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Hello Teamliquid!
I recently graduated college with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and have been on a month-long crusade to find a job. So far I've applied for every job I could find on the public market, that I'm qualified for, anywhere in the USA. That is, I've looked all over linkedin an craigslist and my school's career services webpage.  So far my results have been non-existent.
I figure, there's probably a lot of people on teamliquid who are in the same boat as me and can hopefully point me in the right direction. I will literally work any job in my field, anywhere in the world, as long as it's a full-time, long-term position.
For reference, I graduated with a 3.5 GPA, and have no experience in industry. I can speak English but no other languages. I love Starcraft almost as much as I love science. I know SolidWorks and can easily learn other CAD tools. I have a passion for mechanical design and analysis, and have experience working with finite element analysis in ANSYS and computational fluid dynamics in SolidWorks. Earlier this year I designed an air bearing during my senior project for an aerospace company that they were so happy with, they decided to patent it.
Unfortunately the job market in the US stinks for young people, but I'd be more than willing to leave the states to find work.
Anybody in the same position as me? Anybody have any advice on which companies are hiring recent college grads in engineering?
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how are you networking? Talk to your professors, friends,and relatives! I am currently looking too, except I have a 2.6 in EE. :D
oh wait u live in philly right?
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So far, I'm networking by posting a blog on teamliquid. Just read a book about how to find a job, it was a little disappointing because it said none of the good/easy-to-get jobs are on the public job market. You have to network to find those jobs.
Also I currently live in Colorado, and most of my friends are not college graduates and nobody in my family has a degree in a technical field.
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not to be an asshole or an "i told you so" kind of poster but this is why interning during undergrad and researching for professors goes a long way
i got my current job through a recommendation from a friend i met through a group research project
good luck!
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Doesn't the aerospace company have any job openings? If they were so happy with your results, you could probably apply even if they don't have any openings.
If you're not hearing back from companies, let a friend take a look at your resume. It might just need some tweaks to stand out more.
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Try monster.com, careerbuilder.com, and google 'mechanical engeineering jobs'
There's always a job somewhere out there. I'm not really sure how you have 'no experience' in your field when you just graduated with a ME.
Make yourself look good on your resume.
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Straight outta Johto18973 Posts
What particular courses did you take? How strong are your analytical and numerical skills? What sort of resume can you present? Do you know any programming languages (C++, Perl, MySQL, etc.)? There may be other opportunities available not in the Mech Eng field if the answer to those questions are yes.
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I'm in a similar situation as the OP... I graduated with a 3.5 from a pretty good school, studying both history and philosophy. My situation is similar because every job I applied to, near or far, went no further than that. I think first problem was that I felt I wasn't qualified for many jobs as a result of my majors. History and philosophy, while incredibly captivating and rewarding to study, severely lack the specificity that most employers look for. Second, in the jobs I felt comfortable applying for I feel I was rejected because I had no prior work experience in that field. As an employer, would you rather hire a kid out of college you have to train or would you rather hire the guy with 10 yrs experience who got laid off because his previous employer went out of business? Right now I am looking at graduate school and working for my father's company.. not where I was expecting to be 1 year after college, especially considering the cost of college and the work put in.
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Temp agencies might help you get a summer job.
A lot of people I know got jobs by going in stores and asking for them.
In addition you should go up to construction places (is a city in colorado doing construction?), and ask them if they need any cad designers. Knowing AutoCad and Microstation are pretty cool. I start a CAD job on Monday working with my city. I found mine through my school site and got kinda lucky with what type of skills were needed.
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On June 12 2011 12:07 EcksperT wrote:
I'm in a similar situation as the OP... I graduated with a 3.5 from a pretty good school, studying both history and philosophy. My situation is similar because every job I applied to, near or far, went no further than that. I think first problem was that I felt I wasn't qualified for many jobs as a result of my majors. History and philosophy, while incredibly captivating and rewarding to study, severely lack the specificity that most employers look for. Second, in the jobs I felt comfortable applying for I feel I was rejected because I had no prior work experience in that field. As an employer, would you rather hire a kid out of college you have to train or would you rather hire the guy with 10 yrs experience who got laid off because his previous employer went out of business? Right now I am looking at graduate school and working for my father's company.. not where I was expecting to be 1 year after college, especially considering the cost of college and the work put in.
This is something a lot of people don't think of when they go to university. I know several biology majors, history majors and one who took international affairs; all of them are without jobs in their field for obvious reasons.
Very few people think of actual jobs that exist in the markets that relate to what they're studying, and just think a university degree will automatically be desirable for it being a degree.
In practical applications, history and philosophy can work for certain positions, but they're harder to come by obviously. Did you major in both, or minor one of them? In your situation, grad school is probably the best option. You can do a concentration on something with better prospects, but it'll depend on your flexibility.
On June 12 2011 10:48 Meta wrote:
Anybody in the same position as me? Anybody have any advice on which companies are hiring recent college grads in engineering?
