IMechE UNITEN Student Chapter

Fancy winning a trip around the world? With the Easter holidays in full swing, and a raft of bank holidays to look forward to, there’s no better time to start improving your CV. This month’s newsletter is packed with things to do to get ahead of the job-hunting crowd; from becoming an IMechE Ambassador to winning an engineering design competition (there’s a cool £6k and a pair of round-the-world tickets up for grabs too!). We also return to one of the most hotly-debated topics of the past 60 years in our Topic of the Month; is nuclear power safe?

	IMechE Member Profile Tom Francis, Technical Project Manager, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Rencol Ltd What’s a typical day like at Saint-Gobain? I’m not sure if there is a typical day, which is what I most like about my job! We supply to the Hard Disk Drive industry who, in order to remain competitive, have to be demanding on their suppliers (which keeps me nice and busy). My job involves quite a bit of travel, mainly in the US and Asia, which is exciting. What was the interview process like? I had to do a number of online tests including mechanical reasoning and a personality test.  I was then invited to a first interview which included a plant tour.  My second interview included a presentation to a group of engineers, a brief interview by the Sales Director, another one by my line manager and one by the person I was replacing! What are your top tips for students looking for graduate positions this year? Tailor your application to each company; there is nothing worse than reading a generic covering letter as it shows little interest.  Start looking at how you can make yourself stand out from the crowd; get some work experience or get actively involved in an organisation like the IMechE.

Engineer your way around the world The world of work is fast approaching, but that doesn’t mean you have to go straight into the job hunt race. In fact, Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics RENCOL® is running a competition offering a pair of round-the-world tickets and £6k spending money to creative engineers. They’re asking engineering students in Great Britain to propose innovative, workable designs for new tolerance ring systems. Don’t know what a tolerance ring is? Check out RENCOL’s website® to find out more. Engineers need to combine exceptional problem-solving skills with a bit of creative flair, so this is a great way to showcase your skills to the wider engineering world. Read the full details of the competition. Promote engineering and your career There are lots of ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd when applying for graduate jobs, but why not choose one that makes a difference too? IMechE Ambassadors are vital for the Institution’s commitment to promote engineering careers to young people in schools up and down the country. Becoming an Ambassador is also a fantastic way to show employers that you live and breathe engineering, and will make your CV even more impressive. Becky Adams, STEMnet (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) Ambassador Co-ordinator, says "Working with young people is very rewarding and allows me to give something back to the community." To learn more about volunteering, visit the IMechE website and keep an eye out for the next Ambassador volunteering event in your area. Nuclear power – is it safe? With governments around the world reassessing nuclear power in light of the situation at Fukushima, we asked what you think; is nuclear power safe? Opinion was split like a Uranium atom. Many members, including Jamal Abdi, point out the problem of radioactive waste, while Steve Hill suggests that nuclear power only becomes dangerous when you take human error into account. On the other hand, Imelda McGrath believes it’s the future of sustainable energy as we run out of fossil fuels, while Matthew Garside highlights how robust nuclear power plants are, considering the relative lack of damage so far after such a severe earthquake. One key theme has emerged from the debate; engineers must rise to the challenge of ensuring that nuclear power is a safe and reliable energy source. See what others think, and give us your views the highly-charged debate on Facebook™.