<p>I am a junior in a Construction Engineering Technology program through the department of Civil Engineering (yes Construction Engineering Technology is considered an engineering discipline at my school, and we take a lot of the same classes as civil and mechanical engineers).
have been looking for an internship for the past 2 years (since I was a sophomore). I have yet to get an internship, and i'm starting to become worried that by the time I graduate I wont get one, or a job for that matter. I've invested to much money, and spent to much time working on my degree to not get a job. I feel like I am bad at interviews but I've gone out of my way to join engineering, and construction organizations like ITE, and AGC, which have helped me get a lot of interviews, but so far no real offers. I've tried working with career services to make my resume look good, and I've done multiple mock interviews and prepared for hours, but still nothing. I have had to work most of my college career too, which has not been good for my GPA which is around a 2.3 right now. This probably does not help right now either. what am I doing wrong, is there anything that I can do to increase my chances of getting an internship or a job, maybe cold calling, if so how do I cold call, and who I would locally but its a smaller town, with a few engineering and construction firms, but there's also a lot more out there.</p>
<p>I’m going to be very honest here. There are definitely jobs out there in that career because I personally have two friends that have internships in construction engineering. </p>
<p>I think the biggest things that are killing your chances are your GPA and your interview skills. One of the first things that companies do is screen applicants and eliminate as many applicants as possible and that is mostly just done be minimum job requirements. I know a lot of companies require at least a 3.0, the lowest I have seen is 2.7. Is there a way you can boost your GPA somehow? Retake some classes in which you are sure you can do a lot better in this time? If not I would try to get leadership positions in those organizations you are involved in, and at this point look for non-paid internships (if you have not already) just to get some experience. </p>
<p>Next, you mentioned you believed you had poor interview skills. That’s your problem right there, you need confidence in yourself. Employers look for that during interviews. Stand up straight, maintain eye contact, smile and be polite. Go and google behavioral interview questions and start practicing those. Most of the interviews you will have, especially 1st round interviews, they will be behavioral questions. Practice, practice, practice until you have your answers down. Try not to memorize your answers, instead focus on key points you want to mention.</p>
<p>Lastly, I think another thing that always helps is networking. HR screens applicants off GPA, but the actual people working in that field you are applying for don’t care too much for that as long as you can learn quickly and will contribute to the team. I’m not sure about how to go about cold-calling since I have never done it, but I would google that as well. I would suggest going to your career services and speaking to someone about how to get in contact with alumnis and see if there is someone working in a company you are interested in and shoot them an e-mail.</p>
<p>the avg gpa for engineering at some schools is like a 2.7, how does that work out in the job search process?</p>
<p>edit: I mean like, if many people have sub-2.7 gpas…what can they do?</p>
<p>I’m not sure how recruiting at engineering schools work since I’m a business major but I’m sure employers will take that into account, especially at engineering schools that are known to be very rigorous. That being said, I will still try to be at that avg. or above if possible. Try to get as much experience as possible and get involved in school. Take leadership roles in organizations and just get involved. Employers don’t strictly just look at GPA but want to make sure you are a well-rounded individual. </p>
<p>A close friend of mine, who also majored in engineering, had a gpa slightly above 2.7 and he knew someone at a very successful company. That person got him an interview and he they liked him so much they gave him a job offer right after that interview.</p>
<p>So like I said, GPA isn’t everything. Start networking, getting involved at your college, and get some experience.</p>