Easiest advice is apply to any institutions, companies and specific firms that have uses for an ME. Whether or not they advertise that they're looking for someone, submitting a resume and giving them future considerations is one of the simplest ways to possibly land something.
Outside of that, networking and putting more work into a resume and cover letter are more simple options. The only other thing that might benefit you is submitting to several job sites, and possibly even enlisting the services of a head hunter.
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I too am doing ME, but have planes to go into Aerospace Engineering for Grad school. Is that an option for you?
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16986 Posts
On June 12 2011 12:36 Kezzer wrote:
I too am doing ME, but have planes to go into Aerospace Engineering for Grad school. Is that an option for you?
:X
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I thought Engineering, especially mechanical, would be one of the degrees that would result in a job when you graduate from university. Maybe it's just the prevalent thought of the high school hive mind and the real world is far from it.
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I thought getting work experience or networking done is more important than GPA. The GPA is used to get internships and stuff while you're still in undergrad.
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On June 12 2011 13:14 Zlasher wrote:
I thought getting work experience or networking done is more important than GPA. The GPA is used to get internships and stuff while you're still in undergrad.
Yeah it's mostly graduate schools that care more about GPA, rather than most employers.
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GPA is not very important when looking for a job unless it is very high and looks good on your resume, or youre applying for a very competitive job where it can be used as an initial criteria.
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On June 12 2011 12:36 Kezzer wrote:
I too am doing ME, but have planes to go into Aerospace Engineering for Grad school. Is that an option for you?
That's my backup, I would stay in mechanical and go into nanotechnology. I would much rather get a job though so I can start paying back my student loans, though. Education is just so god damn expensive ~_~
On June 12 2011 11:24 Seth_ wrote:
Doesn't the aerospace company have any job openings? If they were so happy with your results, you could probably apply even if they don't have any openings.
If you're not hearing back from companies, let a friend take a look at your resume. It might just need some tweaks to stand out more.
I applied for an internship with them and got rejected 
They have no entry-level openings.
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What college did you go to? I'm asking becuz my school has close ties with some companies and hold career fairs and such every year. i dunno if ur school did this or not.
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Same situation here. Just graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from Texas A&M and no job. Gotten to 3-4 second round interviews but no responses after that I think going to graduate school is a very realistic choice right now because it buys you a few years for the job market to improve.
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On June 12 2011 14:15 MaRiNe23 wrote:
What college did you go to? I'm asking becuz my school has close ties with some companies and hold career fairs and such every year. i dunno if ur school did this or not.
I went to the University of Colorado Boulder. There were career fairs, I went to a few but nothing ever came of them.
On June 12 2011 14:50 holy_war wrote:Same situation here. Just graduated with a Civil Engineering degree from Texas A&M and no job. Gotten to 3-4 second round interviews but no responses after that I think going to graduate school is a very realistic choice right now because it buys you a few years for the job market to improve.
Good to know other people are in the same situation. Grad school definitely would buy more time. When I started in 2007 my school "promised" 2-7 job offers for my degree... Tough times are tough! 
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16986 Posts
On June 12 2011 17:03 Meta wrote:Good to know other people are in the same situation. Grad school definitely would buy more time. When I started in 2007 my school "promised" 2-7 job offers for my degree... Tough times are tough!
Isn't it illegal for schools to do this?
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On June 12 2011 12:38 Empyrean wrote:Show nested quote +On June 12 2011 12:36 Kezzer wrote:
I too am doing ME, but have planes to go into Aerospace Engineering for Grad school. Is that an option for you? :X
not punny enough?
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I'm in a similar situation as the OP (except my degree's in CS instead of engineering). If I had known employers only really cared about the work experience, I would have tried to get an internship somewhere.
Trying to get a job gets depressing when no one even wants to give you an interview. Sometimes I feel like I wasted the last 6 years of my life on nothing.
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On June 13 2011 03:15 Kezzer wrote:Show nested quote +On June 12 2011 12:38 Empyrean wrote:On June 12 2011 12:36 Kezzer wrote:
I too am doing ME, but have planes to go into Aerospace Engineering for Grad school. Is that an option for you? :X not punny enough?
Seemed more like a typo maybe?
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My work is hiring mechanical engineers but it's either part time intern work, or 5+ years experience required.
Sorry man, don't think I can help you.
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Don't get too discouraged by not finding a job after only a month after you graduated. I graduated with a degree in EE (3.2 but GPA was a very small issue in the hiring), and it took me a good year to find the job I have now. Even then it's only a contract position, so I will be looking for another job relatively soon. What I am doing now is nowhere near what I really want to do, but it's something to keep me until I can land a job doing what I want.
So, my advice would be to eventually broaden what kinds of jobs you would accept. Check job boards (as was mentioned by someone else earlier). Make sure you have a good resume (if you want someone to look it over, feel free to PM me, and make sure to edit out your personal info). If you can get temp work while you search for a full-time position, do it. It will at the very least show that you have the work ethic.
