This student didn’t bother to send out apps last year. If your nephew hadn’t sent out apps while completing undergrad, he may not have gotten his job offer either.
This student is just seeking employment NOW. Can you see the huge difference???
@1stTime <<< ChemE. 3.5 GPA. 2 solid internships in manufacturing (Lhoist and CertainTeed). >>>
Has your son applied to these companies? If not, why not? And when those internships ended, was he encouraged to apply there later? Often kids get jobs after internships.
Did he ask for feedback after a mock interview at the career center? If he hasn’t done this, he should.
Yes, he has applied to both. No responses. But the only openings those conpanies have are in locations he didnt intern at. The people he mock interviews with have positive comments for him. But he isn’t getting to the point of interviewing. Not past the allotted 30 minute interviews the day after career day. So he hasn’t had much of a chance to really gauge those skills. The issue is getting interest. Dr. Ward and the career center have reviewed his resume and given it their approval. He has also had his resume reviewed by a rep at a search firm - given a thumbs up.
@mom2collegekids Re Post #20 - As you can see the OP’s son started looking since last Fall. I have no reason to believe that a parent began to question the job market if the student had not been looking for a few months. In my experience, it was quite common for kids began looking while attending graduate school.
@1stTime How did your son’s peers got their jobs last year? How was the job market last year? What type of help does UA provide ?
I think he needs to contact the Career Center and ask for a (another) mock interview. And to suggest that they ask him about what he did at his internships or have him bring that up. Perhaps he’s just not articulating well.
Many hiring companies aren’t only hiring people who can “do the work,” but they’re also looking for people who can present and articulate information well (without rambling, without ambiguity ).
What’s unusual about this situation is that your son has gone straight into an MBA program. A potential engineering employer could see this as indication that he will look to get out of straight engineering and go into other functions as soon as possible. He’s probably already doing this, but I think your son should go out of his way to state that he is committed to engineering, and the MBA is to help his understanding of the business, not a ticket away from the tech side. He might go out of his way to say that his experience in the MBA program has given him perspective on this, i.e. “I realize now that I really like engineering and I’m committed to making a career in the field.”
1st Time, I can’t weigh in on the ChemE job market, because my daughter was a business major who went straight to a masters in Statistics. However, her job hunt experience (last year) sounds similar. She went to the career fairs, had her resume critiqued by the career center, did mock interviews and received positive feedback, and had her resume vetted by some friends who are professional recruiters. She applied online for many positions. She wasn’t picky about the type of job - she applied for anything related to her majors - but she limited herself geographically. Applying to jobs she found on Indeed and similar sites often seemed like throwing a resume into a black hole - there would be no response whatsoever. This time last year she was discouraged and seemingly getting nowhere, and she’d been working on it for months.
She ended up getting a job last February (she graduated with masters in May 2017); she was interviewed and had an offer within a week after applying for that job online. The job and her skill set were a very good match. Shortly after she accepted the job she started being contacted for other jobs that she had previously applied for - some many months before. She also had professors telling her about opportunities with companies they knew and asking if she was interested. She didn’t pursue any of that since she’d already accepted her job, so she doesn’t know if she would actually have been hired at any of these other companies. But things definitely picked up as graduation approached. Many of the students in my daughter’s masters program didn’t have their jobs until closer to graduation. I guess my point is not to panic - there is still time.
Lol…my son is an electrical engineer who’s been employed since his graduation in June, 2016 (he found his initial job through a work-related connection). He just received a rejection email from a Fortune 100 company for a position that he’d applied to almost two years ago on Indeed.com - one of his few responses back from Indeed.com.
Sorry I have been away from the site for a few days. My son has had 1 on site interview so far, and had 5 campus interviews the day after the fall career day. He is only applying for engineering jobs, not MBA jobs. When he gets the chance he is indicating he wants to work in the engineering field, that the MBA is to round out his education. As for articulating and interviewing, he’s not getting much of a chance yet, but he has years of mock trial experience and has done multiple presentations in college, so he is about as comfortable representing himself as a college kid can be. In fact, when he presented his internship summary at Lhoist he did it for the company CEO and Sr.VP of Operations who spent extra time talking to him after because they were impressed. He has applied for the only engineering opening they have. He has yet to hear back, but the position is also asking for 3 years experience. So we will see.
Update: my son has secured a chemical engineering position that will begin in June. It is a very good opportunity with a well-respected company. It is a position he found online. He feels very fortunate. Especially since the companies at the spring career day do not seem to be in hiring mode. Thank you to all who offered support, suggestions, and offers of assistance.
