I have noticed of late that some of the people interviewing with the companies here in the College of Engineering and Computer Science are looking pretty casual.  As a matter of fact, some candidates are in jeans and t-shirts.  This is not acceptable!  These are formal interviews.  

To begin with, you need to understand that you only get one chance to make a good first impression. First professional impressions are usually made at job fairs, in interviews and at professional conferences and conventions. You need to look good!  You need to look like a serious professional.  If you do not, you will not get hired.  It is as simple as that.  There are way too many highly qualified people on the market right now to look like a dip.  

It is going to cost you a bit to get your fashion act together, but it is totally worth it.   Great places to shop include The Men’s Warehouse (men only), Macy’s, Nordstrom’s (if you have unlimited resources), Landsend.com (if you hate shopping), Bananna Republic (if you love shopping), Talbot’s (women only).  These are places where you can find the professional outfit you are looking for.  And an added bonus with the recession is that every thing is on big discount sale! I helped my daughter Elizabeth find (and buy) an interview outfit at Banana Republic and things were 75% off- really nice stuff!

I know, you have no time to accomplish this task now. You need a nice professional outfit anyway.  As a matter of fact, everyone does.  This doesn’t have to be painful or take a long time. Just before Career Day I stopped at Talbot’s and picked up a new jacket and top for Career Day.  I just walked in, told the clerk what I wanted and I walked out 15 minutes later with a skirt that is one size smaller than I thought I needed.  Well was that a treat!!!  And the items were more than 60% off!

The first thing you need to do is to inventory your wardrobe. If you open the closet and all you see are t-shirts and jeans, you know you have your work cut out for you. No, khaki pants are not formal professional attire. I know, I know. Everyone at the companies you want to work for wears them just about everyday. But we are not talking about everyday wear for after you have the job. We are talking about what you will wear while trying to get the job.

Next, make a list of items for your shopping spree. Here are items you need to purchase: A suit or slacks/skirt/dress and a nice complimentary color blazer/jacket; Multiple long sleeve white or light blue shirts/blouses; 2-3 neck ties (men) (buy the extras for when you drip spaghetti on your tie); A belt (men); and matching shoes. Buy only natural fiber items. Shirts should be wrinkle resistant cotton.  Blouses can be silk or cotton. Slacks should be made of worsted wool or gabardine.  These fabrics breath and are good for summer as well as winter in California.   No polyester!!!   Avoid linen, it wrinkles. And go conservative on the colors. Navy blue, grey, black and sometimes olive green are good choices.

Reminders to help you avoid interaction with the fashion police: No colored or printed t-shirts under your shirt, they show through. Don’t show skin that should be covered. No white sox. Don’t wear excessive jewelry, keep it simple. Avoid perfume or cologne.  Hide your tattoos.  You need to look a great deal more conservative for this.

Having your wardrobe together will make a huge difference in projecting a professional image to the employers you hope will employ you. Impress them once and you are in the door. Startle them or surprise them with your wardrobe, and that may be all they think about while speaking with you. 

You feel better when you look good too... and that is the point.  You need to feel good and you need to project a good image.

If you have decided that you would like to patent your invention, or are trying to decide whether you should patent it, there are some things you should consider. In fact, there are many things you should consider before embarking on the patent application process. I will address a few of the key questions you will need to answer.

Do I Need to Hire a Lawyer?

The good news is that there is no requirement that you hire a lawyer to help you with the application process, and there are many books out there that you may find helpful if you wish to pursue the process on your own. The bad news is that without a lawyer or patent agent (a non-attorney, who has a technical background and is licensed to represent inventors in the U.S. Patent Office), the process can be long and difficult and may result in a patent that does not adequately protect your invention. Proper drafting of patent documents is a highly specialized skill that is best undertaken by experienced patent attorneys and agents.

Is Applying for a Patent Expensive?

Yes, unfortunately, filing for a patent can be relatively expensive. If you are not hiring a patent attorney or agent, the only fees (aside from photocopying and the like) are the fees you must pay to the U. S. Patent Office. Specifically, there is a filing fee, a fee when the patent issues and “maintenance fees” to be paid every few years. There are also additional fees, the amounts of which can be found on the Patent Office website: www.uspto.gov/web/offices/ac/qs/ope/fee2009january01_2009jan12.htm.

