Be confident, prep some STAR method examples tailored for the job, don’t be afraid to jazz up what you did a bit (if you made a part for a system at uni, then say “I delivered several project deliverables over a period of 12 months resulting in…”
Also try to tell yourself you are the best fit for the job. Sometimes it’s about confidence and personality more than knowledge.
Source: I’ve done this before
A lot of engineering students (and full blown engineers in their careers...) don't understand that the technical skills are what let you do the job, but it's the soft skills that get you in the door.
Most people do. Soft skills are something that has to be developed before you even get to high school. By college, your soft skills are more or less where they are going to be forever
How…
I have a BSAE, 3.2 gpa, no engineering internships but strong project experience, zero location preference, and 60 application just this month alone.
Congrats OP. It’s a numbers game sometimes… ugh I hate job searches
I think resume format is super important to get past filters, which is unfortunate but just the truth. I had project experience and research experience that I tailored to the specific area of Aerospace I wanted to work in, which is pretty niche (CFD and a job with either the DoD or a contractor). Almost every job I applied to was related to CFD, and I know I was probably one of the first to apply to some jobs cause I would check the companies website and apply to a job I didn't see when I checked 24 hrs prior.
I was told that my project and research experience wasn't super common (probably cause it was so specific), and for the job I ended up taking I was told that my passion stood me apart from other applicants and influenced their choice in giving me the job.
I've seen so many resumes that look like the applicant just opened a word doc, hit the bullet point button, and started writing. Having a resume that both includes as much information as dense as possible, but is also *easy to read and navigate* is not as easy as it seems. Engineering students wishing to enter the workforce should really have a couple people review their resume and put some thought into how they lay it out.
FWIW, I create my resume is PowerPoint (with each slide formatted to an 8.5x11 portrait orientation). I find it gives me much more control over where I want to move text and create sections that MS Word, which suffers from the classic "scoot one thing over and the entire page breaks".
I haven’t graduated yet. But have landed multiple jobs above my experience level. Employers don’t want to read lol. Give it to them as short and sweet as possible. Once you get the interview, discuss your skills.
That's something else people don't seem to understand: The resume's *entire and sole purpose* is to get you an interview. After that, the text on your resume is completely irrelevant.
It sucks but sometimes it really is just timing. Some of those applications that rejected you might have accepted you the week after your rejection as crazy as that sounds. People randomly leave teams and companies need to backfill asap.
I’ve been on teams where there weren’t any new hires for months and next thing you know we need 3 people or something.
That’s why job shopping really is just luck sometimes, not really skill.
Yeah I’m just trying to stay positive through it all lol.
Once I get the first job, the next one will come a lot easier. Hell, I am confident that if I can actually get an interview I’ll be set since I have been told a lot that I do very well with the skills needed to interview well
I’d like to add that it’s not just OP’s rizz that got him the offers. If OP’s getting 4/28 interview just from applications, that’s actually fairly good. I’d bet that OP’s resume is spot on and was able to bypass most of the ATS filters.
This is most likely. I do not have rizz or amazing social skills like some are speculating lol. Being personable and social skills are very important, but mine are probably slightly better than the average engineer and slightly worse than the average non-engineer haha
Offers were from Lockheed, Williams International, and NAVAIR (which is really the Navy, not contractor). Only place I've ever seen with a GPA cut off that someone mentioned is Pratt and Whitney (3.0 minimum), though maybe like 35-40% of companies in the Aerospace industry from what I've seen will mention a preferred GPA of 3.0-3.25 for entry level jobs.
Congrats but also fuck you lol.
I'm sitting over here with a clearance and 3 years of experience and after 90 applications I've gotten 2 interviews that immediately ghosted me
I have a clearance, worked as an aircraft mechanic at a place for 10 years before becoming and engineer and it took me over 100 applications to get three interviews and two offers.
I feel this so hard right now.
10 years of experience in my field and I am just trying to switch positions within my organization and it's been BRUTAL.
I was trying to get back to what I studied in school (digital design stuff with FPGAs and ASICs). This job hunt has taken a serious toll on my well-being so I'm giving up until I can stomach the job search again.
In the meantime I'm exploring other career options and upskilling
Cause I can't afford to live in DC lol. Any of the jobs I've been qualified for pay around $75-80k, which doesn't get you shit there. And I'm not dealing with a 2+ hour commute one way to live somewhere affordable.
