Portfolio? Industry Change from Defense to Consumer Products

[dcaddison]

Hi folks. First time posting here, though I've learned a lot from the archives. Thanks in advance for your help.

I'm currently out of work after 5 years as a mechanical engineer in the the Aerospace/Defense industry. I'm considering jobs in other industries, and consumer products seems appealing as I enjoy design and creative work.

I sent my resume and a nice cover letter to a consumer products company, and the HR person requested a portfolio. A portfolio? I've been on several interviews for defense and medical positions, and I've never needed a portfolio.

I feel I have an impressive array of work from my previous job, but all of it is highly proprietary and most is protected by ITAR. I believe I did the ethical and lawful thing by not sneaking personal copies of my work, but it's very unfortunate that I now have nothing to actually show for the past 5 years.

Has anyone encountered a similar situation, or have any suggestions? I have a few projects from grad school, but they're quite basic compared to my actual job tasks. My best solution is to respond to the HR rep and explain that the sensitive nature of my past work precludes me from sharing it publicly. Instead, I can off up several professional references who can speak to my abilities.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[TheTick]

I've been a design engineer in consumer products for most of my career. I've never been asked for a portfolio> I do have one, and I bring it to interviews, but I've never been asked.

 

[KENAT]

The fact she's asking suggests they might have an emphasis on the 'Industrial Design' element rather than the hardcore engineering.

You'll obviously have to say that your previous work was largely classified, however, when I made the transition I would get stuff from the public domain and say 'I worked on the XYZ aspect of this product' or similar.

You might also ask for clarification on what they want in the portfolio, just a list of products you worked on with some pretty pictures and description, or actual sample drawings...

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[IRstuff]

Just one caveat on Kenat's posting; stuff that's is in the "public domain" might still be classified, and while someone without a previous clearance would not get into trouble with such information, you, having a previous clearance, would still be subject to the contract you signed when you got your clearance. At least, in the US, anyway...

TTFN

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[KENAT]

Good point IRstuff, the US does have somewhat more of a bug up its butt about that kind of stuff. Potentially even if something is now public domain that you learned about while it was classified they may look dimly upon you expounding upon it as I understand it.

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[casseopeia]

If you don't have a consumer products portfolio, you might think about a collection of your own sketches. Being an architect I'm used to requests for a portfolio eventhough my work is not really design, more report writing and problem solving. I've shown up with random field sketches as a way of demonstrating hand drawing skills which is vital in a field investigation. You could pick a few items and just sketch them up putting your own twist on them. I don't think it necessarily has to be a product brought to market as long as it demonstrates the quality or skill the interviewer is looking for.

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge." Ivana Trump

 

[dcaddison]

Thanks for the responses. Some useful info, though I guess there's no perfect solution. Also a good call that the position may not be a "hardcore" engineering position.

For those of you who have worked in consumer products, did you find it to be technically challenging as an engineer?

 

[MacGyverS2000]

As an EE in the consumer(ish) area for quite a while, the projects can still be quite challenging. There, you're trying to fit 10 pounds of crap into a 5 pound bag and rest it on a table capable of holding 2 pounds.

And the job can also be quite mundane... just depends upon your field of expertise and what the company needs.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[KENAT]

You may want to search this forum for relevant threads, for instance:

thread731-301737

http://www.eng-tips.com/search.cfm?...folio&t=&h=&searchSite=1&searchArea=1&d=1&s=1

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