Professionalism

Objectives
Have the ability to:
Prepare and critique resumes
Understand job-hunting etiquette and techniques
Understand the function of career services
Understand how to obtain your professional license
Understand the laws related to professional practice

Your Work History

How did you find your first couple of jobs?

(summarize on board)
Summer Employment Survey (Handout)

After graduation

Not the end, but the beginning!!!

Employment (full-time; part-time)

Graduate School (full-time; part-time)

Career vs Job

Career Planning

What are your assets and traits?

Where do you want to start?
What are your short-term goals?
What are your long-term goals?

Looking for Jobs

Career Services
Internet
Professional Organizations
Newspapers
Magazines
Friends and Family
Other?
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Career Services at SUNYIT

http://www.sunyit.edu/careerservices/

Look at website
Resume handouts

Tips / Actions verbs

Resume example
Poor resume (critique in class)

Resume

References:

Making Your First Impression Count-Effective Resumes

What Were They Thinking
Resumes: The Basics

Reverse chronological order (most important

first)
Limit to one-page
No misrepresentations (ET, not ENGR)
Visually pleasing
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Interviewing

Be prepared
Arrive early
Dress appropriately
Get names of those you interview with (ask
for business cards)
Ask open-ended questions
Follow-up
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Interview Questions

Typical Interview Questions

11

References

Better to ask before the job hunt

Provide detailed info to the person who is
giving you a reference:

When is due date?

Provide additional information about yourself
Provide a self-addressed envelope (if mailed)

12

Landing the Job Next steps

How to act professionally in the workplace!!!

13

Professionalism
From Wikipedia:
A professional is a member of a vocation founded upon specialised educational training.

The word professional traditionally means a person who has obtained a degree in a
professional field. The term professional is used more generally to denote a white collar
working person, or a person who performs commercially in a field typically reserved for
hobbyists or amateurs.

In western nations, such as the United States, the term commonly describes highly educated,
mostly salaried workers, who enjoy considerable work autonomy, a comfortable salary, and
are commonly engaged in creative and intellectually challenging work.[1][2][3][4] Less
technically, it may also refer to a person having impressive competence in a particular
activity.[5]

Because of the personal and confidential nature of many professional services and thus the
necessity to place a great deal of trust in them, most professionals are held up to strict ethical
and moral regulations.
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Work Environment

ProfessionalKnowledge, ideas and

information

NonprofessionalWork can be measured by

the quantity and quality of work output

15

Professionalism

Managing your time

Communicating
Teamwork
Treating others with respect
High ethical standards
Positive attitude
Reliable
Leadership

16

Relationships

Employee-Corporation
Employee-Manager
Employee-Employee
Employee-Support Personnel

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Employee-Corporation
Mutual interests; both need each other
Corporate Obligations:
Fair compensation
Treat employees w/ dignity
Equal opportunity
Employee Commitments:
Work the required number of hours
Adhere to confidentiality guidelines
Respect conflict-of-interest agreements
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Employee-Manager
May be most important relationship
Manager Responsibilities:
Explain company principles and policies
Administer salary, promotion and hiring plans equitably
Review, hire and fire employees
Employee Commitments:
Complete quality assignments in a timely manner
Act professionally
Take responsibility for self-development
19

Employee-Employee
Important to form effective working relationships

Most work is accomplished by teams

Collect info from others, analyze, and report results
Everyone knows their responsibilities and target dates

20

Employee-Support Personnel

Treat support personnel with respect

Encourage open communication
Make support personnel part of the team

21

Traits for Success in the Workplace

Competence
Pursuit of Excellence
Personal Integrity
Likeability
Positive Attitude
Effective Communication
22

Homework Assignments (#1 and #2)

Individual Work

Prepare a draft resume in career services format

Have a peer critique it (roommate, parent, other)
Prepare answers to 10 interview questions
Submit your draft/critiqued resume, your revised resume and
interview questions/answers on Angel (PDF format) prior to
next weeks class
By the end of the semester have your resume approved by
career services. Forward to me (jayne.baran@sunyit.edu) the
e-mail that says your resume is approved and ready for
upload to CCN.
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Practicing Professionalism as a Student

Round Robin

24

Break

25

Professional Licensing-Why

Professionalism
Pride
Job requirement
Enhances Resume

26

Professional Licensing

FE (Fundamentals Exam)
PE (Professional Exam)

Administered by State

FE reciprocal but details controlled by state

PE state specific

27

New York State

New York State Education Dept

Licensed Professionals

http://www.nysed.gov/

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Differences between ET and E

Engineering Technology

Engineering

Eligibility for FE exam

After graduation

Before graduation

Experience before PE

6 years

4 years

Historically--Could take FE in Vermont (and PA?) before graduation

Beginning Jan 2014, test will be online (one location in Utica)
http://ncees.org/about-ncees/news/ncees-announces-changes-to-fe-exam/
http://cbt.ncees.org/cbt-faq/
http://cbt.ncees.org/where-will-i-take-my-exam/
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Taking FE after Spring Graduation

