3D PRINTING / ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

CAREER KICK
OFF GUIDE
Everything you need to boost your career in Additive
Manufacturing / 3D Printing

CONTACT US
hello@i-AMdigital.com
How i-AMdigital can help you
i-AMdigital is a career platform helping talent of any kind grow their career in AM and 3D
Printing.
From learning courses to job opportunities, you can explore, grow and make an impact in AM
and 3D Printing.

Enroll in courses
We offer a curated selection of best in class learning content, so you can grow your skills and
achieve your goals.
Course provides include Wohlers Associates, the MTC, AddUp, ASM International and more.

Explore job and internship opportunities

We match you to job opportunities in AM / 3D printing, based on your personal career goals,
interests and experience. The jobs range from junior internships to C-level roles.
Job disciplines to be found on i-AMdigital: Sales, Marketing, R&D, Engineering, Design,
Application Engineering, and Service

How it works

1 Create your profile

Let us know who you are and what you aspire. Build your personal profile
using handy, interactive tools.

2 Explore your AM world

Explore articles, job opportunities and learning courses that match your profile.
Dive into your personal AM / 3D Printing world.

3 Grow your career

Apply for a job, follow a course, read new articles. Here, you have everything
in one place to make your AM / 3D Printing career thrive.

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 Contents

Starting your job hunt

4 Kick-starting your job hunt
6 Optimizing your CV / Resume
8 Explaining a gap in employment history on your CV

The job interview

11 Preparing for the interview
12 Tips for during the interview
14 How to best showcase your skills in an interview
16 Tips to video interviews
18 To do after the interview

Advice for JUNIOR professionals

20 Making speculative applications
21 Writing a full CV with limited experience

Advice for SENIOR professionals

23 Tips for senior professionals

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 Starting your job hunt

Kick-starting your job hunt

Optimizing your CV / Resume

Explaining a gap in employment history on your CV

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Kick start your job hunt
Are you ready to jump into a new job opportunity? If the answer is yes, you have come to the
right place.  

The following is our top tips on how to kick-start your job search in the 3D printing industry.

Optimize your LinkedIn profile

To allow companies (and recruiters) to find you via LinkedIn searches,
and to provide them a quick but thorough overview of your professional
profile, make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up to date with your
previous jobs, education, skills, etc.

Keywords: Use 3D printing industry keywords and specific discipline

keywords in your headline, your summary and your experience
section. The LinkedIn search engine looks for keywords in your profile
when deciding what profiles to include for a particular search query. 

Headline: Grab attention with a headline that precisely defines your skill

set. Make It unique, while containing words that express exactly what you
can provide an employer.

Summary: use your creativity here. Your summary should draw employers
in and make them want to know more about you. It should discuss your
experience and passions as they relate to your career goals.

Apply early and often

Hiring managers or HR personnel get hundreds of applications for each
job. It is very unlikely that they will read through each and every one of
them, so it is crucial that you apply to a job as early as possible, as
postponing it by a week, could result in your application not even being
read. 

It is a good idea to have two tracks in your job search: one where you apply
to existing jobs, and one where you network and contact employers to find
out about jobs before they have been posted.

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 Network, network, network
The 3D printing industry is a relatively close-knit industry where people tend to
communicate and network often. Use this to your advantage by contacting
employers you are interested in.  

Make sure you make yourself appear relevant and interesting by writing a brief
elevator pitch to send to them, instead of just writing ‘hello, I’m looking for a
job’.  

Even if that person cannot help you, they may refer you to other
acquaintances, and before you know it, your job search has set off!

Get your references in early

Having your references ready up front could put you weeks ahead of other
candidates who still have to collect theirs. 

In the 3D Printing industry, having references to support your job

application is crucial for the employer to ensure that your application and
experience is honest. In most job processes, there will come a time, when
the hiring manager will ask for your employer references.
Having good references prepared up front, with approval from your
referrer, saves a lot of time in the recruitment process, and the hiring
managers don’t have to wait weeks before they can make a final decision on
hiring you.  

Typically, employers ask for about two to three references. Those

references should be able to vouch for your skills, abilities, and
qualifications as they relate to the jobs you apply for. 

You can include the references, with name, company, position and contact
details on your resume, or you can get a written recommendation on your
LinkedIn profile.

Get started: click here to find jobs

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Optimizing your CV / Resume

1 Keep it relevant and tangible

To stand out, and make it clear for the company what experience you have, make sure
that each point on your CV covers the following:
What was your role?
What did you achieve in that role?
Which industry sectors has your work supported/been focused on?
Which technologies/software/materials did you work with?

