Is my current job preventing me from getting an engineering position?

[BiomedEng27]

Hi all, thanks in advance for any help or advice.

I have my Bachelor's in Bioengineering and went immediately on to get my Master's in Mechanical Engineering, mainly because I thought it would help me secure a job. I'm passionate about biomedical engineering and would love to someday work in the medical device industry.

Right after earning my Master's, I accepted a job at an ergonomics company. I have been working with them for about 2 years, and my job title is "Ergonomics Specialist". My boss won't list my job title as an engineer until I have passed my PE exam.

I want to find a new job, and I have been searching and applying since I started my current job. I haven't gotten a single callback or interview. Could it be because of my current title? I'm worried that prospective employers see "ergonomics specialist" and don't take my application seriously. Did taking this job ruin my chances of ever actually working in the engineering field?

Any advice on where to go from here would be appreciated. I've been considering returning to school for my Bachelor's in Mechanical, if that's what employers are looking for.

 

[JedClampett]

I doubt your current job has any effect on your job search. After two years, you're still pretty much a rookie, so no one is too worried you're going to need more money than your experience warrants. At your level of experience, your degree is still doing most of the talking.

 

[steellion]

I think you may be right, the "Ergonomics Specialist" job title may make it difficult to get past the HR cronies to even make it to management for review. Especially if a company has an advertised opening, they may be getting stacks of resumes, so they're doing quick resume scans looking for keywords. It wouldn't be obvious to me that you were an engineer if I saw that on your resume. The easiest solution is if you're doing engineering work at your current company, just put "Engineer" on your resume. Emphasize the engineering tasks that you perform at your company in the bullet points. There's no rule that you have to use the exact job title on your resume if you feel it is misleading, or include your job title at all. At 2 years, you may still be listing Education before your Job CV, especially if you have impressive accomplishments at college that you want to show off. Remember: the only purpose of your resume is to get the interview, the purpose of the interview is to get the job.

 

[EmmanuelTop]

List in your CV what are the Discipline engineering aspects and activities of your current job, regardless of the job title. If there are none, then you are definitely in the wrong place.

Dejan IVANOVIC
Process Engineer, MSChE

 

[Keith1029]

My opinion is make sure that "Ergonomics Specialist" doesn't show up anywhere in print. Perhaps my negative experiences over the years have left me in the pessimistic bias column but I have seen many made up job titles that seem designed to sound like they require more experience and expertise than is actually involved in the position (I once saw "Director of Public Relations" in place of "receptionist"). To me a "specialist" is someone who has spent years in a line of work and is at the cutting edge of their field. To see it used in this context I would immediately lump you in with the groups I have seen who think that "fancy titles" somehow give an advantage, impart knowledge, or are somehow important. Even worse if the title makes a mockery of some actual credential (like "petroleum transfer engineer" or "X Specialist". If it were me I might give you an interview if the application pile was only 2 or three people deep and I wasn't busy, but otherwise I would (possibly to my detriment) pass you right by.

I would refer to the job according to what you actually do and then, as other suggest, explain your formal title in the interview if anyone even cares to ask.

Unless of course you are leading the field in ergonomics; but if that is the case then stay on that path.

 

[JNieman]

The title on your resume doesn't have to match the title on your business card. Just be sure to clarify if you're given the opportunity.

I have a job title I don't believe is commensurate with my actual role and responsibilities, nor my qualifications. When I updated my resume, I absolutely fudged it to be more realistic. No one cared, and no one looked down on it upon clarifying it, and they understood, 100%, why I did it.

_________________________________________
NX8.0, Solidworks 2014, AutoCAD, Enovia V5

 

[jpankask]

The job you took hasn't ruined your chances of getting another job. However, your job title might be hindering your search. If I was still a supervisor looking for a new hire engineer and got a resume from someone that didn't appear to have a current engineer position, I would probably put the resume in the "pass" pile. You have to remember that most people looking at resumes have a big stack of resumes to narrow down. Your resume needs to stand out enough to get a second/more detailed look.

You do NOT have to put your job title on your resume. Instead, you can just list your primary responsibilities. Just do so in a way that will catch peoples attention. As a fairly recent graduate, your education is still one of your primary draws on your resume. Use it to your advantage.