career start advice 1

[bluecoconut]

Hello!
Allright, I graduated over a year ago. I'm still seeking that career/dream job. My friends tell me I'm too picky. I just don't want to go in sales (90%), (although I have the background and skills to be an excellent sales engineer) and I would rather do work of a more technical nature. (I either don't get interviewed or it goes bad).

Anyhow I'm afraid to start on the wrong foot and be stuck there permanently. The advice I usually get is, start anywhere, change in two.

So I'm asking you, experienced people, which errors I should avoid making in my early steps. And your overall opinion.

Thanks,

M

 

[ChrisConley]

The advice I usually get is, start anywhere, change in two.

I say.. start anywhere, change in one. I started in sales, used the expereince to improve my resume to move to a technical role, never looked back.

Who knows, you may like sales...

 

[NCDesign]

I agree with ChrisConley. I started in sales. Although it wasn't what I wanted to do it got me in the industry I wanted. I learned a lot, took that knowledge and went to work for my largest customer (mechanical contractor), learned a lot more and joined up with an engineering firm. My contracting experience is some of the best and made me a better engineer. I hate the marketing aspect of engineering, but I am much better at it because of my previous experience. Had I gone straight into engineering that "soft" skill would be completely lacking.

 

[Sideswiper]

After my bachelor's degree in EE I spent three years as a technical writer. Then after my master's degree in EE I spent a semester as a emergency certified high school math teacher in a rough neighboorhood.

Now I work for the power company. Yeah, they hired me even though my background was varied.

Anyway, your engineering degree means that you are a person who can make things happen. Just go out there and explore some opportunities!

 

[geekEE]

I agree with all the other comments. If I was looking to hire an engineer, I'd rather hire someone that had been in technical sales for a year rather than someone that had been unemployed for a year. If you change in a year or two, I don't think you'd get pigeonholed as a sales person.

 

[KENAT]

Out of interest what are you doing with your time right now.

Does it look better on your resume than being in an Engineering related, albeit non technical, field?

Plus you'd be surprised what sometimes turns out to be your dream job.



KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[Guest0527211403]

Like the above posters, I started in sales as well. I made cold calls trying to sell CAD software for a few months. I was hired when I was a student because we used Pro/E at school and could "talk the talk" when trying to sell it. I remember calling folks at engineering companies for two months inviting them to a lunch&learn session, a few of them I got to know pretty well and one of them I ended up going to work for.

I felt pretty rotten about myself after a while, since it felt like I was annoying more people than I was helping, but I learned the valuable skill of shooting the s#^% with someone while keeping the conversation technical (looking for selling points). You mentioned that interviews have often gone bad. I felt the same way until I spent a while in sales. The worst (I hope!) they can say in an interview is nothing compared to the cold hard rejection you deal with on a regular basis when doing cold calls.

Good luck

 

[ajack1]

Judging from your comment “I either don't get interviewed or it goes bad”.

It seems to me the one thing you need to be able to sell is yourself; maybe spending some time and possibly money on your CV and interviewing technique would be a good place to start?

 

[epoisses]

The fundamental error to avoid is...

losing a lot of money by thinking you can't have a job and apply for another one at the same time!

Being stuck somewhere permanently is a slow process, you're not doomed to sales after having been in sales for a few years only.

 

[PSE]

If you have the personality for it, starting in sales can forge the contacts that may lead you into your dream career/job. Whatever you do, just keep at it and find ways to keep your skills active through hobbies (you can find contacts through clubs), professional organizations, or as sideswiper did, teach.

If you worry about getting started on the wrong foot, you won't get started.

Regards,

 

[csd72]

Your friends advice is good advice.

Just think, If you got a lesser job straight away, you would be going for these same jobs with 1 year related experience.

The people who did this will be the ones that beat you at the interview for your 'dream job'.

csd

 

[JsTyLz]

Any experience is better than college (to people in hiring positions, not me necessarily). An employer is more comfortable hiring someone who has industry contacts and that another company was willing to put faith in.

 

[RHB51]

Do what your heart tells you!
Have you noticed the individuals who excel at their profession have a passion for it? I'm not talking about work-aholics, I mean people who really want to be an engineer (or sales or whatever you want).

I own a structural engineering firm and when I interview someone for a job I ask the following question;
"Do you want to be an engineer?"

