senior and he said, "Fax me your resume." Oh God,
I thought; I have to make one!
I sent him the resume and didn't expect much. Then in May, I got
a phone call at 8 a.m. from someone at Intel who wanted to set up a
phone interview. Wow! It was completely unexpected. Subsequently, I
had many sleepless nights.
In my first real interview, they asked about my personality, about each
IEOR class that I took and some really technical questions. I didn't
know all the specific topics, but school had given me a way of thinking
and making a decision. I had a built-in process of working out a problem.
A week later I had a six-hour onsite interview. I felt like my tongue
was going to fall out and that's amazing because I like to talk.
They wanted to know why I was passionate about the field. I talked and
talked. The next week, they called and offered me a job. It was so cool.
My advice is to go to the panels and try and find out what the alumni
do. Learn about the good and the bad. Ask questions, but don't
ask for a job directly. That's pushy.
Be real. Be who you are. That will give you confidence.
Real World Engineering is this Thursday, Feb. 3, 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. at
Bechtel Engineering Center in the Garbarini Lounge.
The event is a forum designed to introduce undergraduate students to
engineering as it is practiced outside academia. Students will meet
with alumni to discuss careers in engineering and how a specific major
will translate to a real world work environment.
For more on Real World Engineering, go to www.coe.berkeley.edu/realworld/.
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