New Computer-Based-Testing
Details at http://ncees.org/
Letter from NYSED

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FE Contents
Ethics and Business Practices (7% of Morning Test)
A. Code of Ethics
B. Agreements and Contracts
C. Ethical versus Legal
D. Professional Liability
E. Public Protection Issues (e.g. licensing boards)
Ref: www.ncees.org
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Forms and Reference Materials

https://people.sunyit.edu/~barans/links/pefe.html

32

Unethical Behavior

Loss of business
Loss of licensure
Monetary fines
Loss of reputation

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Ethical Behavior

Increased business
Enhanced professional reputation
Extended employment

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Engineering Practice

New York Education Law

NY Educ. 7200 (Administration)

NY Educ. 6905 (Conduct)

New York Code, Rules & Regulations:

8 NYCRR 68.1 et seq. (Administration)

8 NYCRR 29.1 et seq. (Conduct)
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Engineering Practice
Engineering Defined
NY

Educ. 7201. Definition of practice of engineering. The practice of the

profession of engineering is defined as performing professional service such
as consultation, investigation, evaluation, planning, design or supervision of
construction or operation in connection with any utilities, structures, buildings,
machines, equipment, processes, works, or projects wherein the safeguarding
of life, health and property is concerned, when such service or work requires
the application of engineering principles and data.

36

Engineering Practice
Licensing and Title Statue

7202. Practice of engineering and use of title "professional engineer". Only

a person licensed or otherwise authorized under this article shall practice
engineering or use the title "professional engineer".

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Permissible Scope of Practice

The purpose of the Education Law is to
safeguard the life, health and property of the
public.
Licensing requirements which protect the public
health and safety must be strictly complied with
and a contract in violation of such statutes
cannot be enforced.
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Code of Ethics

No matter what state you practice in, that state

has a code of ethics which governs your
ethical conduct.
As a member of NSPE, there is another code
of ethics which governs your ethical conduct.

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Professional Code of Conduct

As a professional license holder, or someone

who works for a professional license holder,
you are required to know the constraints
imposed upon your conduct by the state code
of ethics.
If you violate the provisions of those code of
ethics, you or the person that you work for
can be fined or lose their license to practice.
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State Laws

Professional Misconduct-NY Education Law 6509

Unprofessional Conduct 8 NYCRR 29.1
Design Professionals - 8 NYCRR 29.3

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Professional Misconduct
8 NYCRR 29.1
1.

2.

3.

Willful or grossly negligent failure to comply with

federal, state or local laws governing the practice of
the profession;
Exercising undue influence on a client in such a
manner as to exploit financial gain in favor of the
practitioner or a third party;
Directly or indirectly offering, soliciting or receiving
a fee to or from a third party for client referrals;
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Professional Misconduct (Cont.)

8
4.

5.
6.

7.

Fee sharing with those not otherwise authorized to

NYCRR

29.1
practice in the same profession;
Moral unfitness;
Willfully making or filing a false report or failing to
file a report required by law or the Education
Department
Failing to make available to a client copies of
documents in the possession of the professional
which have been prepared and paid for by the client
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Professional Misconduct (Cont.)

8
8.

9.

10.

Revealing personal information without the consent

NYCRR

29.1
of the client (identity; financial condition; how youre getting paid)
Practicing or offering to practice beyond the scope
permitted by law, or performing services which the
professional is not competent to perform;
Delegating responsibilities to a person that is not
qualified to perform them;

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Professional Misconduct (Cont.)

8
11.

Performing professional services which have not

NYCRR

29.1
been authorized by the client (going above and beyond in hopes of getting
paid)

12.

Failing to respond to inquiries from the Education

Department (must rat out your friends; most often comes up amongst partners)

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Design Professionals
8 NYCRR 29.3
1.

2.

3.

Being associated with any project or practice known

to be fraudulent;
Failing to report to the owner any unauthorized or
substantial disregard by any contractor of plans or
specifications when observation of the work is
provided for in the agreement between the owner and
design professional;
Signing and sealing documents for which professional
services have not been performed by the profession;
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Design Professionals (Cont)

8 NYCRR 29.3
4.

5.

6.

Failing to maintain plans, documents, computations and

evaluations to which the professional has signed and
sealed for at least 6 years;
Having a substantial financial interest in a contractor,
manufacturer or supplier on a project for which the
professional is responsible without the knowledge and
approval of the client;
Fee sharing with persons other than partners,
employees, associated in a professional firm or
corporation, subcontractor or subconsultant;
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Design Professionals (Cont)

8 NYCRR 29.3
7.

8.

9.

Accepting compensation from more than one party for

services on the same project without disclosing the
same to all interested parties;
Participating as a member, advisor or employee in a
governmental body in actions or deliberations which
pertain to the services of the professional;
As to the practice of land surveying, revising, altering,
or updating existing boundary lines without adequate
confirmation of relevant boundary lines and
monuments;
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Presentation (Team)

Research professionalism . Prepare and present

a .ppt presentation two weeks from today on your
assigned sub-topic (10 minutes in length)
Submit electronic copies of the .ppt via Angel
dropoff.
Cite your references at the end of the .ppt (3-5) using
MLA or APA.

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Acceptable Academic Citation Styles

APA-American Psychiatric Association Style
MLA-Modern Language Association

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Professionalism Topics
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Preparing for FE exam (download and review FE manual)

Job Search Engines (find and review 3)
Whats on FE exam; Whats on PE exam?
FE exam (Computer-Based testing)
Dress Codes
Appropriate use of Technology at Work
Patents
MLA/APA Citation (websites)
Working With Difficult Personality Types
Determining who is licensed as a Professional Engineer in New York
State; Other states?
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