2 Introduce position and company

This industry changes rapidly and new companies spring up daily. To make sure the
hiring manager knows your previous experience at a certain company, provide a
brief introduction to both your position and company.

Example of company intro:

“Materialise has over 25 years of experience in providing 3D printing services
and software solutions for a variety of industries, including healthcare,
automotive, aerospace, consumer goods, and art and design”

Example of position intro:

“I joined as a technical sales engineer to support the product management
team”

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3 Write short, snappy sentences
You don’t need long sentences in your CV. Keep paragraphs short and in
bulletpoints: long sentences (especially in your summary section) will often be
ignored. Stick to the facts and to bulletpoints. Try to write in a news-flash style
with an ‘action-result’ or ‘result-action’ approach.

Example
“Shortened production time by 25% through process optimization”

4 Make your CV specific to the job you are applying for

You have probably read this one before. But that doesn’t make it any less relevant!
Generic CV’s rarely work – unless your profile and experience is generic too, which
none of us would ever admit to of course. They don’t work for several reasons
including:
- Your skills related to a specific job don’t stand out
- It shows that you are not committed to the application process

Do an effort to carefully read the job descriptions and try to match your experience
to this – make sure to put the best matches at the top of your bullet points

5 Include a 'skills highlights' section at the top

Humans have very short attention spans, so it is crucial that the first part of your
CV includes a brief introduction to you and your skills. They need to be able to read
that short skills highlight section, and understand your career in just a few seconds.
Use bullet points for this section, to make it a quick and easy read.

Click to access courses & grow your skills

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Explaining a gap in your
employment history
A large unexplained gap in employment history may be a
showstopper for employers. Why is that?
A long unexplained gap can sometimes give employers the wrong
impression about both your capabilities and your personality. It may
imply that you are not capable of landing a job. It may imply that
you were ‘dishonourably discharged’ from your previous job. And
worst of all, it may imply that you are too lazy and don’t care about
your career.

You want to show career progression and an increase in scope and

responsibility as a result of your good work.

Some people leave gaps on their resume and hope to be

able to explain the gap in an interview. The trouble is,
that the gaps might prevent you from getting to the
interview stage.

So how do you explain the gap in your resume?

1 Emphasize why you left the previous job

Be it downsizing, budget cuts, or the position being
moved to far away for you to relocate, make it known
and clear why you left the previous job – already in the
resume. Even if you left the previous job voluntarily,
mention it. It’s perfectly acceptable to mention
sabbaticals – and try to highlight what you did during
the sabbatical and how it might have impacted you

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2 Emphasize activities undertaken during the gap
This relates to the previous tip as you should ALWAYS make sure to mention
Any valuable experience: for example volunteer work or major personal projects
Any certifications or courses you did during the gap
Any freelance, consulting or contract work you’ve done. These activities show a
huge sign that you have taken action and your career into your own hands.

3 Avoid negativity or blame

Even if your former employer handled your exit badly, avoid at all costs to bad mouth
them. Come up with a sincere, simple way of summing up what happened.

4 Formatting the years on your resume

If you really want to avoid drawing attention to the dates and possible gaps of a few
months between jobs, you can list only the years of employment and leave out the
months.
You should still be prepared to answer questions about why you left Company A, but
this will increase your chance of getting invited to an interview.

Example:
Company A 2012 - 2016
Company B 2016 - now

Instead of
Company A Jan 2012 - Jan 2016
Company B Sep 2016 - now

5 Prepare positive reasons

Prepare to answer questions about your employment gap, and prepare positive
reasons. For example, related to illness, "Due to a recurring medical condition I was
unable to continue my previous position. However, I have now returned to full health
and I am ready to take on my next challenge

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 The Job Interview

Preparing for the interview

Tips for during the interview

How to best showcase your skills in an interview

Tips to video interviews

To do after the interview

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Preparation before the job interview
1 Analyze the job posting and make a match
Make sure you know what the hiring managers will be looking for when
they interview you. Look through the job posting, review the job
description and make a list of the skills, knowledge and qualities required
by the employer.

Afterwards, find ways to match your assets with the job requirements. This
will be crucial for answering interview questions. Think of examples from
past work experiences that show you have these qualities. This way, if the
interviewer asks you to describe a time when you demonstrated a
particular skill or ability, you will be ready.

