<p>So i'm a 3rd year environmental eng. I'm applying within my school co-op system and I haven't gotten ANY interviews. I don't understand whats wrong! Last year I had 9 and now with more work experience nobody wants to interview me?! In terms of internal competition within my own school I have more experience than anyone and my class rank is 2.</p>
<p>I used to worry that inside that interview I could mess up but I'm really surprised i'm not getting Any interviews. I'm not sure waht to do, i've already had ppl look over my cover letter and resume and this same base resume has been sucessful before. Is it really the economy?</p>
<p>These companies are interviewing others from my school...so they are hiring...just not me.</p>
<p>I think that the economy probably has something to do with it, however, hopefully I won't be the first one to tell you that sometimes you have to create your own luck. I have found that life is very cyclical, with everything. </p>
<p>There are times when I seem to have many options as far as girls are concerned lol, if you know what I mean, other times its a dry spell. I have found similar experiences in the job market, there are times when I can choose where I want an internship, and other times when I cant even get an interview. If nothing major has changed in your resume over the last year for the negative e.g. GPA, etc., and if companies are still recruiting from your school, then I would say you are just going through one of those cyclical times in your life. A good way to get out of that is to break your standard routine and try a different approach. If you normally just have the grades and experience to attract companies to you, perhaps you need to try being more aggressive and approach them. If you are normally very aggressive in your job searches, try relaxing a little bit and worry about other things for a while. </p>
<p>Anyway, thats my two cents :)
GOOD LUCK
- PS- Dry spells R no Fun Make it rain</p>
<p>In my humble opinion, both the US and Canada are swimming in engineers, i.e. a LOT of oversupply. </p>
<p>Recent mass layoffs have made for very steep competition. A friend of mine works for the Ministry of Environment. He tells me that when they advertise for a co-op position, they get 500 +, including many from people with 10+ yrs of exp willing to work for $12 or $13 per hour to keep their resume active. Every 2nd person driving cab in Toronto is an engineer from another country. </p>
<p>If you cannot find work or there is only low paying work, chances are it is the invisible hand of the free market i.e. supply v. demand. If you want some advice, finish Env E then go into Mining Engineering.</p>
<p>That's bad advice. There are plenty of hew hire engineering positions out there, and the OP even indicated that companies were hiring at his school.</p>
<p>To the OP - there's something wrong with your cover letter and resume. That's it. </p>
<p>Do your internships point to a specific industry (i.e. do you have 2 internships in air permitting)? If so, that might turn off employers in other areas. Do you have all your internships in the same city? If so, that might signal that you're not willing to move.<br>
Do you have all your internships with the same company? If so, other companies might assume you're going back there and/or wonder why you're not invited back. Is your objective statement or cover letter too narrowly focused?</p>
<p>If those are the case and you're not compensating somehow in your cover letter / objective, that would be your problem. Remember, hiring is not just about finding the best student, it's about finding the best student that would be happy in the position. If you're signaling that what they're offering isn't what you want, they won't even bother to finish reading your resume.</p>
<p>hey G.P.Burdell,
I think you're right. I've had 3 government internships so companies might think that I only want to work in the government. I'm going to change that in my cover letter. I think my problem was that since this cover letter has worked for me in the past, I didn't want to change it. But I will now, thanks a lot!</p>
<p>if a guy ranked 2nd in his class w/ 3 summer experiences has that much trouble finding an <em>interview</em>, i can't imagine what other guys (w/ 0 summer exp + lower gpa) must be going through.</p>
<p>and then there's a part where you have worry about getting past an interview once you get one.</p>
<p>and then once you get past, now you have worry about getting past the 2nd round interview.</p>
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if a guy ranked 2nd in his class w/ 3 summer experiences has that much trouble finding an <em>interview</em>, i can't imagine what other guys (w/ 0 summer exp + lower gpa) must be going through.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>There could be other issues, but I have a feeling that his internships in the same field are turning off a lot of potential employers. I've turned down 5.0 GPAs from MIT in the past because I didn't think they'd want to work for my company. Why would I waste my time going through an interview and making an offer if they're not going to take the job? And even if they're desperate and take the job, what good is it for me to spend money training them while they're looking for employment elsewhere? </p>
<p>An internship is just advanced training / a semester-long job interview. You're not going to bring in interns unless you think you have a shot at hiring them. Interns almost always cost more (in terms of training and the mentor's time) than they generate.</p>
