New Graduate. No Experience. 4

[SPatrickK]

I am a recent graduate from Cal Poly where I spent my time divided between class work and friends and I didn't realize the importance of networking, clubs, or internships. Now I find myself in a bit of a hole with regards to finding an entry-level job. I have a lot to learn about networking and the best way to find a job, so any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[whyun]

You can't network with strangers from the start. I would contact any friends or any alumni who already found a job in your field and see if they are hiring. Next is to find as many companies as you can in the area you would like to work and find out about their current openings. Find a local chapter of a professional association or society (example: SEAOC for structural engineers) in your field and attend their meetings to establish contacts. Often, newsletters from these organizations have wanted ads.

Local newspaper and internet sites (like monster.com etc) are available but from my experience networking worked out best. Good luck.

 

[ShaggyPE]

Pomona?

I feel for you. I too didn't participate in clubs or internships. I just wanted to get done and start working. Fortunately I got my first job through an acquaintance in my bowling league because my dad overhead him talk about Solidworks and knew that I had quite a bit of experience with it.

Networking, I have learned is very important. Keep in contact with the people you went to school with. They will be your first networking "buddies". Hopefully some of your friends were also ME's, If they have found work, there may be more positions available there. You don't have the internships under your belt, so you need something to get you in the door. Hopefully your grades were above par.

Best I can say about jobs are, Monster.com and hotjobs.

 

[wes616]

I got my current job through a co-worker that I met while walking my dog at a popular "dog-walking" park.

Here in Sothern California, there are several 3D Design Usergroups that get together (usually bi-weekly or monthly). For instance, there is a Pro/E users group, and I think that mid-september as CSU Fullerton is a big Solidworks Users Conference.

Good luck in your search.

Stay in touch with this forum as well, it is a good place to network too, plus it is a great place to learn the kinds of questions engineers ask other engineers. Just reading the posts is quite an educational experience.

Wes C.

 

[bioengr82]

I must disagree with whyn. You can network with complete strangers. When I graduated I moved to a different state to follow my wife who found a job first. I didn't know ANYONE for 4 states in each direction. I sat down, decided what I wanted to do then got a phone book, map, and list of businesses from the chamber of commerce. Then you start calling my friend.

The trick is to create what I like to call a 'forced interview'. It doesn't matter if the company has a listed position. It doesn't matter if you know anyone at the company. Simply call up (and here is the hardest part) get past the secretary.

"Hi, my name is xxxx and I just graduated with a degree in xxxxx from xxxxx. I recently moved to the area and have a strong interest in xxxxxx field. I found through (insert generic compliment)recomendations that your company is a recognized expert in this field and was wandering if there would be anyone available for me to speak with regarding the industry in this area, their experiences, etc. etc."

The secretary at this point just wants you off the phone and as long as you sound professional they will pass you along to whom you desire. The goal should always be to get a manager or someone directly involved in making labor decisions.

When directed to whom you are trying to speak with, ask to see if they would have 15-20 min that you could come in and speak them about their profession, issues facing the industry, education, their experience, etc. It is important that you make it sound like you want to talk about them. Who can't make 20 mins to talk about themselves? The answer (for EVERONE in my experience) is no one. I always was able to come in and sit down with someone.

Getting face time automatically gets you in their mind. When there, ask generic questions. When they mention something that you might have in common focus on that, the more you make it sound like you are the same, the more they will associate themselves with you (that is good). Don't be afraid to mention some of your own accomplishments. Obviously your new grad status will and should come up and this is the perfect opportunity to mention that you are looking for employment. Chances are they won't have anything for your but you can still get invaluable information on people, places, and other businesses that might be looking for people.

On my first 'forced interview' the person I was speaking with mentioned another firm and a person he worked years with (this person eventally hired me). They didn't hire me but the information I got from them landed me a job eventually. I got two offers this way, and neither job was listed.

Hopefully that makes some sense. I sat down with every firm in down but in the end was employed.

 

[whyun]

Replace "You can't" with "It is difficult to".

When possibility of networking with people you know exist, no problem. If it doesn't, networking with strangers is the next resort, though not as effective.

 

[bioengr82]

agreed

 

[Pressed]

Boy this thread bring back memories from when I graduated. My school boasted about 80-100% placement and 100% interviews but my class had 5% for both of those; very pathetic that recession. One year after graduation I saw a fellow graduate working the aisles at Home Depot.

I agree with bioengr82, you don't have to have a network. I made a data-base of companies and kept good notes. The more research you do the better off you will be in the long run. Knowing peoples names/titles before calling doesn't necessarily get you any farther.

Getting past those secretaries, well, is a real pain. Some of them are real militant about that aspect of thier job. All I can say is don't lie, if they ask many questions, then they will catch you and then where will you be?

I later found that there are a few headhunters that specialize in new graduates, they will be your best source of info on your position.

One last thing, if you are researching/calling numerous companies, set a minimum amount to call each day like 5 or 10; keep the wheels rolling. Good luck.

_______________________________________
Feeling frisky.........

http://www.tailofthedragon.com

 

[HVAC68]

I landed into all my jobs including the first one and the present one through networking only.