Can I Sell License or Sell My Patent Application?

Many people wonder whether they can sell or license their rights to their patent application in order to raise money. The answer is yes, generally, you can sell or assign your rights in a patent application – after it has been filed. You should keep confidential, however, any work you do on your invention (with some exceptions) until that time. One reason to keep your invention confidential is for obvious commercial reasons. Another is a legal reason. You have exactly one year from the time of public disclosure to apply for a patent on your invention. Therefore, if you start shopping around your invention before you file the application with the Patent Office, you will have only one year from the date you first let people know about your invention to safely file the application. If you find you must tell other people for some specific reason, be sure to have them sign a confidentiality agreement.

So, is it Worth It to Patent Your Invention?

The answer to this question is, it depends. If you have done your research, and feel that your idea is truly marketable, then yes, it may be worth the expense and trouble to file a patent application. If, on the other hand, you believe that you can sell your idea without formal patent protection, or that you cannot sell your invention at all, you may want to consider the value of obtaining a patent. Mostly, it is important to be realistic in your approach.

There are many rules that regulate how and when an inventor may obtain a patent. Even if you plan on hiring a patent lawyer or agent, or, if you do not plan on filing a patent yourself but work in a field where patents are prevalent, it is a good idea to read about the process to educate yourself on some of the details.

*This article is for informational purposes only. This article is not intended as legal advice and nothing herein should be construed as such. This is not a solicitation or offer to represent you, and nothing herein creates an attorney client relationship between you and Townsend and Townsend and Crew, LLP or Tali L. Alban. For specific questions please consult a licensed attorney.

Tali L. Alban, J.D, Associate at Townsend and Townsend. Ms. Alban is an associate in Townsend’s Litigation Practice Group. Her legal background includes working as a part of multiple trial teams representing large domestic and multi-national corporations before the International Trade Commission. She also has experience litigating cases in state and federal courts on a variety of matters, including fraud, breach of contract and patent infringement. She can be reached at tlalban@townsend.com.

Igor Shoiket, Partner at Townsend and Townsend. Mr. Shoiket, who will be joining Ms. Alban, represents clients in complex patent infringement cases, including cases concerning semiconductor design, fabrication and packaging, computer and software technologies, and preparation and use of biological compounds. He can be reached at ishoiket@townsend.com.

RSVP: http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career/software/attend.htm

3 Scheduled Company Information Session Spring 2009
Date	Time	Company	Majors	Location
04-07-2009	12:00 - 2:00 pm	Bay Area Rapid Transit	CE CM ME MET EEE CS CPE EEEPower	RVR 2018 - Dean’s Conference Room
04-14-2009	12:00 - 1:00 pm	Ghilotti Bros., Inc.	CE CM	Riverside Hall 2018
05-05-2009	11:00 - 12:30 pm	Pacific Coast Building Products	CM	Riverside Hall 2018

1 Scheduled Interviews Spring 2009
Date	Time	Rooms	Company	Position Title(s)	Majors	Location	Visit Status
04-07-2009	9:00 - 5:00	2	Los Angeles Department of Water and Power	Mechanical Engineering Associate Civil Engineering Associate Electrical Engineering Associate	CE EEE ME	Riverside Hall

For more information please visit: www.ecs.csus.edu/career/iss/students/

Date: Tuesday, April 7
Majors: CE, CM, ME, MET, EEE, CS, CPE, EEE Power
Location: RVR 2018 - Dean’s Conference Room
Time: 12:00 - 2:00

All interested students should plan to attend. Please notify your students.

Pizza will be served!

Please join us for the first annual “Evening with Industry” for students in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. The Mechanical Engineering Industry Action Council and the student section of ASME are co-sponsors of this event which will provide an opportunity for working professionals to interact with students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This is an opportunity for students to learn about aspects of the working world and for industry professionals to meet future prospects for their companies.

A limited number of 6 foot tables are available for industry displays during the event and will be assigned on a first-com, first-served basis.