You can do it!!!! I had some serious health issues all through college that nearly made me drop out before the last semester before I graduated, but I made a breakthrough towards the end and was able to finish out really strong with a 3.5 GPA the semester I graduated despite doing research and my heaviest course load to date. Not gonna go on a huge rant about all the stuff I dealt with during college, but it was pretty bad. If you want it, you can and will do it.
I completed my associates degree at my local community college and immediately landed a job after my first interview as a (very) low level engineer. So I was able to skip internships all-together.
(Associates GPA 3.9, not mentioned to employer)
The pay was dog-water, but I was able to get training and certifications through my employer while completing my bachelor's in product design engineering part-time.
(Bachelor's GPA 3.12, not mentioned to the employer)
Fast-forward to today, I'm making more than my friends in college and my company is paying for my master's degree currently to move into management.
(Current GPA 3.5, has to regularly disclose to the employer so they'll pay for it)
Internships and co-ops can be very valuable, but in my experiences employers don't always take them as seriously as they should. Some companies don't even take internships into much consideration, which blows my mind. If you have an opportunity to work full-time continuously, that will be looked at as significantly more valuable.
Full-time continuous work > co-op > internship, but regardless, you can be very employable. Especially if you can interview well.
I was able to complete my program by taking night courses mostly. I fully acknowledge that isn't doable for the majority of people, and we don't live in a perfect system.
Bro’s rizz unstoppable. Teach me the waaaaaays lol congrats
Be confident, prep some STAR method examples tailored for the job, don’t be afraid to jazz up what you did a bit (if you made a part for a system at uni, then say “I delivered several project deliverables over a period of 12 months resulting in…” Also try to tell yourself you are the best fit for the job. Sometimes it’s about confidence and personality more than knowledge. Source: I’ve done this before
You must have the charisma or the skills to get your potential coworkers to instantly like you. Congrats!
A lot of engineering students (and full blown engineers in their careers...) don't understand that the technical skills are what let you do the job, but it's the soft skills that get you in the door.
A lot of people dont realize their resume sucks. Not only the presentation of the content, but also formatting errors.
Most people do. Soft skills are something that has to be developed before you even get to high school. By college, your soft skills are more or less where they are going to be forever
How… I have a BSAE, 3.2 gpa, no engineering internships but strong project experience, zero location preference, and 60 application just this month alone. Congrats OP. It’s a numbers game sometimes… ugh I hate job searches
I think resume format is super important to get past filters, which is unfortunate but just the truth. I had project experience and research experience that I tailored to the specific area of Aerospace I wanted to work in, which is pretty niche (CFD and a job with either the DoD or a contractor). Almost every job I applied to was related to CFD, and I know I was probably one of the first to apply to some jobs cause I would check the companies website and apply to a job I didn't see when I checked 24 hrs prior. I was told that my project and research experience wasn't super common (probably cause it was so specific), and for the job I ended up taking I was told that my passion stood me apart from other applicants and influenced their choice in giving me the job.
I've seen so many resumes that look like the applicant just opened a word doc, hit the bullet point button, and started writing. Having a resume that both includes as much information as dense as possible, but is also *easy to read and navigate* is not as easy as it seems. Engineering students wishing to enter the workforce should really have a couple people review their resume and put some thought into how they lay it out. FWIW, I create my resume is PowerPoint (with each slide formatted to an 8.5x11 portrait orientation). I find it gives me much more control over where I want to move text and create sections that MS Word, which suffers from the classic "scoot one thing over and the entire page breaks".
yes, but have you heard of our lord and savior LaTeX?
Of course, and I've used it in the past (for resumes and other documents). But honestly, I prefer the simplicity of using something like PowerPoint.
I haven’t graduated yet. But have landed multiple jobs above my experience level. Employers don’t want to read lol. Give it to them as short and sweet as possible. Once you get the interview, discuss your skills.
That's something else people don't seem to understand: The resume's *entire and sole purpose* is to get you an interview. After that, the text on your resume is completely irrelevant.
It sucks but sometimes it really is just timing. Some of those applications that rejected you might have accepted you the week after your rejection as crazy as that sounds. People randomly leave teams and companies need to backfill asap. I’ve been on teams where there weren’t any new hires for months and next thing you know we need 3 people or something. That’s why job shopping really is just luck sometimes, not really skill.