2 Research the interviewer

It happens more often than you would think; that people show up to an
interview not knowing if who they  are about to talk to is the Senior Vice
President of R&D or an HR employee. This can be fatal as you don't want to
waste your precious interview time.
Google and LinkedIn are your best friends! Use them to research who you’ll
be talking to. You’ll be able to target your sales pitch better – and you will
feel much better knowing who you’re about to meet.

3 Have an elevator pitch prepared

Be prepared to answer the question "So tell me a bit about yourself?"
This is your chance to outshine your resume and is a direct invitation to tell
the interviewer what you can bring to the table, besides your hard skills.
In the AM industry, it’s important to show employers that you are also
capable of clear communication and transmitting knowledge in an
understandable way.
Your elevator pitch should be approximately 60 sec. long and be able to
express your value proposition as an employee.
The pitch should answer these questions:

Who am I? What do I do? How do I do it? Why do I do it? How am I

different?

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Tips for during the job interview
1 Have something to say about the industry
Because the AM industry is still very young, it often happens that candidates do not have
AM experience but has experience in similar industries with synergies to AM. If that is
your case, remember to study the industry, read news reports and blogs, in advance of
your interview, and be ready to work important issues into the conversation.

2 Know the company challenges

Dig into the company’s recent successes and failures and in the client and customer base
to show that you are aware of their most vital challenges. This will reveal your dedication
and prompt the interviewer to envision you in the role.

3 DON’T badmouth former employers

Did you leave your last job on bad terms with your boss or colleagues?
Especially in the AM industry where competitors are also future or former collaborators,
and everyone knows everyone, it is important not to burn your bridges.

Try to spin the negative to something positive.

If you are worried about answering the question “Why did you leave your last job?”, then
prepare an answer to this question before arriving at the interview.

4 Remember that the interview is a two-way street

Remember: it’s not only you that need to sell yourself – the company needs to as well.

In this industry, there are many small companies and startups and those sort of
environments also require a certain flexibility.
You need to use the interview to figure out, if you fit into the company and if their
environment matches your needs.

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5 Ask questions
Related to the above point, a way of showing interest while also figuring out if you fit in
with the company, is by making sure to  have questions for the hiring manager at the end
of an interview.

Having relevant questions also require you to know the company and the position well so
make sure you do your research. Never say you have nothing to ask at the interview. It
makes you seem disinterested so always have a few questions to ask your interviewer
planned in advance.

Example of questions to ask:

Why has the position become available?

What are the challenges of this role?
What can I expect from you in terms of development and support?
What do you think are the most important qualities for someone to excel
in this role?

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How to best show your skills in an interview

1 Share your portfolio

In this industry, where some technologies and job descriptions may be difficult to
comprehend, bringing examples of your work can go a long way towards showcasing your
skills. A good strategy is to create a portfolio of your work and your proudest projects.
Consider sending this portfolio to the hiring manager or the person with whom your
interviewing, prior to the interview. This way they will have time to review it, and it will
allow you to go into more details about the projects

2 Prepare to share details

It’s one thing to list your skills on a resume or LinkedIn; it’s another to explain exactly what
you have done with them. Therefore, it is important that you use the right lingo in the
interview.

Use industry buzz words and mention technologies, languages and tools used to complete a
project.
Avoid using vague words and phrases that make it sound like you do not have an in-depth
knowledge of the subject matter

3 Use the STAR response method

When the interviewer asks you the inevitable question about how, where or why you have
used a certain skill, respond with the STAR (situation-task-action-result) method. By doing
so, you provide all the information the interviewer needs to assess your abilities within that
certain skill / field.

Situation:
Describe the context within which you performed the task – for example, you were working
on a group project, or you had a conflict with a co-worker

Task:
Describe your role and responsibility in that situation

Action:
Describe how you completed the ask with what methods, technologies, tools, etc. Focus
on what you did, i.e. say “I did …” instead of “We did…”

Result:
Explain the outcomes generated by the action taken – emphasize what you accomplished or
what you learned

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4 Ask questions
By asking questions to the interviewer at the end of the interview shows both that you are
serious about being considered for the position, and it shows that you are curious and
knowledgable. Try to ask questions that show your deep knowledge of the industry and of
the company you’re applying to in particular. You might ask a question about a business
process, a certain technology, or about the company culture

5 Use concrete accomplishment stories

Show – don’t tell. This is crucial in order to really showcase and highlight your skills. By
using concrete stories of your previous accomplishments and including the impact that
accomplishment had on the company, the interviewer is able to assess your skill better.

