Nobody offers me a job, even an interview...! 6

[zimbali]

Hi dear engineer friends,

I've got my BS in Electrical and Control Engineering (5 year course) from one of the best non-US (from Asia) accredited university in the world with an average of 76%. I used to work (part time and contract) in an Automotive supplying parts company for four years during the BS degree. After the Uni, I continued to work with them for one year more (full time) and then moved to England to study Master in Automotive Engineering. I designed and made some devices from concept to production, each for the first time in my country.

Now I almost finished my Master in Automotive Engineering and have been looking for a proper job for more than 7-8 months. Although my background was totally different from the MSc course, and English was not my mother tongue, but I managed to take a distinction degree with an average of 78% and ranked first in the department.

Now I'm an automotive electronics embedded system designer (very good experience), a programmer, Electronics guy, a good control and instrumentation guy (some experience), a bit mechanical and some automotive (no practical experience though) and very strong mathematics and physics are on the top of all that.

I don't say I did something exceptional, by no means. But I was at least better than average. No company even asked me for even a simple interview. Could anybody tell me what's wrong with me (or the companies)? What else could a 25 yaer graduate student have done? I mainly applied for automotive electronics companies, big and small. I see some people working in some companies in high rank engineering positions (and I worked with them in some projects) and can swear that I am a better engineer, but I'm here at home spending money and they are at work making money!!

Thanks for reading this long, sad story of mine.

Cheers
SAEED

 

[RDK]

Take a look at Canada. The government of Canada’s web site is

http://www.gc.ca

and you can follow the links to see about the requirements for immigration.

Generally you will need a job in Canada. A good job board for engineering jobs is

http://www.careerowl.ca

Good luck



Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[quark]

Rick!

Can I avail your help in getting my resume analyzed? Not exactly now, but when I want to make a move. (Btw I work in a pharmaceutical company and my experience is mostly in this field).

Regards,

 

[zimbali]

Thanks Rick,
I need 75 points to be considered for Immigration to Canada and I have 67-8 points right now. If I have a job offer in Canada I can come there and apply for immigration as it adds 10-15 more points to me. I should appretiate the site you introduced for finding a job.

I should go through that site and apply. EVEN if the company doesn't employ me after I enter Canada, I can take my immigration. This job offer is just to show the Canadian Government that my profession is required in Canada and that company doesn't HAVE TO employ me after I enter Canada. This might make the job hunting easier, coz the employer doesn't feel any responsibility to employ me.

Anyhow thanks again for your all helps.

 

[RDK]

Quark
You can send me your resume for a critique. I’m kind of swamped so don’t expect to get it back for a couple of weeks.

Zimbali

The automotive industry in Canada is in the area called the Niagara Peninsula. This is the area on the north side of Lake Ontario (the eastern most of the Great Lakes). A lot of automobile work is concentrated in Windsor, just across the border from Detroit.

Summers there are hot and humid, winters are mild (by my standards) expect a lot of snow and coldest about –20C. (I live in the prairie’s 100 kms north of the US border and half way between the costs. Winters here can get –30 to –40 C.)

Good luck


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[Sparweb]

I could expand on Rick's info about Canada, because I have an aerospace job in Calgary, and Calgary is not known for its aircraft industry, as any fellow beaver should know.

Although you have a MS in automotive, Zimbali, your BS is electrical, and that means that you can look beyond the Toronto monster city and find employment in many cities across Canada. Don't limit your search, even though you may find the majority of leads do come from Toronto.

By the way, summers in Calgary are NOT hot NOR humid, and in the winter it usually doesn't get very cold except for a few days at a stretch.


STF

 

[GSC]

-I agree with RDK, good or perfect resumee and CV is a very important phase of jobhunting.
-Assess how many applications you have sent. 1 interview from 30 applications is good in the UK being non-british.
-Due to the increased security measures in the english speaking nations since Sep.11. combined with the economic crisis in the UK finding a job since is extremely difficult. You should consider moving country or be patient. Don't give up! You can observe some more relaxed atmosphere in the past few months.
-Did you send the application for the right positions? Isn't your target group too narrow?
gsc

 

[RDK]

Calgary summers may not be hot or humid but it SNOWED there last week.

I spent last summer in Calgary and it snowed in Aug.


Rick Kitson MBA P.Eng

Construction Project Management
From conception to completion

http://www.kitsonengineering.com

 

[coughdrop]

Zimbali,
THE method of getting into automotive jobs in the UK is by using recruitment agencies for example

http://www.jonlee.co.uk

as most Auto' Companies have limited HR personnel.
The current situation is of ongoing cut-backs in the UK with more jobs being contracted-out to temporary contractors. This can be a good way of getting into the company, seeing if you like it/people and then applying for jobs internally advertised. In your situation it may suit you as it gives you the flexibility to "move on" when you get itchy feet but, gives you some hard cash whilst planning your future.
Best of luck,
John.

 

[ljb27]

I've job-hunted twice in the U.K. I'm Canadian and have a Ph.D. I found it really hard work. I followed up with a lot of the places I applied to and found that many of my negative responses were because I wasn't an E.U. citizen. The companies I applied to would have to apply for a work permit for me: they would have to pay a couple thousand pounds for this and supply evidence that there wasn't any UK citizen who could do the job.