<p>"if a guy ranked 2nd in his class w/ 3 summer experiences has that much trouble finding an <em>interview</em>, i can't imagine what other guys (w/ 0 summer exp + lower gpa) must be going through."</p>
<p>thats the thing. If nobody was getting interviews i'd just conclude that its the economy but since other ppl with less experience and crappier marks Are getting interviews thats not the case. </p>
<p>To: G.P. Burdell,
is there anything you recommend? I was thinking of having something like "Although I have a lot of government experience, I would love a chance to work in the private sector"
in my cover letter.</p>
<p>
[quote]
is there anything you recommend? I was thinking of having something like "Although I have a lot of government experience, I would love a chance to work in the private sector"
in my cover letter.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Something along those lines would be helpful - you just need to address it so that people know you're interested in things other than government work. </p>
<p>I would also include something in the resume objective (cover letters aren't read as often as you'd think). If you want, have two resumes: one with an objective geared towards the private sector and one towards the public sector.</p>
<p>There's a problem with the materials you've given them. Most interview by GPA and experience where you are clearly winning. Immediately review all of your materials.</p>
<p>
[quote]
really? I thought cover letters were really important.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>They're more important for senior positions than entry level. Think of it from the recruiter's position: if she gets 250 resumes, do you think she has time to read all of the cover letters? </p>
<p>Here's what I did in that situation:</p>
<ol>
<li> Eliminate low GPAs / no GPAs / clearly unqualified (i.e. wrong degree)</li>
<li> Eliminate people with objectives that clearly don't match my company</li>
</ol>
<p>That would leave maybe 50 resumes, which would then get sorted based on experience.</p>
<p>I would really only look at a cover letter right before an interview. There's just not time to look at all of them.</p>
<p>i managed to finally get 1 interview so thats good. </p>
<p>Does a recruiter really get 250 resumes? I'm applying to all sorts of companies, big or small. I understand that big companies would get tons of resumes but some companies that I'm applying to only have like 10 employees in total. I wondering how many applications these will get. </p>
<p>This is a whole new can of worms but I'm starting to wonder IF gpa matters. I mean within my school if gpa matters i don't really see how i'm only getting 1 interview. This interview is something i found outside the co-op system. </p>
<p>@ xjis, I dunno, my cover letter isn't that great. I've had some ppl look it over but meh. Its just that its done fine in the past...back when i was averaging 2-3 interviews per week, so i've kept it.</p>
<p>Obviously, it depends on your competition, but usually "low GPA" starts in the 2's. Anyone at 3.0 or up is fine, unless it's a school with major grade inflation or a really low ranking school (not that there's anything wrong with students low ranking schools - it's just that you can be pickier there, so you want the very top students).</p>
<p>GPA really isn't as important in industry as people think. When I would review resumes, I would look for some minimum GPA (usually 3.0) then select a person for an interview based on their experience and objective. A GPA is a poor way to differentiate good potential employees from bad potential employees. You use it as a signal of quality, then move on to more applicable measures.</p>
<p>The thing is that I am and will be repeating a total of three subjects. two math and one core course. I have grades ranging -B to B. And after retaking these courses, and i am sure 100% i can get a better grade, my gpa will go up. I am being pressured from family to find work that PAYS WELL. Its hard enough finding internships as a rising junior and most of the hiring companies that "pay well" will throw out my resume because of what i have.
I got replies from two companies that only give credit which my school rejects.
I dont even get responses from other companies and it feels as if my email went to the wrong person rather than HR. Confused!</p>
<p>Edit - GP, I follow most of your posts around these topics and appreciate your input.</p>
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GP, I follow most of your posts around these topics and appreciate your input.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Thanks. I try to be helpful, even if that requires some terse comments.</p>
<p>
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I am being pressured from family to find work that PAYS WELL. Its hard enough finding internships as a rising junior and most of the hiring companies that "pay well" will throw out my resume because of what i have.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Don't worry about your family. Just don't tell them what you make. (I assume it has something to do with how "successful" you are financially, which is translated to how successful they are as a parent)?</p>
<p>Companies should absolutely not be throwing out 3.3 GPA students for junior internships. That's a pretty good GPA and should get you into an interview for most companies (consulting firms, aside). Have you eliminated other potential causes? Usually it's just GPA, major, and well well the resume looks (layout, spelling, showing that you put some effort into it, etc.) that gets you an interview for an internship, especially as a sophomore.</p>