Please RSVP by April 2, 2009 to:

For additional information, or to reserve a table, please contact:
Laura O’Neill
(916) 278-6624
Oneill@ecs.csus.edu
Riverside Hall, Room 4024

Hello Cici

I just wanted to let you know that I was looking at information regarding our latest programmer hires. Again, CSU Sacramento graduates are number 1. Mostly Computer Science majors with a couple of MIS and EE majors. We currently are in progress giving our FTB promotional Senior and Staff Programmer Analyst exam. Those that qualify will get the opportunity to promote. Then they can go for the next promotion and so on.... It is really nice to see the recruitment programs working!!

Franchise Tax Board on March 10th has made the decision to start hiring from the open SPB System Software Specialist II and III, technical and supervisory, exams.
jobs.spb.ca.gov/openxrd.cfm?exc=8PB6701
jobs.spb.ca.gov/openxrd.cfm?exc=8PB6703

These are internet exams that individuals that qualify may take. Mostly those students or alumni that have worked in the IT industry would qualify. Just have them check out the minimum qualifications. If you notice when you sign up to take the exam, there is sample questions. PLEASE have the candidates take the time to fill this out before taking the exam. DO NOT take the exam off the cuff like a survey. The candidates want to get the BEST score possible. Remember, they can use what they have their academics, experience and what they have learned on their own or in life. It is self-qualification, so they just have to be very honest.

Please encourage those that do meet the qualifications to take these exams. Once they have a reachable score (rank 1,2, or 3) they can apply to the job opportunity notices that are posted on our web site: www.ftb.ca.gov/human_resources/jobs/jobopenings.shtml We have some opportunities posted. Check them out!

There will be more exam and job opportunities coming out at www.spb.ca.gov or www.ftb.ca.gov. Just have the students/alumni monitor the web site for opportunities. I will be releasing an IT student assistant opportunity job opportunity notice very soon. It will be posted on www.ftb.ca.gov

We are still hiring from the Associate Programmer Analyst list. This exam opens and closes every month to give individuals that are qualified to take the exam.
www.ftb.ca.gov/human_resources/Exams/APA_continuous.pdf SPB gave the APA test twice this month and again on April 7th.

I am telecommuting from home, today. If anyone has questions regarding these opportunities, have them email or call. It is beautiful in the foothills, today!

Sally Bennett,
IT Recruitment Coordinator,
Franchise Tax Board

Job Duties:
Manages large capital projects by providing leadership and guidance to project team members, monitoring project budgets and schedules and making adjustments as necessary, reviewing work by project team members and providing feedback, providing oversight to consultant contracts, meeting with utility and public agency staff to coordinate project work, providing updates to the public and elected and appointed officials, meeting with federal and state agency staff to coordinate permitting processes, approvals, and funding, and working with RT managers to ensure timely completion of project assignments. Performs administrative duties by providing input to the development of the annual budget, participating in management team meetings, advising management of engineering and construction and related management staff of issues affecting execution and completion of capital projects, providing input to the performance evaluations of project team members, and working with operations to ensure capital projects accomplish their needs. Represents the District by attending and/or making presentations at conferences and seminars, organizing and/or leading meetings or discussions on issues, providing feedback on development projects or other transit agency projects, and meeting with external agencies to advocate for planned projects or projects under development. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Salary Range: $88,654 - $124,116 annually

Application Deadline: April 8, 2009 (Wed)

Minimum Qualification:
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited college or university in Engineering, Construction Management, Planning or a related field. Additional directly related experience beyond the minimum requirement may substitute for the required education based on the ratio of one and a half (1.5) years of experience for each one (1) year of education.

Preferred Experience:
A minimum of seven (7) years of experience in project management, construction management, project controls or contract administration of rail transit and other transportation projects, including three (3) years of supervisory experience.

How To Apply:
An employment application and supplemental application are required for this position. Applications, supplemental applications and job announcements are available at 2830 “G” Street, 2nd Floor, Sacramento, CA 95816, or through our website at www.sacrt.com.

