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Honestly, personal contacts are incredibly helpful, and I'd never feel bad about getting a job through that avenue or being ashamed. At the end of the day a job is a job. I had a few interviews with other places but I landed my first real job partly because my uncle worked at the company for 32 years and was able to put my resume right on a manager's desk for when an opening came in. I got the very first interview, which I feel I did well on so I'm thinking I set the bar kinda high. I'd hate to think I was only hired because of him, but it didn't hurt! The other interviews resulted from replying to openings where I directly contacted HR, and I never had a problem hearing back. Of the four companies I applied to through online means, I only heard back from one and it was for a pre-interview questionnaire and background information, as it was a government funded project. I never followed up with them, but I feel like I should've just to see what would happen. Problem was, I was offered my current job the same day as the call back, so I had reservations about interviewing and waiting all over again while working my new job. My advice to everyone out there is to attend career fairs and find connections wherever possible, especially when you are in school. Try and look for some sort of alumni database and make a few calls. Also, when going to career fairs, understand the company but more importantly understand your worth to them. I researched every single tech company looking for Engineers(I'm a Physics major so it was maybe possible to jump over with a BS). For some reason when I actually talked to these people, I got caught off guard by really dumb questions/statements. One place specialized in turbomachinery, and when the rep asked how I'd benefit the company I mumbled about having the ability to envision the whole project. Totally left out the after-hours machining class I took and the fact I worked on cars for a long time. Additionally, a company made optical equipment and the first thing the rep said was "Yeah...we are actually only looking for Engineers, so..." I was caught so off guard I just said thank you and walked away. It wasn't until I walked five steps away that I thought to myself "I took a goddamn optics course last semester, and I know this college has no equivalent class in the Engineering program." Like I totally blanked on my own worth because I was an idiot. Really examine every single piece of knowledge you have and skills you posses, and find a way to make them matter.
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Oct 23, 2011 22:02
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Pollyanna posted:Biomed Engineering/Biotech. I'm taking advantage of my image processing experience to get a technologist-y job in medical centers or labs. I've applied to places like Northeastern U and Beth Deaconess. Nothing that's more like nursing or customer service, I'm definitely not skilled in that regard. I see those northeastern and Beth Deaconess openings all. The. Time. Because I search for similar sciencey stuff in new England. I just started connecting with recruiters on linkedin for the companies I apply to and join the groups they are in for the field I'm looking for a job in. I've gotten a few profile views that way and have bothered a few people but I haven't heard back yet, been about 4 days since I've employed this strategy, so we will see. This may help you out
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Apr 6, 2012 01:34
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At my company you can go on facebook, a lot of people uses google for gchat during the day, and it's not uncommon to see a few people huddled around a youtube clip, but those bastards took away my Pandora....
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May 11, 2012 04:53
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Shipon posted:How much of breaking into that industry is connections or going to the right schools though? I have noticed some that strictly say top GPA from top school, but it may not be unheard of to pop in with the right skills. I think what the poster is maybe missing is that I'm quite certain most quants basically are forced to be hardcore workers and usually live in more expensive urban areas.
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May 18, 2012 01:21
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Noah posted:I just did what I didn't think I'd actually have to: I turned down a job that had pretty good entry-level pay, and out of this world benefits. And it's not because I had another job on the table. My brother!!!(or sister). I was feeling a bit stuck in my engineering job so I switched to a business analyst position for a 30% pay increase, better benes etc. etc. And after 4 weeks I quit to return to my engineering job, under some new understanding with management about where I want to be In the future. The analyst position was killing me more and more everyday, and what is the extra money worth if I can't enjoy it at any level(they even offered me more when I said I would be leaving, after 4 weeks, and every fiber in my body said "don't take it!!"). A lot of people who are a bit unhappy with where they are say "I'd do anything if I made $x more a year!!" And its easy to step in the unknown, so in my mind, I think you made a very good decision if you can live without it. Being stuck in a place you dislike for 40+ weeks is a very bad thing.
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Aug 7, 2012 00:56
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Xguard86 posted:I took an offer for my first job that was pretty far below average for that position, but most people in that job had 3-5 years experience so I figured it was a great chance to learn and put a solid foot on the ladder. I like this advice. Working for 2 years is an incredibly small piece of the lifetime career pie(probably not even 5% of time spent working), so if you have to cut back a bit to accommodate the lower salary, it should pay off in a few years(hopefully when the economy is better) when you can negotiate with your current company or move somewhere else. A buddy of mine got an MA in Economics from a nowhere near ranked state school and he told me he is looking for 60k+ out of school in a non metro area. I just kinda smile and wish him luck. Paying your dues is a thing that most of us have to do, and any relevant job with not-poverty pay and the future ability to move is better than waiting for the golden goose egg to come your way.
