It’s not just just common sense. The research shows that the handshake matters. It does in fact
contribute to "first impressions." It is not an entirely bogus way for people to judge you: your
handshake actually reflects certain personality characteristics. And the research shows that when it
comes to self-promotion, handshake etiquette may be more important for women than for men.

Everyone knows, from personal experience, that we make judgments about people based on how they shake
hands. Sometimes a handshake might mean nothing at all, but there are other times when this ritual of
personal engagement is a prelude to more important business that will follow.  Handshakes are an
important introductory ritual in all manner of social contacts, and the research shows that the quality
of the handshake makes a real difference.

There have been a number of studies that explore the dynamics of handshaking, but the one that stands out
was published in 2000 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The study relied on a group of
trained  "handshake judges" who could reliably distinguish eight different handshake characteristics:
completeness of grip, temperature, dryness, strength, duration, vigor, texture, and eye contact.

These judges formed consistent opinions of those whose hands they shook, but the judgments were global,
rather than specific. They could reliably agree only on whether the handshake conveyed a "good
impression" or a "poor impression."

It also turned out that the individual handshake characterstics (i.e., vigor, duration, eye-contact,
etc.) were all highly correlated and that the differences tend to collapse into one global factor which
is best described as a "firm handshake."

They also found that a "firm handshake" corresponded to certain personality factors.  From your
handshake, people can learn whether or not you are shy and anxious, and whether you are "open" and
outgoing.

The key finding may seem obvious, but it is worth repeating: people do in fact form impressions based on
the quality of your handshake, and those impressions do reflect certain elements of your
personality.

As to how this relates to "first impressions," the study showed that a woman benefits more from having a
firm handshake than does a man. For both genders, a weak handshake tends to generate less favorable
impressions.

What this means is that everyone, both men and women, should pay attention to how they go about shaking
hands. People are judging you and assessing your personality and character based on this moment of touch.
For women, having a firm handshake is probably more important than for men.

The other point to be drawn from this study is that while your handshake is to some extent a genuine
reflection of your actual personality, it can still be a practiced and developed skill. The "handshake
judges"  spent a month in training,  which means that you too  can perfect and improve your own method
before that important meeting.

A longer version of this article (with study details) can be viewed at Psychologist Paul
Mattiuzzi’s blog:
http://everydaypsychology.blogspot.com

Career Day 2007 is coming up fast.  The event is on March 16th. I can get us to the day of the event but
I desperately need the help of about 50 students and alumni the day of the event to make it happen.  I am
asking you to sign-up at http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/help for a job that will take you only one hour. 


 We will need people in the following categories on March 16th: 

Setup: 7am to 8 am. I need people to help companies set up their materials- and make a good
impression.

Food Servers: 7am to 8am help companies get coffee etc.

Backpack Check-in Table:  Take students backpacks just inside the door to the UU Ballroom and make sure
they are safe.

Door People: I need  people signed up one hour periods over the course of the day.  You will hand out
flyers to students and alumni and welcome them to the event.

Teardown: I need people to help at the end of the day (3:00),  picking up the glasses, umbrellas and day
planners that are left behind and returning them to my office. No heavy lifting.

Thanks for helping!!!

 sign-up to help at
http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/help

Use career fairs as an opportunity to gather information about the various companies that hire
individuals with your major and to establish contacts for future networking in companies that interest
you. 

How to approach a career fair- before, during and after: 
1. First scan the list of job fair attendees and select the companies that interest you the most and
check out their web pages. 

 2. Identify companies attending the job fair that are recruiting your major and rank according to your
interest. 

 3. Taylor your resume for the companies that you are interested in. You will probably need more than one
version of your resume and you will want to change the objective as necessary. 

 4. On the day of the fair, approach companies that interest you the most first. Make contact and get
information. ASK QUESTIONS!

 5. If you are interested GET A BUSINESS CARD AND PICK UP COMPANY LITERATURE and leave a resume.

 6. Send a thank you letter and enclose another copy of your resume!

The types of questions you should be asking:
Open ended questions rather than the typical "Are you hiring?" questions will allow you to gain the most
useful information. Here are some examples:

 1. What types of career possibilities are there for CE (BME, CM, CPE, CS, ME, MET) in your company? 

 2. What type of training programs do you have? 

 3. What types of projects does your company work on? 

 4. What kinds of projects might I expect to work on in my first years with your company? What kind of
growth might I expect?

 5. What is a typical day like?

 6. What makes someone successful in your company?

 7. What do you like best about your field/company?

 8. What advice would you give a person seeking work in your industry?

 9. Can you give me the names of anyone else I should talk with given my interests? (You will have to
identify your interests at this point).

10. May I have your business card? (For future contact).

Numerical Analysis by Major of Companies Attending Career Day 2007 (Number of companies seeking each major)

112 companies attending career day 75 Civil Engineering majors 49 Construction Management majors 29 Computer Engineering majors 25 Computer Science majors 37 Engineering-Electrical & Electronic majors 43 Mechanical Engineer majors 20 Mechanical Engineer Tech. majors 2786 openings

I received the following email from Alum Vince Underwood (BSMET 94).  This is a wonderful
company!!!