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Tips to a great VIDEO interview

1 Be familiar with the tech

Make sure you are up to speed with the technology

that you will be calling through and get comfortable
with it before your interview – not the moment you are
supposed to be calling in.
Do a test run – technology can be tricky and you never
know when your build-in microphone is going to have a
bad day, or your wifi decides to take a break. Make
sure you have taken steps to smooth out the process
so you appear as professional as possible.

2 Lights, camera, action

First impressions are just as important on video as they
are in person. Approach your video like a movie
director. Lights, camera, action.

Lights:
Your whole face should be visible and bright without
shadows. Use two lamps, one on either side of the
camera – that should do the trick! If the lamps are too
sharp or harsh, soften it with a scarf or paper towel.

Camera:
Choose a neutral background that doesn’t disturb the
eye, and remove any clutter from the frame. A blank
wall or door is your best shot. The angle of the camera
is also important – make sure you are neither looking up
or down at the person you are talking to.

Action
You may think that the importance of body language
decreases when you are on video. But it doesn’t. Even if
they can’t see that you’re wearing sweatpants, you will
know. Treat the interview as professionally as you would
a face-to-face interview.

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3 Communicating
55% of communication through video is conveyed through your facial expression – so
make sure you look relaxed and enthusiastic.

And most important of all, make eye contact. Eye contact, on a computer? Yes. You
need to look at the camera and not at the images on your computer screen. To
remind yourself, you could put a colourful post it note next to your camera, and draw
an arrow with a message that says ‘look here’.

4 Take your time

Even though you have done a test run and your connection is perfect, it might
not be on the other end of the interview.
Therefore, make sure you speak slow and clearly – not only to ensure that the
microphone picks up all you say, but to accommodate the possibilities of a
transmission delay. Pace yourself and use a slower rhythm whenever there’s internet
involved. Use a visual nod to confirm that you heard the question, and then wait 2
seconds to reply the question.

5 Don't fidget
We all have some little nervous tics or twitches – it’s normal. But in this kind of
interview, it is important to make an effort to avoid doing it. Not only do you risk
revealing your anxiety but you also risk muffling the audio – a microphone records
close sounds more clearly. Make sure you are sitting in a comfortable position so you
won’t need to shift around.

6 Be careful with screen sharing

In this industry, it is not uncommon that the hiring manager asks you to share
your screen with them, so you can walk them through your CAD designs or
coding. To be prepared for this request, make sure you have all your internet
browsers closed, so you don’t accidentally show them that you have just
googled the last question they asked you. And make sure you are logged out
of any chat on social media, so notifications don’t interrupt your interview.

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To do after the job interview
1 Call in a favour
Do you know someone on the inside? Now might be the time to utilize that contact! Ask a
reference to reach out to the recruiter or hiring manager via LinkedIn (or in person) to drop
a note recommending you.

2 Send a thank you email

Nothing screams engagement like follow up.
To make your thank you email especially powerful, include the following 3 elements

Highlighting the good things from the interview

Simply thank them for taking their time to interview you, and try to highlight your favorite
parts of the interview:  how you see yourself in the company, the management style, how
you find the job attractive, etc. This shows that  you also listened and afterwards reflected
on the interview AND it helps you determine if the company is the right  fit for you.

Follow-up response to interview question

If you draw a blank on an interview question, this is the time for you to modify or amplify a
response!
The note could read: “When you asked me about my biggest career
achievement, I apologize that I drew a blank.  The moment I walked out the door, I
realized that I should have mentioned …”

Include documentation that illustrates your ability to do the job

Carefully select one or two “pieces of evidence” that show that you are the right person
for that job!  For example, press mentions, analysis, reports, etc. Show them, that you can
do the job

3 Start preparing for the next interview step

Now that you’ve had a feeling of what the company wants from you, from the first
interview, it’s time to leverage that knowledge and use it to prepare for the next interview.
In this industry, the need for talent is urgent, so when a company starts recruiting, they
mean business and they want you to start asap. Therefor you should be prepared to be
called in  tomorrow. Prepare as soon as possible. And make sure you dig deep to find
something  most people do not know about the company. E.g. a milestone, an award, or
another defining moment.

