Job hunting, anything I can do?

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Wed May 18, 2011 2:50 am

I finished my M.S. in Mechanical and Energy Engineering back in December. It's been frustrating as all get-out looking for a job. I've had all of one interview since, after a long bus ride to Houston (I live an hour East of Dallas), that ended in naught. It's been frustrating as hell not having income, as it limits my freedom so freaking much. I don't even have a car right now, having to borrow a friend's when I have to go somewhere.

I've been interested lately in getting a job as a technical writing, specifically with a local L-3 branch office. I met a guy who works in L-3, and still keeps in friendly contact with the technical writing department (occasional requests for him to come back). He was incredibly impressed with my resume, and promised to personally sell me and hand my resume to several people in L-3, especially the hiring manager for a recently opened technical writer position that he feels I'm almost overqualified for. The manager got my resume about two weeks ago, and I've yet to hear anything.

While even an interview would be nice, I would love to get this job; good pay, local (about 20min commute), sounds enjoyable, would actually make me think, etc.

I wish there was some way to get the process done faster and end this anticipation, without hurting my chances of getting the job.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:03 pm

I've heard different things about how persistent you should be for a job, but most of that advice tends to be for after the interview. It probably wouldn't hurt to send a letter or something reminding them of your interest in the position inquiring if there are any further developments, but you want to make sure you don't come off as rude or demanding.

Other than that, it looks like you're networking, which is good for any field. The more people you can get to know, the better.

The last time I had to look for a job (three years ago), I was lucky enough to be able to find one solely through looking online. I had several sites hosting my resume, and I was also just Googling for any other prospective results. I have no idea how successful this sort of approach is on average, but it certainly feels encouraging to put out that many resumes in a short period of time, and I was getting phone calls from a couple of agencies fairly often within a few days.

Good luck!

Juton · Post by **Juton** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:19 pm

RobbyPants wrote:I've heard different things about how persistent you should be for a job, but most of that advice tends to be for after the interview. It probably wouldn't hurt to send a letter or something reminding them of your interest in the position inquiring if there are any further developments, but you want to make sure you don't come off as rude or demanding.

A friend of mine got his old job because he put in a call 2 weeks after his interview. It was a rapidly growing company and apparently they forgot they had that position to fill, so he got that job. So checking in a while latter may be a good idea, but only send one email/voice mail and wait a week or two.

RobbyPants · Post by **RobbyPants** » Wed May 18, 2011 1:49 pm

Actually, good point. If I think about anecdotes, I know a guy who got the job just because he happened to show up to check on progress at the same time that one of the selected candidates didn't show up for his test. They let him test in that other guy's place.

In my first programming job I was persistent, but I think I pretty much already had that job; I was just waiting for them to get enough money to hire me.

Maj · Post by **Maj** » Wed May 18, 2011 2:20 pm

In Ess' job hunts, he learned that frequently, hirers are most interested in people who call or write about the position. Given that there are generally lots of people applying for jobs [because of the recession], employers want to hire the guy who actually gives a damn.

Call them.

echoVanguard · Post by **echoVanguard** » Wed May 18, 2011 2:36 pm

How willing are you to travel and/or relocate? A masters-level engineering degree can open some really amazing doors for you, especially with the government or military.

echo

virgil · Post by **virgil** » Wed May 18, 2011 4:40 pm

I'm willing to travel/relocate, but my attempts at applying with such jobs have ended in naught so far. One of my biggest hurdles has been so very many engineering jobs (90%+) require a plurality of years of experience, which I don't have.

echoVanguard · Post by **echoVanguard** » Wed May 18, 2011 5:08 pm

Have you considered military service? I know a nuclear physicist who was snapped up by the navy and trained as a nuclear sub technician who has been very successful.

Alternatively, you might consider internships or applying at government agencies or contractor companies. The most important thing is not to feel discouraged at the number of applications you fill out - sometimes it can take dozens or even hundreds of applications to land a good position, but once you have the job, you have the job. Far too many set their sights too low, fill out a couple of applications, get discouraged, and give up.

Attend job fairs. Contact work placement agencies and headhunters. If you apply the same level of effort towards your job searches that you did towards your degree, you'll most likely do well.

echo

Wesley Street · Post by **Wesley Street** » Wed May 18, 2011 6:20 pm

I would emphasize pursuing an internship. Some do pay, though not much, and income isn't the point. It's another way to network and gain needed experience. If a company likes you they'll typically hire you on after a set point. If there's an opening, that is. I would also recommend finding a recruiter/headhunter who specializes in your field. It's their job to find you employment and they want to get paid for bringing you in.

