Mechanical Engineering Student Seeking Internship to Gain Hands-On Experience

  • Thread starter Thread starter jklops686
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Resume
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the appropriateness and effectiveness of including an objective statement in a resume for a mechanical engineering internship. Participants explore the structure, content, and relevance of such statements in the context of job applications.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about whether the objective statement should be a complete sentence, questioning its general effectiveness.
  • Another participant suggests that while a complete sentence may be preferable, many resumes use fragmentary styles that are often overlooked by readers.
  • A different viewpoint is presented that questions the necessity of an objective statement altogether, proposing that a summary might be more beneficial.
  • Some participants argue that the objective should focus on what the applicant can contribute to the company rather than personal development goals.
  • One participant counters that such phrasing can come off as insincere for an intern, who may not contribute significantly compared to the resources they use.
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of honesty and succinctness in resumes, suggesting that avoiding clichés can help applicants stand out.
  • A later reply indicates that the applicant's motivation for seeking the internship is career development rather than financial gain.
  • One participant notes that many students claim similar motivations, which may dilute the impact of the statement.
  • Another reiterates the idea that objectives are becoming outdated and may not add value to the resume.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the necessity or structure of an objective statement in resumes. Multiple competing views exist regarding its relevance, content, and effectiveness.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express concerns about the potential insincerity of certain phrases in objective statements and the impact of clichés on the perception of resumes.

jklops686
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
Right now my objective is:

Hands-on Mechanical Engineering student with demonstrated communication skills seeking an internship to gain experience in the field, and further develop as a mechanical engineer.

Should I make this into a complete sentence? I see many objectives that aren't a complete sentence but it really bugs me.

Also, what do you think of the statement in general?

Thanks!
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If it really bugs you, change it. Especially since a sentence claiming "demonstrated communications skills" should at least be a complete sentence. But that's just my opinion, and I tend to be harsh on people's grammar. I suspect most readers wouldn't even notice, since resumes are frequently written in a fragmentary style. But I like my writing to sound like *me* so, I wouldn't write it that way.

Can you change it without making it sound awkward?
 
Are you sure you want an objective in your resume? They are pretty much out of style. A summary would be a better use of the precious space in my opinion.

If you want to use your objective just add the words "I am" in front of what you already have and it should be fine.
 
your objective shouldn't be all about you, the way it is stated now all you say is "gain experience in the field and further develop as an engineer"

It should be changed to what you can provide for the company such as
"to apply my skills towards XXXX and develop into an integral member of the XXXX team"
where XXXX is the company is the company or position or whatever
 
stevenjones3.1 said:
your objective shouldn't be all about you, the way it is stated now all you say is "gain experience in the field and further develop as an engineer"

It should be changed to what you can provide for the company such as
"to apply my skills towards XXXX and develop into an integral member of the XXXX team"
where XXXX is the company is the company or position or whatever

As someone who reads a lot of resumes in my job I very politely disagree. What you suggest is all meaningless buzzwords that doesn't add any value to the resume in my opinion. The OP is looking for an internship so to say he or she is "looking to be an integral member of XXXX team" will come across as insincere since an intern usually uses more resources than he or she contributes. When I see resumes that have things like that in them I assume they are BS unless there is supporting evidence in the cover letter that they really know about my organization.

In your resume be honest and succinct and a good way to stand apart from the crowd is to avoid tired resume cliches. In my opinion having an objective is a cliche that doesn't actually communicate anything useful to the employer.
 
Now I am lost. HA! Thanks for the opinions. I think the objective is showing them why I want to be there. It's not for money like many students, but to develop my career instead.
 
I think your heart is in the right place here. THe problem is every student says that whether they are there for the money or to develop the career.

I think 95% of students are in an internship for developing a career anyway.
 
analogdesign said:
Are you sure you want an objective in your resume? They are pretty much out of style. A summary would be a better use of the precious space in my opinion.

If in doubt leave it out. If you apply for multiple jobs and you change it each time its looks ludicrous. eg. To obtain a position in (random location) to improve my skills in (random skill from job desscription)
 

Similar threads

  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
4K
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
4K
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
6K
Replies
1
Views
2K
Replies
2
Views
2K