Symplicity FAQs

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Engineering Career Services

Symplicity logon
for students
for employers

Students:

How do I register for Engineering Career Services?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the students link
• Click the Register button
• Complete an online profile
• Once you have submitted your profile, you will receive an e-mail to confirm your e-mail address
• Check your e-mail and confirm your address by clicking on the link in the message
• Visit the Engineering Career Services office in 3270 Digital Computer Lab, located at 1304 W. Springfield, to complete a registration agreement
• You will receive a message with your assigned password once your registration has been approved
*Please note that by signing the registration agreement you agree that ECS can charge $40 to your student account. This fee is a one-time fee until you receive your current degree. Also, please read the registration agreement carefully so you understand ECS expectations and policies.

What is Symplicity?
Symplicity is an online job system that allows employers to communicate with you about job opportunities and when they will visit campus for recruiting activities. The system is only accessible to those who have registered and been approved by ECS. You can access the system from any computer with an internet connection.

How do I sign into the Symplicity system?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the students link
• Enter your e-mail address as your username and your current password
*Be sure you do NOT cut and paste your password or it will not work – it must be typed in for security reasons.

What should I do if I forget my password?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the students link.
• Click the Forgot my password tab
• Enter your e-mail address and the system will send you a message with your password
• If you continue to have difficulties signing on, please contact the ECS office at (217) 333-1960

How can I change my profile?
• Click on profile along the top of the page
• Select the appropriate tab to change the desired information
• Click the Save Changes button
*Please note that once you have registered, you are not able to change your graduation date or work authorization. If your graduation date or work authorization changes, contact the ECS office and a staff member will help you to change the information in your profile.

How do I upload a resume or other documents?
• Click on documents along the top of the page
• Click the Add New button
• Complete the requested information and upload the appropriate document
• Click the Submit button
• Your document will automatically be converted to a pdf

What types of jobs are posted on Symplicity?
Companies post job openings when they are seeking applicants for internships, co-ops, and full-time positions.

How do I find job postings on Symplicity? What is the difference between Jobs and Interviews?
During the recruiting period, many companies set up OCR (on-campus recruiting) schedules and conduct interviews on campus. These job postings are referred to as Interviews, and you will find them by clicking on Jobs and then selecting an option including the word Interviews, such as All Interviews or Interviews I Qualify For. You may also access these postings by clicking on Campus Interviews I Qualify For under Quick Links on your Symplicity home page.

In addition to OCR schedules, companies post jobs for which the interviews will not be held on campus. These job postings are referred to as Jobs, and you will find them by clicking on Jobs and then selecting an option including the word Jobs, such as All Job Listings or Jobs I Qualify For. You may also access these postings by clicking on Jobs I Qualify For under Quick Links on your Symplicity home page.

How do I search for jobs? What should I do if I’m looking for a particular company, industry, or location?
At any time, hundreds of job postings are available on Symplicity. Therefore, you will probably want to perform an advanced search. Keep in mind that though the actual job may incorporate the criteria you seek, if it is not specifically stated in the job posting, the posting may not appear in your search results. Therefore, try various search criteria. Keyword search may be an effective method to identify job openings that appeal to you.

Examples:
To identify positions available at a particular company, such as Microsoft, go to the Employers tab and type in “Microsoft” in the keyword search box.

To narrow your search by industry, such as Automotive or Chemicals, go to the Jobs tab and then select the applicable industry (Automotive or Chemicals) from the drop-down list. You may also go to the Employers tab and select the applicable industry from the drop-down list there to get a list of companies in that particular industry.

To search for positions in a particular location, such as the Chicago area, go to Jobs and Advanced Search. In this instance, it would be advisable to type in “Chicago” in the text box. In addition, it may be advisable to select one or more options from the drop-down list under State, such as Illinois and Midwestern US. (You may select more than one option by holding down the Control key on your keyboard.) Keep in mind that each company posts its job descriptions; therefore, the criteria they select will vary. For instance, one company may indicate an opening in Naperville, IL, but they may not have selected Midwestern U.S. If you are looking for jobs in the Chicago area, you will probably not see this job posting unless you broaden your search to include the state of Illinois.

What can I do with the Advanced Search that is not available from the Jobs tab?
The Advanced Search tab offers additional search options such as Posting Dates, Majors/Concentrations, Work Authorization, and Travel Percentage.

Posting Dates may be used to identify jobs posted since your last visit to the website so you don’t have to scroll through postings you have already seen. By typing “10” (or any number) into the text box, you may search for job postings added during the previous 10 (or any specified number) days.

Utilize the Majors/Concentrations option to search for job postings specifying your degree and concentration(s). If you are majoring in General Engineering and are taking a significant amount of Agricultural Engineering courses, it is advisable to select both General Engineering and Agricultural Engineering in the search box.

