Decent GPA, No Experience + Underemployed + Need Advice

College Majors Engineering Majors
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<p>Hi all, this is my first post on CC ^_^.</p>

<p>I graduate in May '12 with a BS in chemical engineering , 3.7 gpa, minor in math (math gpa is 4.0) from a small college in the TN. Unfortunately, I did not do any internship during time in college. The job that had during 4 years was a cashier in an Indian restaurant to help pay my rent. After 5 months from graduate, I could not find any jobs, while all my friends (with lower grade but had interned ) has started to make money already. I am now still employed with that Indian restaurant at nights. I am really confused right now, and thus want to seek advice to change this situation. Thanks in advance.</p>

<p>I am considering grad school right now (my research interest is computational methods but I am not sure this is a good move for future employment. I don't want to spend 4-5 years in grad school and back to that Indian restaurant again).</p>

<p>p/s : (Resume and cover lettered has been fixed and checked multiple times from working professionals)</p>

2

<p>How hard have you looked?
The economy is not so great. You have to search a bit harder, especially if you aren’t a prime candidate.</p>

3

<p>[Entry</a> Level Chemical Engineer Jobs, Employment | Indeed.com](<a href=“http://www.indeed.com/q-Entry-Level-Chemical-Engineer-jobs.html]Entry”>http://www.indeed.com/q-Entry-Level-Chemical-Engineer-jobs.html)
There are 810 jobs listed…And I would apply to every single one of them before I would let my engineering job go to waste while hovering above a cash register. Search constantly. Some of the internship interviews I secured were purely because I found them on my own, no connections, no career fair, just search, target resume/cover letter, and apply. Do everything you can to show them you can adapt. Be willing to move anywhere.</p>

4

<p>I try indeed several times (200 + times), no success so far. Most of these entry level require some kind of experience which unfortunately I don’t have. All I can do right now is that I keep applying, but it is very easy to depress.</p>

5

<p>200 is a lot, but it really may take more than that. Apply to some for which you’re only a partial fit, and see if you can get any friends to use their connections to find you a job. It really does take some work to do it.</p>

6

<p>Lol, don’t know if friends really help or not. I and my friend applied for the same position at a local firm. His grade is way too lower than mine, actually he failed the core courses once, but he had internship, and then he got the offer, while they didn’t bother to give me at least an interview (>_<).</p>

7

<p>Someone being able to vouch for you is one of the best ways to get a job. Not foolproof, but very useful.</p>

8

<p>You might want to open your scope a bit. There are many positions that just want an engineer, regardless of the major. I would be applying to these too, just as much if not more than with the ChemE specific jobs. Also, do you have access to your schools career counselors. The whole package is more than just a resume. Practice your interviewing skills, how to write an effective cover letter, and so on.</p>

9

<p>The job market when my husband and I got out was bad, also. It took 270 resumes for us to find work. Out of that number, we got only three interviews! Fortunately, one of the companies hired both of us. We had to move 2,500 miles away. We both had master’s degrees and high GPAs, too. Keep trying, and be willing to move!</p>

10

<p>What is your alma mater?</p>

11

<p>I have an off the wall suggestion that has worked in other fields so may work for you. Don’t know if applies to engineering. </p>

<p>Offer to work for free for a company for 2-3 months as an “intern” with the understanding that they either hire you right after since you have demonstrated your ability to do the work. Or, they provide you a glowing recommendation that you had interned for them with excellent performance to help get another job.</p>

<p>I know a number of students who have interned for free in Washington who had graduated with majors in political science or international relations. It is lousy that they worked for free, especially at our nation’s capital, but eventually they got paying work.</p>

12

<p>I was going to suggest what Lakemom said. Also, I know you said your resume and cover letter were checked by professionals, but maybe you should get some other opinions. Maybe a couple of your friends that have been successful at getting an engineering job? Honestly, your grammar and writing style here isn’t very good at all. If this shows through in your resume or in the way you speak at an interview, it would be a problem. I don’t want to be mean, but I do want to be honest.</p>

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<p>If it’s any consolation there are chemical engineering graduates from prestigious universities that couldn’t find jobs for quite a bit longer than 5 months. Obviously, in hindsight you would have wanted to get that internship experience. Keep trying. Broaden your scope both geographically and by type of position. But recognize that for each job you may be competing against 80 other applicants many of whom have experience.</p>

14

<p>Still…</p>

<p>Don’t ignore that “computational methods” interest that you have. The area of computational science is gaining steam and would grow with the economy. You may have to first take a job that just wants “an engineer” first…then go on from there.</p>

15

<p>Only 25% of jobs that are filled from the outside are posted either on company web sites or on job boards. However, job hunters report that they spend over half of their time prowling for these jobs.</p>

