Misagh Tavanpour

PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2017)

1. What field of work are you in, and what duties are required in your position?

I am working as a Software Engineer at Cisco Systems. I am involved in different aspects of a code life cycle including design, implementation, unit test, integration test, debugging and code maintenance.

2. What challenges did you face when looking for work after graduating?

Being overqualified and not having Permanent Residency.

3. How did you arrive at your current position?

I had a friend who was working at Cisco and he passed my CV to one of the directors at Cisco who was looking for a candidate for an available position in his team at that time. The director liked my CV and he contacted me to see if I was interested in that position and if I was willing to start the interview process. I had four rounds of interviews, including a phone interview, an online exam, an on campus interview and a written exam in order.

4. What advice would you give to a graduate student looking to follow a career path similar to yours?

Try to deal with real people and do NOT rely only on online applications. If you want to apply for a position in a company, try to find a recruiter/employee there and tell him/her that you want to apply for that position and send him/her your CV. The most important thing is try to apply for a job that you like since you are going to deal with it every day!!! It may take more time but it’s worth it.

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Omi Iyamu

MASc in Electrical and Computer Engineering (2013)

1. What field of work are you in, and what duties are required in your position?

I work in Engineering as a Technical Program Manager at Google. I lead Projects and design technical solutions mainly.

2. What challenges did you face when looking for work after graduating?

To be honest not much; my first job after graduating was at Microsoft as a PM. I got into the role after applying from one of the career fairs that happen in Unicenter.

3. How did you arrive at your current position?

I left Microsoft to pursue a startup idea of mine. When that didn’t work out, I joined Google.

4. What advice would you give to a graduate student looking to follow a career path similar to yours?

A great academic record is only part of the key. You need to show initiative and apply your knowledge beyond the classroom; start a company, build an app, influence change, something of that nature.

Omi Iyamu has been involved with . The Alumni Mentors program pairs motivated upper-year students and recent graduates with an alumni mentor. Mentors are established professionals who help students and recent graduates develop skills for the workplace and expand their professional networks.

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