What a wonderful story from cr0sh. ( I don't mean story - as in fantasy).
What a wonderful way with words.
It's nice to see electronics personnel with more than one skill.
So many times I have employed brilliant electronics designers that didn’t have the skill to write-up their project for the magazine I was running.
Now to my point:
I was always being phoned and asked if a position was available for design, assembly, sales etc and on a few occasions I suggested the caller come in with a project he had constructed.
I am talking about students who had just completed 12 years of schooling and are just starting employment and/or wanting an apprenticeship or tertiary schooling with assistance from their employment.
Many of them had hardly built anything and to a few of them I suggested they come in and buy/build a miniature computer we had designed and take it with them to an interview.
I must admit this is going back 25 years, but the feedback was impressive.
They phoned back to say were employed almost “on the spot.”
This leads me to my suggestion.
If you have designed a project, why not send it along with your 5-page resume. It will stand-out and will give the interviewer something to talk about. The whole idea is to “cut the ice” and turn the attention “off you” and highlight what you CAN DO.
It might cost $10.00 in parts but it advances you to the next level.
I remember one caller asking about a vacancy and he suggested he would work for free for a week just to prove his capability.
This was the initiative I was looking for.
He stood out from the crowd.
Of course I knew I could not employ him at no cost, but the mere offer was too good to pass up.
He turned out to be just as brilliant as his offer. But without that offer, he would have been passed-over.
You need something to “stand out” when you are competing with others this is one of my suggestions.