Completed, original application and supplemental application must be submitted to the Human Resources Department no later than Wednesday, April 8, 2009, at 5:00 p.m. RT does not accept e-mail applications or late applications regardless of postmark. Resumes are not accepted in lieu of an application, but may be included with the application.

For more information please contact the Human Resources Department at (916) 321-3801. RT is an Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V.

Job Description:

Entry Level:
Assist more senior engineers in performing various engineering analyses, tests, and design and development activities to ensure operation and maintenance of a dependable, secure, safe and cost-effective protection and control system for the District’s generation, transmission, and certain distribution systems.

Journey Level:
Performs various engineering analyses,tests, and development activities to ensure operation and maintenance of a dependable, secure, and cost-effective protection and control system for the District’s generation, transmission, and certain distribution systems; serves as a technically and functionally proficient in the area of protective relaying and control systems and assumes responsibility for resolving technical problems and supporting project teams; may assist in planning, coordinating, prioritizing, monitoring, and evaluating the work results in assigned area.

Salary Range:
Associate Protection Engineer(Entry): $68,148 - $85,056 annually
Association Protection Engineer(Journey): $80,952 - $101,112 Annually

Essential Functions:

1. Assist in the review of modification and additional to the District’s protection and control systems by applying protection design criteria and philosophy and evaluating technologies and systems currently in application in the District’s generation and transmission facilities.
2. Support in initiating and maintaining the District’s protection practices and application standards, configuring protection and control schemes, issuing protective device settings, and promoting conference to established procedures.
3. Assists in evaluating the need for system protection studies and in conducting studies by preparing definitions of study parameters and data requirements; maintain databases and documentation of studies, findings, and recommendations.
4. Assist with system protection projects during the transition from design and construction to operations by preparing schedules and developing project test and acceptance criteria and reports.
5. Assist in the analysis and evaluation of system protection operation and electrical system configuration to assure maximum reliability.
6. Assists senior protection engineers with performing system protection engineering function in full compliance with all applicable WECC/NERC standards.
7. Assist in the review, approval, and coordination of Design Change Notices(DCN’s) for the System, Operation & Reliability Department.
8. Supports senior protection engineers in investigation, analyzing, identifying corrective action, following up on correction, and preparing documentation of protective rely misoperations in a manner consistent with the NERC/WECC Planning Standards.
9. Performs related duties as require.

Minimum Qualification:

Knowledge Of:
Methods and techniques for report preparation and writing; electrical theory and electrical engineering design principles;principles and practice of engineering related to power system relaying and schemes and device for protection of generators, motors, transformers, station buses, and lines and circuits; generation and transmission systems, their ratings, and operation and limitations of related equipments; maintenance practice of power system equipment; power system operating procedures; electrical codes and standards; electrical testing methods and electrical safety; safety policies, practices, and procedures; standard operating procedures from modern office equipment including a computer and application software; engineering software applicable to System Protection; English grammar, punctuation, and vocabulary standards.

Skill To:
Perform routine and standard relay coordination studies; analyze data pertinent to electrical power system; analyze power system operations; determine relay settings; compile and prepare a technical, statistical and/or analytical reports and presentations; read and interpret engineering documents and drawings; assist in planning and implementing system protection enhancements and upgrades; utilize a personal computer and/or computer terminal, systems, and software relevant to the job; communicate effectively orally and in writing internally/externally; establish and maintain effective working relationship internally/externally.

Education: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university with major course work in electrical engineering or related field.

Experience:

Entry Level:
1 to 3 years of progressive responsible relevant work experience in performing engineering calculations related to system protection.

Journey Level:
1 to 3 years of progressive responsible relevant work experience in performing engineering calculations related to system protection.

How To Apply:
Apply online via website: usage.smud.org/careers/search.aspx

The College of Engineering and Computer Science Needs Your Data

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

http://www.ecs.csus.edu/career - click on the "Just Hired" link.

If you got a student position we need your data.  

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 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!

Managers from local companies, including HP and Intel report contacting candidates through the system. If you are not on the system they cannot find you.

Students are reporting multiple offers from using a combination of the resume posting service, the JETX job listings, and from Job Fairs.

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 at: cici@csus.edu