Recent graduate and unemployed
Recent graduate and unemployed
(OP)
Hello everyone,
I am a recent electrical engineering graduate with three co-op work terms. I have a decent mark and good employer appraisals. I am both a theoretical and technical kind of person. I am a hard worker and have a strong drive to be successful. I have been applying for five months now, to many positions both online and in-person. So far, I have got a couple of interviews but non of them seems to work out. I do practice for interviews and research about the companies and their competitors, before going for interview. I have tried contacting the recruiters or senior engineers to get their feedbacks but non have got back to me. I spend a great part on my day researching companies and, writing cover letters/resumes. Additionally, I am an international student, on a student visa. During my undergrad, I learned from first hand, what it takes to land a co-op position. You basically need to hustle and put in strong efforts till the closing date.
Here is my question:
Most of you guys here are experienced engineers and some of you might have gone through a period or situation like this at some point in your career. What advice can you give to a person in this situation? Should I take a break to change mindset about the whole career thing? I would love to go back to my former employers but most of them are downsizing their operations and in need of more experienced engineers. I have been advised by close friends to relocate to other locations with more engineering firms. Will relocating make a difference since all applications are done online? I am also worried about the risk of relocating and getting disappointed at the end of the day. Any advice on this? I have been considering to take on a sale position while relocating to this region, to help support myself while living in this new location. Please can anyone suggest any alternative to this? Has anyone done this before? Thank you in advance for your time and attention.
I am a recent electrical engineering graduate with three co-op work terms. I have a decent mark and good employer appraisals. I am both a theoretical and technical kind of person. I am a hard worker and have a strong drive to be successful. I have been applying for five months now, to many positions both online and in-person. So far, I have got a couple of interviews but non of them seems to work out. I do practice for interviews and research about the companies and their competitors, before going for interview. I have tried contacting the recruiters or senior engineers to get their feedbacks but non have got back to me. I spend a great part on my day researching companies and, writing cover letters/resumes. Additionally, I am an international student, on a student visa. During my undergrad, I learned from first hand, what it takes to land a co-op position. You basically need to hustle and put in strong efforts till the closing date.
Here is my question:
Most of you guys here are experienced engineers and some of you might have gone through a period or situation like this at some point in your career. What advice can you give to a person in this situation? Should I take a break to change mindset about the whole career thing? I would love to go back to my former employers but most of them are downsizing their operations and in need of more experienced engineers. I have been advised by close friends to relocate to other locations with more engineering firms. Will relocating make a difference since all applications are done online? I am also worried about the risk of relocating and getting disappointed at the end of the day. Any advice on this? I have been considering to take on a sale position while relocating to this region, to help support myself while living in this new location. Please can anyone suggest any alternative to this? Has anyone done this before? Thank you in advance for your time and attention.





RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." L. da Vinci
- Gian
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
And not being employed at all is not a disappointment? There's ALWAYS some risk of a job not being what you thought it was supposed to be. Sometimes, that turns out to be a good thing.
The overall job market is still pretty squishy, and it's pockets of high activity that makes things look tolerable overall. Clearly, your area is either really slow, or there are issues with your resume; the flexibility to relocate would certainly widen your job hunt prospects.
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Job hunting takes time. Someone told me once to expect to spend an average of 1 month job hunting for every 10k you expect to earn in salary. Obviously, that's a rough guideline, but the point is don't expect to find something immediately and don't get discouraged if it takes longer than you think it should.
Online applications are a dead end in my opinion. I'm not saying don't bother with them, but you'll have much better luck if you can meet someone from the company face to face, shake hands and get a buisness card. Go to job fairs, catch up with old classmates, utilize any resources your university career center has. Make yourself more than just a resume and cover letter to the companies.