Simple isn't it? You would be amazed at the answers I get!
Some of these individuals are going to spend a long portion of their life being miserable in a profession that they are not suited at. At best they will be marginal engineers.

I can see it in their eyes if they want to be an engineer.
I don't care if they were at the top of the class or if they have a lot of garbage on their resume'. I want someone who WANTS to be an engineer; everything falls into place.

Do you what your heart tells you; everything else will work out.

A couple other little tid-bits;
-Most engineers cannot interact with other people well;
their social skills are seriously lacking (myself included early in my career). The best thing I ever did was to attend a Dale Carneghie class! It will pay you dividends the rest of your career and personal life.

-Keep your life and profession in perspective. There is much more to life than working. Be the very best you can be at work but enjoy your personal life and devote time for yourself.

-If you cannot type well; learn. This is a life skill that I learned in high school and is very valuable.

Best of luck in whatever you choose.

Randy

 

[pwtomlin]

I'm not exactly experienced; I'm working at my first "real" job out of college. But I went through a similar thing period not too long ago, and looking back on it I wish I had done things differently.

I may be repeating a lot of advice in this thread, but it doesn't hurt to have good ideas repeated. First of all, get in touch with as many people in industry as you can. It's best to focus locally, and try to talk to a real person rather than just applying online. That will be tough for larger companies, but if they liked your resume they would have already contacted you. If you are still close to your school, go to their career fair and talk to company recruiters (and get business cards).

In any case, you're probably better off getting that sales job now. It will build your network a lot faster than whatever you're doing now. You may be able to move into a technical position later depending on what company you're working for. If that isn't an option, there's no rule that says you can keep looking for that dream job once you take the sales job.

 

[COEngineeer]

Your friend is right, you are being too picky. Just get your feet wet and worry about your future after your 1st job.

Never, but never question engineer's judgement

 

[Ashereng]

Let see ...

You are a recent grad.
But you can't find your dream job.

Well, I guess it would depend on what your dream job is.

However, I am just reading between the lines here, it seems that you are a bit ... impatient? Sort of like, you graduated semiary school, and you want to start out in the papacy?

You will probably have to go through at least a few jobs, before you land your "dream" job. A recent grad usually does not have the skills or the experience, for a "dream" job. Again, depending on what your "dream" job is.

"Do not worry about your problems with mathematics, I assure you mine are far greater."
Albert Einstein
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?

 

[csd72]

I find it hard to believe that 90% of mechanical jobs are in sales. Maybe you are just not looking in the right places.

csd

 

[doberdorks]

I find it hard to believe that 90% of mechanical jobs are in sales. Maybe you are just not looking in the right places.

How hard have you been looking? Some of the literature says "as much time as you plan to work" so if you're not doing 25-40 hours a week of work on your job hunt, maybe that's the issue?

SLH

 

[NCDesign]

I find it hard to believe that 90% of mechanical jobs are in sales.

This is completely off the cuff and not really on-topic but I would say that at least 70% of the mechanical engineering jobs (if they can really be classified as that) with a low barrier to entry are probably sales/marketing jobs.

In fact the technical sales/marketing recruiters actually target the middle of the road students. The people at the top of the class will go to the heavy weight companies in technical positions or on to further study. Anyone with any bit of experience, co-op, intern, etc and a half decent GPA will probably continue work with a previous employer or be a more interesting candidate for a mid-size or small company in a technical capacity. That leaves a good group of engineers straight from school looking for jobs. This group is usually still pretty bright (they did get their degree) and is fairly social as far as engineers go (usually related to their not so great GPA). They also tend to be a bit more motivated to get whatever job it is that they can get. This group of students can be paid a bit less so they are less expensive to brainwa--- train.
I am very aware of all this because this was my pathway to my current position and career. I recognized early on in the college recruiting process that I would not be getting interviews with the GEs, Boeings, Schlumbergers, etc. in technical fields (at the time i thought one of these would be my pathway to my dream job\career). However, I was racking up interviews with larger corporations looking for technical sales/marketing people. I took one of those positions and never looked back.
I know that everyone's situation is different and the job market can fluctuate substantially. People can and do still take sales jobs even though they were in the top of their class or get "dream" jobs with less then stellar GPAs and little to no experience. I just thought I would share my 2 pennies.