A recent EE Times survey revealed a bleak mood among engineers, with many of them feeling unappreciated and undervalued. The current debate over the availability of H-1B visas certainly plays into that, as illustrated by an article that ran in a recent print edition of the Wall Street Journal. The article contrasted an engineering shortage with stories of engineers that had been searching for jobs for a long time. The picture that emerged was that employers largely had themselves to blame for not being able to find the right engineers because they are becoming too exacting in the requirements for positions. This leads to extended searches through stacks of “unqualified� candidates, leading them to declare a shortage of the right talent.

I have some personal experience with this, since I have been interviewing people for an open position for the last week or so. I am seeing resumes that are unclear, misspelled, or simply listings of technology buzzwords with no context. I am well aware that most engineers are proud of the fact that they provide substance rather than sizzle, but the reality is that a resume is a marketing brochure and an interview is a sales call. Engineers that have failed to get their foot in the door can either complain about external factors that are preventing their lives from being perfect or they can take a hard look at themselves and see how they are being perceived. The result may be surprising.

By the way, the boss may not be too happy either. Another article in EE Times says that apparently not too many people are keen on moving into the CEO spot, either. Sometimes the grass isn’t so green…

Larry Mittag