How do I network with engineers?
How do I network with engineers?
(OP)
First off, I'm extremely glad to have found this forum, I had been lurking for well over a year now and learned a ton of helpful advice and now finally decided to join and make my first post:
Since the beginning of my university career, I have been applying to numerous internship/co-op positions (atleast 1000+ by now). I am now in my third year of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University(Ontario, Canada) and yet to find a job. I've tried asking my professors, family friends who are engineers themselves, previous summer job employers for any potential engineering intern position but nothing seems to be working. I've tried my university's job board, indeed, wowjobs, talentegg....you name it, but I've yet to find a job.
Any advice on how I can get my foot on the ground and land an internship/co-op would be highly appreciated. I'm sure many of you guys went through this exact phase that I am going through right now so please feel free to share your experiences.
Since the beginning of my university career, I have been applying to numerous internship/co-op positions (atleast 1000+ by now). I am now in my third year of Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University(Ontario, Canada) and yet to find a job. I've tried asking my professors, family friends who are engineers themselves, previous summer job employers for any potential engineering intern position but nothing seems to be working. I've tried my university's job board, indeed, wowjobs, talentegg....you name it, but I've yet to find a job.
Any advice on how I can get my foot on the ground and land an internship/co-op would be highly appreciated. I'm sure many of you guys went through this exact phase that I am going through right now so please feel free to share your experiences.





RE: How do I network with engineers?
Two cents worth coming right up!
(1) Read the university job board. Do not apply via the job board. See (2).
(2) Don't apply via a website. Write a letter or make a phone call and if you get a response (expect a circa 10% response rate, including the ones where you get "no thanks"), go from there.
(3) If you have a dream sector that you want to devote your career to, you don't need me to tell you to focus on that. But if not, read the free industry rags to see what is hot. Or at least warm.
(4) Improve your LinkedIn profile.
(5) When you make it to an interview, what you have learned at uni is extremely important. But what is most important to the interviewer is probably the answer to "Does this person look like they will fit in around here?"
RE: How do I network with engineers?
- Don't think that because it's not an "engineering" job that the experience will not be valuable. I recommend looking for jobs at machine shops and welding/fabrication shops. This experience will prove to be invaluable later.
- Show up, in person and ready to work. I am aware that cold calling is not desirable to either party, but there are some small companies who are too busy to even take out a classified ad. You showing up at their door looking to work could be the answer to their prayers.
- Let them know that you are not afraid of hard work, and be willing to show them. There is a perception that young people do not know what hard work means. You can show them that you do not fit into this stereotype.
I wish you luck in your search. There are jobs out there, but you have to dig to find them.
RE: How do I network with engineers?
Hackathons are kind of THE VEHICLE for EE/CS types to get noticed, not sure about MEs, but there's lots of activity on the web:
https://www.google.com/#q=upcoming+hackathons
I've heard of students organizing their own hackathons and soliciting support from companies; that'll definitely get you noticed by someone looking for a go-getter.
TTFN

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RE: How do I network with engineers?
http://www.csme-scgm.ca/ Notice that they have something for students.
Check to see if a society of professional engineers also is in your area. Attend their meetings if you can and it certainly won't hurt to let it be known what your wishes are. Most of these groups will welcome interested students. Your university may have a student group also. The more active yuo are in these groups, the more likely you will find the job you want.
The lazy way via Internet won't cut it. It takes some real effort.
RE: How do I network with engineers?
A lot of my clients are smaller companies and two of them have summer interns working this year. Just a few years ago companies this size would not have considered intern/co-op programs, but today they have them.
Two things that hold most people back: (1) too much focus on staying in a geographic location; and (2) refusal to even consider employment in an industry that the mainstream media is currently denigrating (e.g., Coal, Oil & Gas, or mining).
David Simpson, PE
MuleShoe Engineering
Law is the common force organized to act as an obstacle of injustice Frédéric Bastiat
RE: How do I network with engineers?
TTFN

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RE: How do I network with engineers?
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: How do I network with engineers?
RE: How do I network with engineers?
I graduated in mechanical in Ontario also and have not been without a job (for what that is worth). I would mostly agree with a lot of the information here, and disagree with some of it too. Ie, FastMouse has some great tips, but I've managed to land interviews (and jobs) using websites. Networking and in person stuff definitely helps but don't rule out job boards.
When I read your post and you write that you have applied to 1000 or more jobs I hear alarms going off in my head. Maybe I'm wrong but it sounds like you're spamming the job community. Employers can tell when you do that, it tells them you aren't putting in the effort to learn about them and their job. You need to put in effort. Tailor your resume to the job you are applying to and write a cover letter (usually the body of an email not an attachment to the email). Get someone to look over your resume, your university probably offers help in this area, if they don't pony up the money and get it professionally done.
And any experience can be used on your resume. Get out there and volunteer for things at your university, not only does it bulk up your resume but you usually get a free meal out of it
Good luck,
K
RE: How do I network with engineers?
- Steve
RE: How do I network with engineers?
I just did a simple Google search using (with quotes):
"graduate recruitment" engineering
One of the first-page hits was this: http://www.siemens.co.uk/careers/en/graduate/gradu... I don't work for this company, but the page thrown up looks very familiar. A company spending its own money to attract graduates (not a recruitment agency). Many do. I'm sure I could find similar pages for most of the interesting engineering employers.
- Steve