And most importantly, when talking to a company, do not this job would be good for you, tell them how your skill set can improve their company.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Thank you remqnf, I also think networking in person is a great way of letting the company get to know you. I have had the opportunity to attend one job fair, and though it didn't yield nothing, it was interesting to actually hear what recruiters are searching for in a New Grad. About companies reposting jobs when the positions are already filled, I think I have ran into a couple of them. Do you know why they do that? Is it advisable to focus more on smaller companies than the bigger ones? During my co-ops, I learned a lot and played more crucial roles while working for bigger companies.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
University career resources are invaluable, especially if there is an alumni mentoring/networking program for you to get into. School connections (friends, professors, and alumni) can prove to be invaluable resources right out of the gate. They may be able to put you in touch with somebody, even if that somebody is on the other side of the country (or world). I don't think I, personally, would relocate for a job just to be in a higher volume market. Instead, I would stay where I was (assuming your living situation is sustainable for the near future) and just broaded my search pool. Narrow down by region(s) or state(s) you'd like to work/live in. Going back to the alumni resource, you can probably find engineering alumni in or near the areas you're considering and ask them where the most jobs are located- for example, really focus on the north side of Atlanta, GA, such as the cities of Alpharetta, Norcross, Lawrenceville, etc. That can help you "zoom in" to an area to start weeding through the options available and find something that both fits you and is, most importantly, ready to hire you!
Best of luck in the search. I graduated with my BSME in 2012 and it took me half of that last semester plus 3.5 months before I landed something. I know guys who had a longer wait (6+ months), so hang in there.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Have you received any input from the companies that didn't offer you a position?
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Though if one considers how many people used up their 99 weeks of unemployment and still haven't found a job, well... they obviously hope to make way more than I ever could.
Dan - Owner
http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
If they like the way you present yourself, you'll get an offer for sure.
Good luck, (to all of us, as we all have, will, and will have to always do this haha :))
"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." L. da Vinci
- Gian
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
You will only realize afterward that the interviews you have attended were 'for curiosity only' especially if you proposed a good resume!
So if you are on student visa don't waste your time further and apply where you are eligible to work.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
When looking for a new applicant, them already being in the area is generally beneficial.
However, it's not usually make or break and making it clear you are willing to relocate may be enough.
If you require sponsorship for a visa that will put a lot of companies off, but isn't insurmountable. We hired several guys in that boat about 18 months ago though I think they were all Phd. That said we're in a fairly specialized field and they had studied in depth at somewhat applicable programs.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Remember everyone is the hardest worker and wants to be successful and rich. Make sure you can back that up with something.
B+W Engineering and Design
Los Angeles Civil Engineer and Structural Engineer
http://bwengr.com
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
quoted
"If you require sponsorship for a visa that will put a lot of companies off, but isn't insurmountable."
unquoted
Of course nothing is impossible but the guy must then show some very exceptional skills to get work visa sponsorship ; since this is US (at least I assume...) my question is how the guy will differentiate from the other locals who are the most talented people all over the world, really.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
This all comes down to salesmanship, and being willing to re-locate to where the jobs are in this country. Like north or south Dakota for example.
B.E.
You are judged not by what you know, but by what you can do.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Think of these like sole-source justifications that have to be filled out for buying a specific, say, oscilloscope. If you have a specific oscilloscope that you want to buy, you dig through the specs looking for the one feature that your desired oscilloscope has that no other scope has to justify the purchase of that specific scope.
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Here in Canada we have the "Canadian experience class" of immigration to permit employers to take in some of the foreign students and longer term temporary foreign workers who want to stay. But in an era where our own students, often the children of immigrants who took crap work to provide a better life for their kids, are having a tough time finding entry-level positions in their chosen field, offering instant immigration to foreign students is a dumb idea in my opinion.
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
http://www.h1base.com/content/h1bvisarequirements
http://www.immihelp.com/visas/h1b/h1b-visa-require...
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Even in the cases of Phd where claims are made about how their field of research etc. makes them uniquely qualified I still think the definition of 'uniquely qualified' gets stretched a bit too much a bit too often.
However, the topic of H1B being the modern indentured servant has been discussed before and is a bit off topic.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
http://redbus2us.com/h1b-minimum-wage-or-lca-preva...
http://www.flcdatacenter.com/OesQuickResults.aspx?...
TTFN

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RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
For instance you employ them as an Engineer 1 & pay them at the bottom of the scale, even though they're doing work of an engineer 4 in a high cost of living area ...
Plus I'm not saying they get paid slave wages, just not quite the prevailing rate and because of their limited ability to look for alternatives they aren't in as strong a position come pay raise negotiation etc.
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
RE: Recent graduate and unemployed
Tunalover