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On June 13 2011 15:06 WooChop wrote:
Don't get too discouraged by not finding a job after only a month after you graduated. I graduated with a degree in EE (3.2 but GPA was a very small issue in the hiring), and it took me a good year to find the job I have now. Even then it's only a contract position, so I will be looking for another job relatively soon. What I am doing now is nowhere near what I really want to do, but it's something to keep me until I can land a job doing what I want.
So, my advice would be to eventually broaden what kinds of jobs you would accept. Check job boards (as was mentioned by someone else earlier). Make sure you have a good resume (if you want someone to look it over, feel free to PM me, and make sure to edit out your personal info). If you can get temp work while you search for a full-time position, do it. It will at the very least show that you have the work ethic.
That's good advice, but I've already broadened my search as much as I possibly can. I will work ANYWHERE, doing ANYTHING, as long as it's in the field of mechanical engineering, and I'm still having a lot of trouble.
My resume is pretty tight, I've spent the last 8 months revising it and I'm very happy with it right now.
How did you find your job? Did you have previous experience with an internship during school?
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You should apply for a job where i work...Vistakon in Jacksonville, FL(J&J). They've just started hiring people again, and it's great pay for not much work, in general, lol, at least the position I think you might be qualified for.
http://www.simplyhired.com/a/jobs/list/q-vistakon/l-jacksonville, fl/pn-6
The only thing I think you'd be qualified for is a line tech, but w/e. No idea if that's something you've had any experience in though, tbh.
Also, don't be scared of requirements higher than your expertise or experience level. Apply, call, and recall until definitely rejected. You lose nothing by doing this, they certainly won't remember you a week later, and you won't be working for them anyways if they reject you, don't don't worry about being annoying. Just sending resumes to thousands of employers does nothing to make you stand out from the crowd. Call places personally, and keep calling if they do anything short of outright rejecting you.
Oh yeah, and don't give up. There are jobs out there....the problem is just that you are competing with thousands of similarly qualified people. So the more feelers you put out there, the more people you know, the more people you call and talk to, the better your chances.
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Calgary25980 Posts
I wish I could help you but you're in the US and I'm in Canada. I also had difficulty finding a job after univeristy. I'd suggest that, if you can afford it, you take some entry level courses in the industry you're targeting. While looking for a full-time job, get a shitty part-time job (I tutored high school kids) or volunteer (I taught chess to elementary students). It will pay the bills and will score you points when you inevitably get asked "You graduated 7 months ago, what have you been doing?"
Don't be afraid to bother people. I got hired by sending a a monthly email asking my now-boss "Are you hiring yet?" for four months.
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i got my job with the state government.
i didn't get any interviews for anything until i started working a job, in this case, it was a game testing gig. after that i started getting interview opportunities, though i kept bombing them.
the one thing you want to do is to always be learning. learn something, develop necessary skills, and be able to show that you have developed these skills. join professional organizations, read up on the news in whatever field you're interested in, be able to practice whatever skill you need to develop. take classes if you can; classes are one of the easiest ways to meet people especially if it's something in your field.
as for who's hiring... i think northrop grumman is hiring. i think. i'm not sure which program, my friend has been trying to get me to submit my resume there, but i also read the other week that they had deep cuts in their space program. so i'm not sure where.
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On June 14 2011 07:41 Chill wrote:
I wish I could help you but you're in the US and I'm in Canada. I also had difficulty finding a job after univeristy. I'd suggest that, if you can afford it, you take some entry level courses in the industry you're targeting. While looking for a full-time job, get a shitty part-time job (I tutored high school kids) or volunteer (I taught chess to elementary students). It will pay the bills and will score you points when you inevitably get asked "You graduated 7 months ago, what have you been doing?"
Don't be afraid to bother people. I got hired by sending a a monthly email asking my now-boss "Are you hiring yet?" for four months.
I'm actually going to start tutoring high school kids myself this month. Summer's a crap-shoot of a season for tutoring though
On June 14 2011 08:32 kainzero wrote:
i got my job with the state government.
i didn't get any interviews for anything until i started working a job, in this case, it was a game testing gig. after that i started getting interview opportunities, though i kept bombing them.
the one thing you want to do is to always be learning. learn something, develop necessary skills, and be able to show that you have developed these skills. join professional organizations, read up on the news in whatever field you're interested in, be able to practice whatever skill you need to develop. take classes if you can; classes are one of the easiest ways to meet people especially if it's something in your field.
as for who's hiring... i think northrop grumman is hiring. i think. i'm not sure which program, my friend has been trying to get me to submit my resume there, but i also read the other week that they had deep cuts in their space program. so i'm not sure where.
Good advice, I'm taking two online summer classes at the moment but it's pretty hard to meet people in an online class 
Thanks for the suggestion for Northrop Grumman, I had never even heard of them and it looks like they have a few openings for recent college graduates that I'll apply for ^_^
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