HVAC68

 

[crossframe]

SPatrickK,

You haven't answered Shaggy18VW's question. Pomona, or the REAL Cal Poly?

You can likely still interview on-campus. Many employers like the Cal Poly name. Just keep trying.

 

[controlnovice]

Don't limit yourself geographically either. I know there is a comfort factor with staying where you are, but if there are no jobs after several months of hard looking....

When I graduated, I was co-oping and just assumed that they would hire me. Then a recession hit. I spent the next 6 weeks calling and sending resumes across the states and eventually ended up in Texas (from Indiana).

Now I'm back in the MidWest where I have a comfort factor.

 

[ziggi]

I've found both the jobs I've gotten by simply driving around and handing out resumes to any company that looks like it might take on engineers. Generally I just walked in and asked the secretary or whoever was there if they were taking on engineers and on occasion chatted them up a bit. In most cases they took my resume and gave me the HR person's card. I would then call the HR person a few days later and more often than not got an impromptu phone interview. On occasion I spoke to the owner, manager etc and got an imprompto face interview.

However I do prefer bioengrs method it saves alot of petrol and time, I think I'll try it if I'm lookng for work again.

 

[wes616]

Pomona, or the REAL Cal Poly?

They are both GREAT schools. AND how is that answering his question?

Wes C.

 

[Tobalcane]

I don’t think anybody touched on job fairs. That is how I got my last two and including my present job. You have all of the HR people and sometimes the hiring manager all in one spot. However, competition is fears. You have to come prepared with of course your resume, a portfolio of your senior project and anything else that will give you a boost such as certificates of achievements, and your elevator speech. Your elevator speech has to encompass all of your best traits and choice buzz words of the industry in one minute. The key is to try to find a phrase that will spark the HR/manager’s interest. I kind of treat it like a one minute interview. Also, try to make your resume professionally interesting. I have an icon of Mechanical Engineering stuff (gears, power, …etc) as part of my heading in the upper right hand corner. I had one person who gave me an interview just because he liked my icon.

Good Luck!


Go Mechanical Engineering
Tobalcane

 

[ColourfulFigsnDiags]

I can't agree strongly enough with bioengr82 ... I was in a very similar position to SPatrickK only a few months ago after finishing my PhD. The thing that worked best for me was the three step process
1) Ring : to get a name / email addy
2) Write : a personalised covering letter and resume
3) Ring : follow up after 5 or so days, and FORCE an interview. Do not say you are looking for a job, just that you are interested in their company and industry ...

Research the companies which work in the field you are interested in, and wherever possible, use a contact name ... eg in your covering letter "xxxx suggested I contact you regarding xxxx"

Good luck ... and remember 90% of jobs are never advertised (at least not in Australia!)
Cheers
James

 

[bioengr82]

SPatrickK-

Are you still alive?

 

[EngJW]

One thing about this networking business, you only hear from the people it has worked for. How many out there have tried it without success? You all can send send me resumes all you want, but I have absolutely no influence over who the company hires. Same with the people I have contact with in other companies. They have no influence either.

The ones who can sniff out the right people and wrangle their way in for an interview are not, in my opinion, the typical engineer. Survival of the fittest you could say. Us other mere mortals are in for a tough time.

 

[bioengr82]

LOL

Carefull EngJW, that almost sounds like a compliment. And your right, approaching a job search like this automatically sets you apart from most engineers.

Its worth a side note that the described technique worked like deep fried solid gold on medium and small sized companies. It got me no where fast with the large blue chip masters of the universe. Places where engineers and engineering manager made the labor decisions it worked best and tanked where there was a rigid HR directed process for hiring new grads. Stupid HR.

 

[SomptingGuy]

I echo Tobelcane's comments.

My company attends some of the UK recruitment fairs and usually sends a fairly recent graduate of the university being visited, plus someone with more experience (I've been to a couple at my old Uni, so I know the form). Then when (if?) applications start coming from students at that university, HR may show up to do on-site first interviews.

There's not normally a requirement to be a current, final year student of that university to attend one of these fairs and those passing through are often graduates from previous years who simply need a job.

My advice to the original poster is to gate-crash some of these careers fairs.

 

[cadnutcase]

I wanted to chime on this also, I have had 4 positions in my life and the first three I got by simply being in the right place at the right time.

The conversations went something like this, "Oh your looking for a person to do that, I can do that and this is why." Got my first three jobs through networking and meeting people. In paticular the 2nd job I got was after I had been unemployed for 1 day and was sitting in a bar one afternoon, passing the time with a guy next to me.

Now to the point, the 4th job I landed was through a recruiting agency, the company was looking for somebody with at least 20 years experience, I only had 10, I had to ram my resume down the recruiters throat and explain to them how I fit this job perfectly. After a month and a half of me pestering the recruiter every day to send my resume over, they finally did it, and I got an interview. I was pratically hired on the spot.

Moral of the story is, most recruiters are actually a great resource, but you have to be in front of them all the time. After about two weeks I was about to give up on them, but didn't want to give up on the position.
In this paticular case, I actually threatend the recruiter that if they didn't send my resume over I would call the company directly.