If you are an international student, you may want to search using the Work Authorization option in order to determine which companies/postings will apply to you. For example, if you are studying here on an F-1 visa, selecting that option under Work Authorization will result in a list of job opportunities available to those holding an F-1 visa.

Travel Percentage is an option for you if you want (or do not want) to travel in your job. If you enjoy traveling and want to ensure you will be traveling approximately half of the time spent on the job, you may seek out jobs indicating travel percentages of <50% or <60%.

As you can see, you have many options to broaden or refine your job search on Symplicity. Try a variety of search terms to ensure optimum results in your search. Good luck!

How do I submit my resume to a job?
• Click on jobs along the top of the page
• Select the position you are interested in applying for
• Under Application Status to the right, select the document(s) you want to submit and click the Submit button

How can I see which jobs I have applied for?
• Click on jobs along the top of the page
• Click on the Applications tab

What if I don’t qualify for a job that I’m interested in?
• Review your profile to make sure your information is up to date
• Review the qualifications for the job to understand why you do not qualify
• If you find that you do not qualify due to a restriction based on major but you have applicable expertise in that area (appropriate coursework, experience, etc.), you may want to update your profile and add that information under Major/area(s) of focus
*Remember that you must be honest when completing your profile. While it is fine to include an area of focus where you have taken applicable coursework or have appropriate experience, you should be able to rationalize why you selected the area if asked. If ECS finds that you have misrepresented your skills or expertise, you may be removed from the Symplicity system and/or your access to ECS services and resources may be eliminated.

What do I do if I want to withdraw an application?
• Click on jobs along the top of the page
• Click on the Applications tab
• Click the Withdraw Application button for the appropriate job

How will I know if I am preselected for an interview?
• You will receive an e-mail message indicating that you have been preselected once the preselect signup period begins
• Be sure to sign up for interviews that you were preselected for before the deadline
• The sooner you sign up the more times you will have to choose from

How can I see the status of my interviews?
• Click on interviews along the top of the page
• To see the status of pending interviews, click on the Interview Requests tab
• To view your current interviews, click on the Scheduled Interviews tab

Where can I find information on recruiting activities and events?
• Click on events along the top of the page
• Click on the appropriate tab (you can find information about career fairs, information sessions, and workshops in this section)
• Events are also listed on the calendar, which can be viewed by clicking on calendar along the top of the page

How do I sign up for an event?
• Click on events along the top of the page
• Click on the appropriate tab (you can find information about career fairs, information sessions, and workshops in this section)
• Click on the event that you are interested in attending
• Click the RSVP button

What is the Symplicity Multi-School Environment (MSE)?
The Symplicity MSE is a group of schools that share a common database of students, employers, and jobs. The members of the MSE are the College of Engineering, the Career Center, the School of Chemical Sciences, the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, the College of ACES, and the Alumni Career Center. Students who are members of more than one office participating in the MSE can switch between office instances without logging out and logging back in. MSE member offices share employer and job data, but interview schedules are still separated by office.

If I am registered with more than one office in the Symplicity MSE, how can I switch between offices?
• Once you log into Symplicity, you will be asked to indicate which office to sign in to
• To switch between offices, click on the "Login to another system" link just under the horizontal navigation bar and select the appropriate office

Employers:

How do I register with Engineering Career Services?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the employers link
• Click the Register button
• Complete an online profile

How do I sign into the Symplicity system?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the employers link
• Enter your e-mail address as your username and your current password
*Be sure you do NOT cut and paste your password or it will not work – it must be typed in for security reasons.

What should I do if I forget my password or my password does not work?
• Visit www.uiucengineeringjobs.com and click on the employers link
• Click the Forgot my password tab
• Enter your e-mail address and the system will send you a message with your password
• If you continue to have difficulties signing on, please contact the ECS office at (217) 333-1960
*If you recruit at other schools that are members of the NACElink Network, your NACElink password will also be your password for Symplicity. If you forget the password, go to www.nacelink.com and click the Forgot password? link. ECS does not have access to passwords and cannot reset passwords for the entire NACElink Network.