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Tips for JUNIOR professionals

Making speculative applications

Writing a full CV with limited experience

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Making speculative applications
Not all entry-level positions are advertised as employers may want to keep their paid job slots
open for more senior positions. So a good way to ‘get in’ with a company is to apply ‘on spec’.
Just like applying for advertised vacancies, this needs a targeted approach to be productive.
The following is a step-by-step guide on how to apply ‘on spec’:

Create a targeted list of companies you want to work

1 for

2 Do your research on the companies

Investigate their advertised positions to get a feel for what they
value in an employee; know the company values and aim to better
explain why you fit in; and make sure you know what kind of work
they do and how you can match their needs

3 Find the name and contact details of the hiring

manager
If you cannot find it by way of own web research, you can call the
company and ask for the name of whoever is responsible for
recruiting. This will help personalise your application letter.

Tailor your CV to the company and to keywords found

4 in step 2.
The most important thing is to make a bridge between yourself and
the company and to emphasize how you can contribute to their
team, rather than writing what you need from them. Research and
striking a chord with the employer is the MOST important thing
when applying speculatively.

5 Follow up
To improve your chances of success, follow up your speculative
application with a phone call a few days after you have sent it.

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Writing a full CV with limited experience
When you are just starting your career, you may have limited experience to fill up your CV with.
But you still want to make the best possible impression when applying for junior positions.

Here are three tips on writing a full CV with limited experience:

Show your potential

Make a list of all the relevant experience, internships, skills taught at
university, challenges you faced, and accomplishments. Employers are not
only looking at what you have done in the past, but what you are capable of
doing. In the 3D Printing industry, the entry-level jobs often require in-house
training in technologies, software and processes, so it is crucial to show that
you can learn and apply your knowledge fast.

Be honest about your skills

Remember that the employer knows that you have a junior profile, so avoid
overplaying the skills you have gained. They need to be sensible and realistic
related to your actual experience. A good way to show this, is by listing the top 5
skills you have, and then give examples of how you have demonstrated those
skills (be it at uni, in your spare time, or at an internship)

Relate your qualifications to the employer

You need to explain to the employer what it means to hire you, and exactly
how you can help the company. You need to bridge the gap between what
you did and how it relates to the job.

Example:
Instead of mentioning ‘dissertation writing’ as a skill, you can
mention that you have the skill to research and write lengthy
documents to make communications easier for the department.

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Tips for SENIOR professionals

In this industry, job-seekers’ demographics are broad and range from very young university
graduates to the older more experienced crowd. There are advantages and disadvantages to
both, the younger candidates having the advantage of age and time to learn while the more
experienced candidates have, well, experience and can possibly bring more value to the
company.

But how are experienced job seekers viewed by employers? Do they need a different
approach to job-hunting than their younger counterparts?
We have asked the recruitment experts at i-AMdigital to give you the most trustworthy
advice.

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Top 5 tips for senior professionals
1 Use your network
If you’ve been in the workforce for long, chances are that you have a vast professional
network that you should utilise. With several years in the workforce, the chances are that
you have some rather senior-level people in your network – make the most of it!

2 Tweak your resume

At this stage in your career, there isn’t a need to include every job you had since high
school on your resume – unless they are highly relevant for the position you are seeking.
Secondly, you want to come across experienced, but depending on the job you are
applying for, you do not want the hiring manager to think you are over-experienced
and/or too expensive to hire. Therefore, it may be a good idea to avoid starting resumes
or cover letters with phrases such as “Over 30 years of experience…” unless it’s a senior
role in that specific field.

3 Update your skills along the way

In this industry, the technology is ever-changing and it is important to stay on top of the
industry and trends. If you are lacking some of the skills need to land the job you want,
consider getting training before or during your job search. Every skill acquired is one
more to make you stand out from your competition. And make sure to highlight the
accomplishments of training to show your willingness to learn and eagerness to keep up
with the ever-changing technology.

4 Be confident
You want to express that you are not stuck in your ways, and that you are willing to be
flexible and able to quickly adapt to a new environment. Be confident about your
experience, your capabilities and what you have to offer. Another important point is to
keep an open mind when it comes to taking a position or salary that may feel beneath
you – once you land the job, you can work your way up.

5 Stress your experience

In an industry like this, where there is a huge skills gap, experienced candidates are more
valuable than ever. Try to highlight your knowledge, experience and also your ability to
teach others, particularly younger professionals.

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So there you have it! The best job advice for the 3D
printing industry, provided by experts in 3D Printing HR
and Recruitment.

And remember, i-AMdigital is always ready to help you

unleash your potential in 3D printing. And we're just one
click away!

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