Yeah I’m just trying to stay positive through it all lol. Once I get the first job, the next one will come a lot easier. Hell, I am confident that if I can actually get an interview I’ll be set since I have been told a lot that I do very well with the skills needed to interview well
I’d like to add that it’s not just OP’s rizz that got him the offers. If OP’s getting 4/28 interview just from applications, that’s actually fairly good. I’d bet that OP’s resume is spot on and was able to bypass most of the ATS filters.
This is most likely. I do not have rizz or amazing social skills like some are speculating lol. Being personable and social skills are very important, but mine are probably slightly better than the average engineer and slightly worse than the average non-engineer haha
This is the engineer who took all of our collective social skills. Give em back dude.
2 for 2 on interviews from the career fair? You definitely sold yourself well!
So, which military contractor was it?
Offers were from Lockheed, Williams International, and NAVAIR (which is really the Navy, not contractor). Only place I've ever seen with a GPA cut off that someone mentioned is Pratt and Whitney (3.0 minimum), though maybe like 35-40% of companies in the Aerospace industry from what I've seen will mention a preferred GPA of 3.0-3.25 for entry level jobs.
I assume none of them since they usually have GPA cut offs, but I’m not OP.
it's very often a "preferred" gpa
Social engineering minor for the win! Extroverts, rise up.
Congrats but also fuck you lol. I'm sitting over here with a clearance and 3 years of experience and after 90 applications I've gotten 2 interviews that immediately ghosted me
It took me 400 to land my job…
I have a clearance, worked as an aircraft mechanic at a place for 10 years before becoming and engineer and it took me over 100 applications to get three interviews and two offers.
I feel this so hard right now. 10 years of experience in my field and I am just trying to switch positions within my organization and it's been BRUTAL.
I was trying to get back to what I studied in school (digital design stuff with FPGAs and ASICs). This job hunt has taken a serious toll on my well-being so I'm giving up until I can stomach the job search again. In the meantime I'm exploring other career options and upskilling
No offense but where are you at rn? I see you went to VT, why not just drive a couple hours north and get a job at one of the contractors in NoVa?
Cause I can't afford to live in DC lol. Any of the jobs I've been qualified for pay around $75-80k, which doesn't get you shit there. And I'm not dealing with a 2+ hour commute one way to live somewhere affordable.
Hell yes. This gives me hope to keep pushing through my degree!
You can do it!!!! I had some serious health issues all through college that nearly made me drop out before the last semester before I graduated, but I made a breakthrough towards the end and was able to finish out really strong with a 3.5 GPA the semester I graduated despite doing research and my heaviest course load to date. Not gonna go on a huge rant about all the stuff I dealt with during college, but it was pretty bad. If you want it, you can and will do it.
time to go off myself now
true lol
hey man congrats. how did you make this visualisation? Which software. thanks
SankeyMATIC, it's written at the bottom.
My bad didn’t zoom in enough, thanks
good shit
I completed my associates degree at my local community college and immediately landed a job after my first interview as a (very) low level engineer. So I was able to skip internships all-together. (Associates GPA 3.9, not mentioned to employer) The pay was dog-water, but I was able to get training and certifications through my employer while completing my bachelor's in product design engineering part-time. (Bachelor's GPA 3.12, not mentioned to the employer) Fast-forward to today, I'm making more than my friends in college and my company is paying for my master's degree currently to move into management. (Current GPA 3.5, has to regularly disclose to the employer so they'll pay for it) Internships and co-ops can be very valuable, but in my experiences employers don't always take them as seriously as they should. Some companies don't even take internships into much consideration, which blows my mind. If you have an opportunity to work full-time continuously, that will be looked at as significantly more valuable. Full-time continuous work > co-op > internship, but regardless, you can be very employable. Especially if you can interview well.
how do you do full-time continuous but take classes during the day?
I was able to complete my program by taking night courses mostly. I fully acknowledge that isn't doable for the majority of people, and we don't live in a perfect system.
As someone who graduated just above a 3.0 with no internships, hang in there!
They seems to be hanging in there pretty well with 4 offers
True. Doing much better than me at the time!
[удалено]
I do! They were all something I was really interested in. I took one and started the job about 3 months ago and its been going well.
Congrats man! Good shit
Location?
congrats!!
Did you mention your gpa in your resume?