How can I reserve parking for on-campus recruiting activities?
• From the homepage, click on the link under Announcements to access the Engineering Career Services parking reservation website
• Note that reservations must be made at least 3 business days in advance and are not refundable

How can I update my profile on the system?
• Sign into the system
• Select account or profile along the top of the page (account allows you to update your personal information and profile updates your corporate information)
• Make the desired changes
• Be sure to click the Save Changes button when complete

How do I request an on-campus recruiting interview schedule?
• From the homepage, click on Create New Schedule Request under quick links
• Complete the requested information in the online form and click the Submit button
• You will receive an e-mail when your request has been processed

How do I request an on-campus recruiting activity?
• From the homepage, click on Request New Information Session under quick links
• Complete the requested information in the online form and click the Submit button
• You will receive an e-mail when your request has been processed

I do not understand the options related to information sessions. How do I know what to sign up for?
When requesting an information session, you have two options:
• Option 1: Self-Plan Option
By choosing this option, Engineering Career Services reserves a room for you on campus (generally in the Illini Union). We provide you with the information you need to reserve equipment and ordering catering (which is generally restricted to one or more providers depending on the location). You pay any fees associated with the session.
• Option 2: Convenience Option
With Option 2, Engineering Career Services takes care of the logistics for your session. We reserve the room, which is located in Digital Computer Lab (1304 W. Springfield), and provide a projector and screen. We also take care of ordering pizza and beverages for up to 40 students. Your session is included in a special section of our weekly newsletter and we will post fliers in our offices if you choose to send them. Option 2 sessions also include a student Ambassador host. You need to bring a laptop, but other than that, everything is included. There is a cost of $500 for this option, but some Corporate Partner Program levels include information session benefits.
• Option 3: Other
This option indicates that companies that are working with non-Engineering Career Services groups (student organizations, departments, etc.). It is used to post career-related sessions that are not scheduled through the ECS office, but that students may be interested in attending.

How do I post a job?
For non-OCR positions (positions where you do not plan to visit campus to interview):
• Click on jobs along the top of the page
• Click on Single School Postings to post only to Illinois for no fee OR click on Multi-School Postings (Paid) to post to multiple schools for a fee (fees depend on the number of schools that you wish to post the job to)
• Click the Add New button and follow the instructions

For on-campus recruiting positions (positions where you plan to interview on campus):
• Click on on-campus recruiting (OCR) along the top of the page
• Click on the Schedules tab
• Click on the Attach Positions button in the Options column for the appropriate schedule
*Please note that once your schedule has been approved, you can no longer attach a job. If you need to attach a position to an approved schedule, please contact the ECS office at (217) 333-1960.

Why can’t I see the schedules for my company?
Schedules must be assigned to one contact from your company. Generally, this is the primary person who is in charge of scheduling recruiting activities for your company. In order to access schedule information, you can contact that person and/or you can work with them to get access to their username and password so you can also access the schedules.

How can I view the applicants to my job?
• Click on on-campus recruiting (OCR) along the top of the page
• Click on the Schedules tab
• Click the button under the options column with the number of applicants

How do I preselect student applicants?
• Click on on-campus recruiting (OCR) along the top of the page
• Click on the Schedules tab
• Click the button under the options column with the number of applicants
• To preselect a student, select invited from the drop-down under the Status column
• To preselect a student who is not on the list of applicants, click on the Schedules tab, and click the date of the schedule to which you are adding the student; you can then click the Add New button to add the student to the list
• To preselect a student who is not in the Symplicity database, please contact the ECS office at (217) 333-1960

How can I view my interview schedules?
• Click on on-campus recruiting (OCR) along the top of the page
• Click on the Interviews tab
• You can e-mail students on your schedule and print documents from this page
*Please note that you will receive a packet with your printed schedule and student resumes when you arrive on campus for your interviews. Also, interview schedules are subject to change up to four days in advance of the schedule.

How do I access student resumes?
• Click on resume books along the top of the page
• Click on the resume book you would like to access
• Enter the criteria on which you would like to base your search and click the Apply Search button

Why can’t I click on the resume books link at the top of the page?
There is an annual charge of $250 for companies who would like access to the student resume database. This fee is discounted once the spring semester begins. ECS Corporate Partners automatically get access to the resume database. You must contact the ECS office to request access to resumes if you are not a Corporate Partner.

What can I do to increase the number of applicants for my job?
• Consider reducing the restrictions for applying to the job (i.e. lower the GPA, add additional majors/areas of focus, etc.)
• Consider allowing students who do not meet the qualifications to apply for the job
• Consider coming to campus to participate in a company information session, to work with a student organization, or for other activities (contact ECS if you are interested in discussing other opportunities)
• Consider opening your schedule after preselects have had an opportunity to sign up
• Reach out to individual students you are interested in

What is the Symplicity Multi-School Environment (MSE)?
The Symplicity MSE is a group of schools that share a common database of students, employers, and jobs. The members of the MSE are the College of Engineering, the Career Center, the School of Chemical Sciences, the Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, the College of ACES, and the Alumni Career Center. Employers who are registered with more than one office participating in the MSE can switch between office instances without logging out and logging back in. MSE member offices share student, employer and job data, but interview schedules are still separated by office.