<p>To be successful, you need to reach out to people before the job is listed and they receive countless resumes. That means:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Use your school’s alumni network.</p></li>
<li><p>Use Linked In, and Linked In Groups</p></li>
<li><p>Use Direct Mail, mailing not to human resources, but to the engineering manager (you need big numbers to be successful with direct mail).</p></li>
<li><p>Do your best to meet people actively, and talk shop with them, rather than asking them for a job.</p></li>
<li><p>Go to your school’s career services department and see if they can give you some mock interviews, and some other advice on how to improve your job hunt.</p></li>
<li><p>Consider trying to get work as a research assistant to a professor, either at your school or another school, just to get some work experience on your resume.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>The list goes on and on of what you can do. When you’re stuck like you are, the best advice is to stay away from the internet and do what you can to talk to people, instead.</p>

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<p>@SansSerif : Ok, I will get them checked again. </p>

<p>@Earthpig : thank you for your suggestion about the book. (They don’t allow me to send private message cuz I have under 15 posts)</p>

<p>@Globaltraveler: I like computational field, but I know my limitation in knowledge. If I want to get into that field, I need more training i.e at least master in computational science.</p>

<p>@simplystated1961 : sorry, I don’t like to publicize my alma mater. It’s an ABET accredited, decent, acceptable program but not anywhere near prestigious/elite.</p>

<p>@ChrisTKD: Yeah, I underestimated the importance of internship. </p>

<p>@MaineLonghorn:Definitely, I am willing to move.</p>

<p>@Lakemom: that’s a good suggestion, I will try for unpaid intern.</p>

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<p>Do have your resume checked by a pro. These days many companies use a scanning program that searches for keywords just to sort thru the mountain of resumes that each job posting attracts. The keywords should be right there at the top of your resume.</p>

<p>Also check out craig’s list and such for job listings. Smaller companies without a huge recruiting budget will post there. They may also be more willing to hire someone with good grades but no experience.</p>

18

<p>Quote from earthpig:</p>

<p>"- Use Direct Mail, mailing not to human resources, but to the engineering manager (you need big numbers to be successful with direct mail).</p>

<ul>
<li>Do your best to meet people actively, and talk shop with them, rather than asking them for a job."</li>
</ul>

<p>Please elaborate. For point 1, I don’t understand this fact about Direct Mail on LinkedIn. Big numbers?</p>

<p>For point 2, do you mean to talk about technical, engineering stuff with contacts, yet not broach the subject of hiring? Seems like a fine line! </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>Here’s the excerpt from my post:</p>

<p>“- Use your school’s alumni network.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>Use Linked In, and Linked In Groups</p></li>
<li><p>Use Direct Mail, mailing not to human resources, but to the engineering manager (you need big numbers to be successful with direct mail).</p></li>
<li><p>Do your best to meet people actively, and talk shop with them, rather than asking them for a job.”</p></li>
</ul>

<p>These are all separate activities. My comment about direct mail has nothing to do with Linked In.</p>

<p>Direct mail means direct mailing with a cover letter and resume to the engineering manager at a company. This bypasses human resources and puts your resume in the hands of someone who might hire you. This takes big numbers. Sending 25 won’t do it. You need to find out who the engineering manager or director is, so this takes research and investigation (if they employ 250 engineers, then if you mail to the VP, your letter gets passed to HR). If you can connect to that person via a contact, go that way (and 3rd level Linked In connections are worthless – they don’t know you and can’t vouch for you). If you can’t network your way in, use direct mail.</p>

<p>The engineering manager gets 300 emails a day, so sending him a cold email (if you can get his email address) is a tough way to go. People get less mail now, which is why I recommend direct mail.</p>

<p>I have gotten jobs through direct mail, and also have sold many consulting assignments using it, at least a couple of over $100,000+ consulting assignments using it (and I’m a solo consultant). </p>

<hr>

<p>Regarding talking shop: networking meetings are a nuisance for most people. They’re one sided – I have to take a half hour out of my day to talk to a networker, work an extra half hour at home because of that, and gain nothing from it. The networker is hoping to get a job or referrals, but offers nothing in return. Good networkers are bringing something with them – something new. News of an acquisition or that there has been a buyer change at a customer. News of a new technique that someone else in the industry has been using. A way to get a new customer (or keep an existing one happy). You’ll gain this knowledge when you start meeting with and talking to people. Bring up what someone told you at an SME meeting, etc.</p>

<p>In a few cases, you may bring up something you learned in school that they haven’t gotten to yet.</p>

<p>Some people like helping new graduates, especially if you’ve just graduated from their college.</p>

<p>Yes, you do ask for help … gently, but also do your best to bring something to the table.</p>

<p>By the way, another thing that can be helpful is to try connecting with the local engineering organizations (IEEE, SME, SQE, whichever one there is for ChemE’s, etc.), and if you’re willing to relocate, you can contact the chapter chairs who are out of town and ask if they know of someone – they often are very helpful.</p>

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<p>^ Great elaboration and advice! Thank you!</p>