How did you Land Your Current Job? 3

[Maui]

I found my last job through a friend who suggested that I call someone he knew who might have an idea who was hiring for Metallurgy positions in the local area. I called this individual who referred me to someone else, who referred me to someone else in the same company, and by making a series of telephone calls to indiviuals that I didn't know who referred me to someone else I eventually landed an interview and got the job. I've been here for about eight years. I'd like to know how many of you got your current job (1) through direct contacts - you knew somebody who got you on the list to interview for the job; (2) through somebody at the company that you knew directly; (3) through a job wanted ad in the paper; (4) through a job wanted ad on the internet; (5) through a cold call process like the one I describe above; (6) through your recruiting office at your alma mater; (7) through word of mouth referral where the employer called YOU; (8) through blind luck - being in the right place at the right time. Any info would be appreciated.


Maui

 

[GregLocock]

Successful applications:

Job 1 - wrote to every significant likely company in the field I was interested in, in the country (UK) - 20 or 30

Job 2 - unsuccessful business venture with friend from uni

Job 3 - advert in engineering institution magazine, which was placed by a recruitment agency

Job 4 - ad in local paper, in the UK, for a job in Australia (the hiring company advertised in the local papers near the offices of all the relevant competitors)

Job 5 - headhunted

Job 6 - ex-manager phoned me up to offer contract work

Job 7 - a manager I knew from other activities offered me a permanent position to do similar work to #6, in the same department.

Job 8 (internal, substantial change in career path)- I told every manager in the building that they should put me in this job. However I don't think nagging is a generally applicable strategy!

There were a couple of other jobs that reached second interview, or an offer, both of which I got through ads in engineering institution magazines.

In the UK I found that the employment agencies/recruiters in my field (automotive) were pretty switched on, but the more general ones didn't have a clue. I'd add that one reason I rely on newspaper or magazine ads is that I have repeatedly tried to move out of my core expertise - if I just wanted to stick with automotive noise and vibration then I'd rely on personal contacts to move around in the industry.



Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[dgallagher]

1. Father was V.P. and General Manager - Hey, at least I started at a different location about 1,500 miles away.
2. Lured away by vendor who tempted my intellect and greed.
3.0 Left with mentor from #2 to start competitive company - lots of fun.
3.1. Put 3 in trust and had successful IPO during Internet craze - learned alot and now have 1.1 million shares of worthless stock...anyone need wallpaper?
3.2. Took experience from 3.1; programmed and launched 3.2, vastly improved juggling skills while simultaneously growing 3.0 and 3.2.

 

[GSC]

Job 1. - I knew somebody
Job 2. - Somebody knew me
Job 3. - Went there and asked a manager if they need anybody who solves problems
Job 4. - Decided what do I want to do, collected company listings who were in business in the field (over 200), went through their websites one by one, applied for well defined positions (over 30), took the first good offer.

gsc

 

[IndianaDave]

1st job out of college: college placement office
Been there fo 9 years. now i'm layed off.
Looking for new job, and finding out I don't know enough people.
Unfortunately, everyone I know is in the plastics & diecast industry, and they're all slow...
Looking into changing fields.
Anyone know what industry is most stable right now?

 

[Carburize]

Security???

 

[Binary]

IndianaDave - The best field to be in right now (as I see it) is pharmaceuticals or medical devices. Problem is, both industries are really looking for people from within that industry. I'm finding it a tough nut to crack.

 

[leanne]

That has been a problem within that industry for YEARS...

It's the age-old chicken versus egg situation...Need experience in biotech/biomed field to be hired & can't get experience because noone will hire you without it...

 

[plasgears]

Indiana,
Consider biomed studies to add to your engineering. You won't have trouble connecting after that. I should have done that years ago when I first became aware of the infant biomed multidiscipline.

 

[leanne]

plasgears, my major was biomedical electrical engineering. I work in the defense industry because the biomed field is so hard to get into. Based on my previous attempts at moving into my field of major, I found that one pretty much needs a PhD or must know someone already in the field who can help you get in. YMMV...

 

[IndianaDave]

I've found that you have to know someone to get a job in almost any field today...
I know you'd think the medical industry is solid... We designed plenty of molds for medical products in the last 2 years. It's pretty much what kept us alive. But now, even that area has dried up. It seems like it's either slowing down, or moving outside the U.S. (probably the latter)
I really have no desire to work in the medical field anyway.
Hence,I'm thinking of going back to school to get into a different, but still engineering industry.
I value your input on this thread, but I don't mean to change the subject of this thread... So if some of you would check out my other thread "What should I do" and see if any of you have any input on that subject, Id appreciate it. Thaanks

 

[Binary]

I'm looking at BA in chemistry coupled with an MS in ME as a way to get in. Even at that, it's a risk.

If I decide on that route I'm hoping to work out an internship to get my foot in the door.

If not, I could end up a very highly educated underemployed engineer.

Still debating about jumping into environmental or water-quality. I just don't know what to do but gotta try to do something to stabilize my career.

 

[scherry]

well knowing someone helps but:
1st job: Los Angeles times advert hired by bosses wife and staff engineer without ever meeting owner - who told me years later that he would not have hired me because my portfolio was too artsy - his wife never let him forget that she hired me.
2nd "bought" by another company. I was not happy. I was told they were buying me and my client knowledge and service base...they may have regretted it occasionally, but I realized later how exactly spoiled I was - not that I did not work hard. I just worked a little wierd.
3rd job. pencil written reusme on notebook paper over lunch at a cafe with a friend of the owner of the business. I was not (obviously) really serious. He was. Job DID not work out do to personality differences.
Took a year off to get maried and move to the boonies (and I AM NOT kidding. Had no idea where I would find work. Found two opportunities by complete chance having tripped over a web site run by a professor from my department at my alma mater...took the second position despite the 65 mile commute after a 6 hour interivew with lunch and a city meeting thrown in.

Obviously, I have no clue how to go about getting a job. Hoping not to have to do it again soon.

 

[leanne]

scherry, we should all be so unlucky at job hunting...

 

[Piro]

1st: Someone who know me
2nd: Newspaper ad
3rd: A friend ask me to join their team and company
4rd: Ex Manager from 2nd job call me to join to another project
5th: Newspaper ad
6th: Someone who know me contact me with people who need help

Piro
Structural Engineer
Project Manager Engineer