Cici,
 
We are looking for a software engineer.  This is a unique opportunity to work with a very talented group
of software engineers......most of whom are CSUS grads.  Interested candidates can send their resume
directly to HR through the website. http://www.pasco.com/jobs/
 
Life’s good at Pasco.
 
regards,
 
Vince
 
 
 
Software Engineer II -- Roseville, CA

Position Summary:

Develop firmware for various new microprocessor-based product designs
Support existing products with firmware upgrades, trouble-shooting, and bug fixing
Use entire development lifecycle from concept investigation/prototype, through development to factory
release and support
Communicate product requirements and design approaches with other engineers, scientists, and
teachers

Qualifications:

BS Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or Equivalent
Five years embedded development experience
Fluency in C/C++ /assembly on multiple architectures
Good C++ design and OOP skills
Good communication skills

Additional Desired Qualifications:

USB low-level chipset experience
Flash memory programming experience
A/D conversion experience
DSP programming experience
FGPA programming experience
MS Windows application programming experience

I got the following message from Mico Curreri (BSMET 5/07)

Hey everyone,
 
My work has asked me to send out an e-mail and find some recruits from school.  The position is a part
time Solidworks CAD Engineer leading to full time.  I think it’s a good opportunity and I really
like working there. 
 
The position is at a foundry in McClellan Park (Sacramento Area).  We are contracted with the government
and also connected to the auto industry and many other industries.  We just got a 3D rapid prototyping
machine that prints in 3D sand.  We make molds out of the printed sand and then pour molten metal, making
castings.  Our workload is increasing rapidly, so there will be lots of work to do in the future!  The
work involves CAD work in Solidworks, so knowledge of Solidworks is a must.  Please send me your resume
if you’re interested and pass this e-mail along to anyone else who may be interested.
 
Candidates can search Technikon at: www.technikonllc.com
 
Thanks
 
-Mico Curreri
mcurreri@technikonllc.com

New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. will hold interviews for:
Engineering Co-op

February 27, 2007 multiple interviews from 9:00-9:00 in Riverside Hall
Start Time 9:00am
End Time 9:00am

Majors Sought:
CS
CpE
ME
MET

Length of each interview: 30 min.

For position details: http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/iss/students/ 
After reviewing the information  -  Please email resume to : co_op@nummi.com
John Davern will review resumes and schedule candidates for interview to be held in RVR 2006

You will get a phone call or Email if New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. is interested in you!

Union Pacific Railroad will hold interviews for:
Engineering Associate and Mechanical Associate

April 04, 2007 multiple interviews from 9:00-5:00 in Riverside Hall 
Start Time 9:00am
End Time 5:00pm

Majors Sought:
CE
CM
EEE
ME
MET

Length of each interview: 45 min.
For position details: http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/iss/students/ 
After reviewing the information  -  Please email resume to : sawiltse@up.com
Sarah Wiltse will review resumes and schedule candidates for interview to be held in RVR 2006

You will get a phone call or Email if Union Pacific Railroad is interested in you!

Chevron Corporation will hold interviews for:
Information Technology Positions (4 titles)

March 06, 2007 multiple interviews from 9:00-5:00 in Lassen Hall 2000
Start Time 9:00am
End Time 5:00pm

Majors Sought:
CS
CpE
EEE

Length of each interview: 45 min.

For position details: http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/iss/students/ 
After reviewing the information  -  Please email resume to: jhenderson@chevron.com
Joel Henderson will review resumes and schedule candidates for interview to be held in RVR 2006
You will get a phone call or Email if Chevron Corporation is interested in you!

The first workshop is Monday!!!  Get your resume together for Career Day 2007 (March 16th)

College Of Engineering and Computer Science

SPRING 2007 CAREER WORKSHOPS- 
				
Mon 2/19	Resumes & Portfolios 	RVR 2014 3:00-4:00 

Mon 2/26	Interview Techniques	RVR 2014 3:00- 4:00

Thur 3/1	Interview Techniques	RVR 2014 12:00-1:00

Mon3/05	How to Career Fair  		RVR 2014  3:00-4:00			 
	Be Prepared for the ECS Job Fair on March 16	
	Including: Quick Resume Prep & Technical Interview Techniques

Tues 3/6	Interview Techniques	RVR 2014  4:00-5:00 

Tues 3/20	 Resumes & Portfolios 	RVR 2014   4:00-5:00 

Mon  4/9	 Salary Negotiating-    RVR 2014   3:00-4:00	

Feb/March Resume Proofing- 
	Wednesdays 			RVR 2008   9:00-11:00
	Mon/Tues/Thursdays 		RVR 2004   2:00-4:00 
Wednesdays 9-12 			RVR 2004   9:00-12:00
	
Additional Resume Proofing times on Cici’s Calendar at www.ecs.csus.edu/career


Updates at http://www,ecs.csus.edu/career

The next application deadline for the Sac State Study Abroad programs is March 1, 2007.  Don’t miss
the opportunity to study engineering or computer science courses during 2007-2008 in Argentina,
Australia, Canada, England, Mexico, or Sweden.  Except for Argentina and Mexico, the courses will be
taught in English.  You do need proficiency in Spanish for the programs in Argentina and Mexico.

While studying on the Sac State programs, you receive resident credit for courses taken, pay the same
CSUS registration fees and can use your normal financial aid.  A few scholarship application deadlines
for study abroad are still coming up!

Go to the Office of Global Education to find out more and pick up an application.  The Office is located
in Lassen Hall 2304 or you can call 278-6686.

The College of Engineering and Computer Science Is Desperate for Your Data

Please report any offers that you have received to ECS Career Services Web site:

 http://www.ecs.csus.edu  - click on the graduation cap 

If you have graduated in the past few years or if you are graduating this semester we need your data. 


The information you share is used for ABET reports and to help me identify trends in employment and
salaries.

I keep your info confidential.  I only report the data!  I use your contact data to confirm and to keep
in touch with you.

Employers are hiring from the resumes posted on our web site at http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career.  If you
have not already posted your resume on the ECS Career Services Office Web Site, now is the time!!!  Just
click on the Post Your Resume button!

Cool new feature!!!  Employers are able to search your resume now with key words!

I also send resumes out to companies so send me a soft copy in MS Word.  cici@csus.edu