Search Terms, Titles, and Tips for Finding the Right Opportunity

A degree in engineering does not necessarily mean your professional role will be “Engineer”. With a variety of career tracks and industries available, the role you step into could have a number of names. That can make it difficult to determine keywords and position titles to browse when conducting your job search.

Discovering Keywords and Positions

On our ECS homepage you will find Alumni profiles with buckeye engineering stories. These profiles also include the position title and responsibilities of the alumnus, enabling you to uncover possible roles, industries, and career tracks. Biomedical engineering students, have you considered a role as a Clinical Specialist or Medical Device Sales Consultant? Food, agricultural, biological, and ecological engineering students, what about a Business Technology Consultant or Product Manager position? These are roles that actual Ohio State graduates currently hold and you will encounter even more while browsing through profiles.

LinkedIn Alumni is a powerful tool to discover an even more extensive network of Buckeyes. Use the filters to find Ohio State engineering graduates and take note of their current and previous positions. The Alumni Tools allow you to filter graduates by location and industry as well.

Conducting Your Handshake Search

If you are new to using Handshake, visit the homepage and browse by what’s popular in your major. Creating a saved search and setting a Job Alert that notifies you when jobs post is a great way to stay motivated in your search. To get started, click the Jobs tab and expand the filter to sort by “Job Type”, “Paid Roles Only”, and “Major”. ECS recommends that you also include a keyword to refine your search. 

Keep in mind that Handshake uses smart logic to learn your search preferences and suggests positions based on your activity. The more you apply to, interact with, and “favorite” positions and companies that align with your goals, the likelier the software is to highlight relevant opportunities.

Interviewing On Campus

Did you know employers come to campus to interview? It’s the most convenient way to advance your job search for both internship and full-time positions. When you log into your Handshake account, navigate to the Jobs tab and select “On Campus Interviews” from the sub-menu. Filter (on the left-hand side) by Interview Type choosing “Preselect” and “Open”, then choose “Engineering Career Services” as the Career Center. Once you select the interview of interest, apply to position(s) attached at the bottom of the posting. Some employers with deadlines closing soon include BWXT, Cummins Inc., Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, Blue Horseshoe Solutions Inc., and Thermo Fisher Scientific.

“It's not what you achieve, it's what you overcome. That's what defines your career." - Carlton Fisk