I found it works best to avoid applying to HR departments (as they find this whole work permit thing a big hassle) and instead write directly to the technical people within the companies you want to work for. They are more likely to appreciate your qualifications and not worry about whether you need a work permit. Doing this, I then got interviews and offers! (And I think having a PhD helped me as it made it easier for the companies to make the case that I was uniquely qualified).

Good luck!

 

[zimbali]

Thanks for all replies, and Something funny:

I'd applied to LOTUS and e-mailed my CV almost 2 months ago and there was no answer from them. I sent an email 2 days ago and asked about the process of application and they replied: "We've never recieved your CV, please send us your CV that we can forward it to the manager, sorry about any inconvinience." !!

Moral of the story: Never wait too long and ask for the process of application, not once but so many times!

Cheers

 

[ganmo]

Rick

How about HVAC jobs in Canada? I have pretty sound knowledge and experience in HVAC design for clean rooms and commericial buildings.

BTY could i ask you to comment my CV organization?

sincerely

GA

 

[oranjeep]

I was looking for a job for about 5 months. It was the most emotionally exhausting process I have ever been through. I would rather remove my own spleen with a rusty spoon than go through that hell again.

I cannot imagine how the HR/screening staff must feel.
Having to tell very good candidates that they did not make the cut?

You are young. Ironically, some of the things that get you the second and third interview are not the education or the part-time/coop experience. Screw the job thing for a couple of months and do some traveling-do some cliff diving or climb a mountain or something. Then, use that story in your interviews! I gaurantee they will remember you, and you will get the second interview.

 

[Grouser]

Zimbali
Look at the larger picture. There are many suppliers to auto manufacturers who also need engineers for their products. You could also look for an entry level job on a racing team or organization. Maybe not much money but great experience and looks good on the resume. Also, see if the are professional organizations you could join as a student to begin networking to find managers looking for your qualifications. List experience on resume as a benefit to employer list: saved money by ...; increased productivity by ...; improved quality by ...; in other words by accomplishment rather than by duties.

Good Luck!

 

[jmw]

My brother in law got his Doctorate in metallurgy at Brunell, in London. He spent the best aprt of a year touring the USA trying for a job. He found that getting the interview wasn't the only problem. At the interviews he encountered Catch 22; they needed lots of experience before they would hire him and the only way to get lots of experience was to get hired.
He resolved this finally by saying, "Look, show me a problem you have, and if i solve it, give me the job."
They showed him, he solved it and he got the job. He didn't keep it long though since it gave him experince and a way round taht particular Catch 22.
But other correspondents may be right, having a Doctorate puts you in a different class. I don't know what that equates to but let's just say he could have spent all those years of study for his doctorate working (if he could have got the job) and be no where near as advanced in the company as he is now.

 

[COKA]

zimbali,

I was just reading this post and I was curious to know how your job search is going. Did you get interviews after modifying your CV with Rick's help. Keep us posted.



Coka

 

[zimbali]

Actually it helped a lot. I heared from two companies for interview after those changes. I didn't keep on asking them after their contact as I had decided to go back to my country and do my own business. Just for your interest, I applied for three engineering jobs in the UK and I said that I had work permission in the UK and I was contacted in less than 24 hours for two of them. I just wanted to try what would have happened if I were a citizen... , discrimination is still everywhere but it's not as immediatley VISIBALE as it used to be 30-40 years ago.

 

[COKA]

Keep up zimbali,
Don't get discouraged. There is a lot of imigrants out there, me being one of them, and I am 25 years old too. I happened to get my B.Eng in Canada and I got my job 4 months after getting my diploma, but I have a lot of friends that are still looking for one. The times are not the best to get a job but you can't put your hands down.
Good luck!

Coka

 

[IRstuff]

I just want to point out that wanting a work permit is not the same thing as being discriminatory. In the US, the employer faces legal consequences for hiring workers that don't have work permits.

Times are still tough all over; we just laid off some VERY senior people.

One thing that you MUST do is to STAY POSITIVE. You have to believe in yourself and believe that you can bring a positive benefit to the companies you interview at. Be persistent, but don't be a pest. It's difficult to gauge where your behavior lies, but I've seen applicants flame out and turn a somewhat positive situation into a complete turndown.

Good luck..

TTFN

 

[4tuna]

Zimbali, you said:

"Actually it helped a lot. I heared from two companies for interview after those changes."

Now that you have overcome the first hurdle and are getting interviews, consider buying one or two good books on interviewing. If you read these and prepare adequately, they really help you anticipate questions and generally make you more comfortable in the interview. There is nothing worse than being caught offgaurd with a question and not knowing how to respond. The also help you emphasize your strenghts and generally stand out above other applicants.

I utilized this technique during a past job search, and it made all the difference in the world. After several unsuccessful interviews, I landed a great job with the first interview I had after studying an interview book.

Good luck.

Tuna

 

[ubrales]

Saeed, 76% in Asia is the equivalent of "A" in the U.S. - also, distinction in Asia is "Straight A with Honors" in U.S. terminology.

Please re-write your resume with these important factors. Otherwise, U.S. companies will think that you graduated with a "C".

I volunteer with The University of Chicago, Graduate Division and coach grad students with Master's Degrees on resumes and interview preparation. I am from Asia and had to completely change my method of presentation so that the Western world would understand my qualifications and experience. If I can help you out (no charge), please reply and include an e-mail address or some other means of contact.