I hear all sorts of anecdotal evidence on Approach X or Approach Y being a superior method to landing employment but 90% of it boils down to luck and who you know. I'm in year 12 of my career and at my second company. I landed both positions because I knew a person who worked at the company and was able to get a recommendation on his or her behalf. If I wanted to move elsewhere I would probably need a recruiter to help me.

Just be persistent and fill out applications for every company and institution that you can find, even if they aren't actively hiring.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 11:40 am

Apparently they are much more interested in hiring people who are currently employed. So I would recommend lying your ass off about that. Complete with a number they should call for your current boss (who is a friend, or your other phone), to give a good report and to imply they want to keep you but you chose to leave because you want a change of pace.

So, lie, cheat, steal. Same advice as for everything.

Post by **Zherog** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:48 pm

[tech support]

Spam removed. Thanks for the report.

--Z
[/tech support]

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 12:57 pm

virgil wrote:I'm willing to travel/relocate, but my attempts at applying with such jobs have ended in naught so far. One of my biggest hurdles has been so very many engineering jobs (90%+) require a plurality of years of experience, which I don't have.

I'm in essentially the same boat (got my MSEE fall '10, no internship, every engineering job wants 3-6 years of experience). I got a gig doing tech writing by contract at the moment...and they're looking for more, if you're willing to go to Tampa.

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:10 pm

Posting here is good. Use every connection you have: friends, family, whatever. The keys are luck (can't control), networking (can control), and effort (can control). So keep looking and keep talking until you get lucky.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 4:58 pm

Koumei wrote:Apparently they are much more interested in hiring people who are currently employed.

WTF?

Whatever · Post by **Whatever** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:07 pm

It's true. Discriminating against the unemployed is legal. If you're out of work, especially for more than a few months, good luck.

angelfromanotherpin · Post by **angelfromanotherpin** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:17 pm

Whatever wrote:It's true. Discriminating against the unemployed is legal. If you're out of work, especially for more than a few months, good luck.

While I'm now much more appreciative of my continuing (if meager) employment, what reason is there for discriminating against the unemployed?

Ancient History · Post by **Ancient History** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 5:47 pm

The idea is that if a person is unemployed for a long period of time, there's a good reason for it. People that have already proven their ability to obtain and hold a job (i.e. the employed) are seen as more valuable by comparison to somebody that has been looking for a job for months (or years) and been unable to find anything.

Which really sucks for people that are coming out of school into a bad economy.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 6:10 pm

Ancient History wrote:The idea is that if a person is unemployed for a long period of time, there's a good reason for it. People that have already proven their ability to obtain and hold a job (i.e. the employed) are seen as more valuable by comparison to somebody that has been looking for a job for months (or years) and been unable to find anything.

And at the same time, that reasoning prevent economic pickup. There's already several states moving to make this illegal.

Cynic · Post by **Cynic** » Tue Aug 02, 2011 8:39 pm

I was recently reminded of acec.

Also, companies like Deloitte-touch are very keen on hiring engineers right now, apparently.

Count Arioch the 28th · Tue Aug 02, 2011 10:04 pm

Maxus wrote:
Ancient History wrote:The idea is that if a person is unemployed for a long period of time, there's a good reason for it. People that have already proven their ability to obtain and hold a job (i.e. the employed) are seen as more valuable by comparison to somebody that has been looking for a job for months (or years) and been unable to find anything.
And at the same time, that reasoning prevent economic pickup. There's already several states moving to make this illegal.

Also, there's severe Ageism (forget about getting an internship if you didn't go to college right out of high school, there won't be one for you), as well as discrimination if there's retail on your resume (When people see that "Wal-Mart" on my resume, all of a sudden I'm poison and they don't want me to work for them. One guy told me to go back to Wal-Mart because that's where I belong.)

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:29 am

Count Arioch the 28th wrote:(When people see that "Wal-Mart" on my resume, all of a sudden I'm poison and they don't want me to work for them. One guy told me to go back to Wal-Mart because that's where I belong.)

Yeah. I did a stint with McDonalds when in high school, and for my own good I leave that off the resume.

Count Arioch the 28th · Wed Aug 03, 2011 1:37 am

Problem for me is that if I leave retail out there's a six-year gap in employment.

Koumei · Post by **Koumei** » Wed Aug 03, 2011 2:06 am

Oh come on, didn't I say it before? Lie.

Count Arioch the 28th · Wed Aug 03, 2011 2:43 am

I'm a poor liar. Plus, people are in fact checking employment history these days over here.

fectin · Post by **fectin** » Wed Aug 03, 2011 3:29 am

Koumei wrote:Oh come on, didn't I say it before? Lie.

Don't do this if you want to work defense contracts. It is a seriously bad plan, because for all the lucrative ones, you will be investigated.

Shoot a resume my way. No guarantees of anything, but I can at least pass it around.