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Aug 9, 2012 16:48
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Pollyanna posted:If I don't get an answer in January, I'll start applying elsewhere. If you don't get an answer by January you start driving to the office everyday and try to speak with whoever would be your manager. If at that point they jerk you around then they probably never meant to hire you, or at least not in any respectful way. Edit: I mean unless the company really hit the rocks or are scared as poo poo about the fiscal cliff, but even if that's the case the hiring manager should at least be able to sit down and explain.
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Dec 2, 2012 05:16
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Operating Rod posted:People look at internships so strangely now. Interning itself is not an on-ramp, the skills you supposedly learn are the on-ramp. If you aren't learning anything as an intern or co-op, something is probably wrong and you should be talking with your supervisor. I agree, I think some people think of getting a job as an extension of school. On my record I show I took Physics 101, so now I can enroll in Physics 102. Likewise, on my record I show B.S. Mechanical Engineer so now I can enroll in Mechanical Engineer 1 at <Company>! The first thought in getting a job should be "How can I add value to the company?" Think of it like one of those Russian dolls, that phrase is painted on the outside. Then you open to the next layer and it is "I can add value because I have a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering". Then the next one "In my studies as a Mechanical Engineer I extensively used AutoCAD to design a two-stroke engine and create a prototype as my Senior project." Well there you go now you have a leg up at GM in their internal R&D department for the Mechanical Engineer 1 job opportunity. You have demonstrated you have the skills, knowledge, and desire. The problem is a lot of entry level jobs require you to be good at selling those skills. Typically in entry level it is "Does this person have a good head on their shoulders AND seem like they are genuinely interested in what they will be doing". People aren't quite sure what type of a worker you will be, so you need to pull from EVERYWHERE to get examples as your history is so small. I'm reminded of a college professor who had little summer job open, nothing crazy. He said to go as far as to tell them if you've taken apart a bike before. Why? Because it shows you have at least done something other than attend class and test well. In that sense, maybe you didn't have any internships, but do you go home and play games and drink, or do you have a pet project in CAD? If you like museums do you try to regularly go to them and study the exhibits? If you are into business is there a businessman/woman/philosopher you know everything about and look up to. I.E. can you show passion for what you spent all that time and money for. That passion goes a long way. A lot of people have degrees now. Some employers will play the check box game and go down the list, but the ones I've been at take the time(during interviews at least) to get to know the person and see what they are passionate about. The two people above me have got it going, find that passion and work on it! Also be prepared to have to search outside your comfort zone if you are in a rut! My buddy had MS in Economics and couldn't find a job in Boston so he had to go all the way to Denver!
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Jul 18, 2013 14:09
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Shnooks posted:This sounds really dumb, but how do you even express that in a resume? I'd feel like a total dweeb putting under skills, "Regulary visits local museums and has visited (museum A), (museum B), and (museum C)!" Of course in my cover letter I end up going on and on about museums and art if I'm not careful, but I'm definitely the kind of person where people can tell how passionate I am about things in person better than in writing. It's good you bring this up. I meant to add a disclaimer at the bottom that most my advice is when you have one foot in the door(ie interview). I'm not exactly sure how you word on a resume but hopefully Mr. Duvet can help with that!!
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Jul 18, 2013 21:11
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I also got my current Engineering job by applying cold to the website. Believe me, I was shocked. I know a lot of advice is to throw everything at the wall and see what sticks for early in the process applications and I hate to speak against it, but mass applying may be a bad idea. Recently a position like mine opened up and the manager had visibility on an internal applicant that applied to many Engineer roles that were in the same department but different responsibilities. I don't believe s/he was asked to interview partly because it was a bit off putting. As in "this person seems like they just want to go SOMEWHERE and we want someone who knows what they want". Now I'm not sure if that was the sole reason, I would think not, but it was a surprise to me nonetheless. I still think you apply to a generous amount and then if they bring you in state your case. After all if you have the qualifications, you have the qualifications, so I err on the side of my story's applicant was probably missing skills/exp
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Jul 29, 2013 17:28
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I worked a fun but underpaying and dead end entry level test engineer job for 22 months our of school, got hired in a respectable company as a level 2 engineer, and am on track to get promoted to Sr. Level engineer (typically 4 yr minimum exp.) After barely 34 months out of school so take that $50k job and consider kicking rear end for a year or two. The right people will notice and it will pay off
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Aug 23, 2013 19:35
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Guinness posted:In 3-4 years out of university I more than doubled my salary by changing jobs twice, and in addition to more money the work culture and quality of life also improved. If I stayed at the same place I started I would have been begging for 3% annually and barely cresting 50k - and working at a much worse company doing far less interesting things to boot. To add a bit more, this is a tough rut people get into. I am at a company I like, and make pretty decent $ for where I am now, but I know salary growth probably won't coincide with skill/responsibility growth. As one of my older colleagues said "How do you justify to management giving someone a 20% raise?" when that is what they could get in the open market.
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Sep 27, 2013 05:14
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