New Computer Engineer Graduate Seeking First Job in Austin, Texas
Recently graduated with a bachelor's degree in #Computer #Engineering on 5/5/2018 from Utah State University. Need to specifically find my first engineering job only in the #Austin, #Texas area because my family is living there.
It's been nearly four months and I have applied for dozens of jobs via LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor and still no luck. I've only had one employer contact me back. That particular phone interview went well, then they gave me a coding competency test which I passed, but they still selected another candidate.
I can get a technical support job easily enough at terribly low pay, but it's not development. I have a resume website at http://www.joel-meine.com/ that I created. Maybe it's because I'm not living in Austin, Texas yet, but soon I will be on August 29. Just feeling rather discouraged that I've had no luck landing my first engineering job by now. I wish I knew what I was doing wrong.
3 answers
Kim’s Answer
Joel,
I looked at your site, (played DuckHunt - Thanks!), your LinkedIn profile, and your Indeed resume. The question I had as I looked at it was whether you've done any freelance projects, had your own company (regardless of how small it may have been), etc, and also, whether you moved up in any way in the two jobs you mentioned. Even though these aren't "Dream jobs," I'm looking for something that says you did them well - not your own assessment that you did great, but, for example, if you trained other people, that would tell me that your employer recognized your strengths and contributions to the job.
Austin is a very competitive market. When searching resumes on Indeed, in Austin, I find 2300 resumes for computer engineers updated in the past 3 months. I recommend looking at some of them to see if there is anything you can do to modify your resume. (select: "find resumes" at the top, then de-select all options under "limit search to . . . ."
Also, I strongly recommend you go to job fairs and try to connect with recruiters on LinkedIn. Just sending out resumes doesn't bring the same success rate as making these personal connections. Also look for opportunities with companies where you may be able to get in at a lower level relying on your previous work history, and move up within that company.
Finally, don't get discouraged! Give yourself permission to take a break from job-hunting. Get outdoors, get some exercise, etc. You need to be able to walk into an interview with a look of self-confidence, rather than defeatism!!
Kim
Ken’s Answer
Getting to know yourself and those involved in your are of speciality are key to getting into the field.
The best way to get into a position is to do networking (preferrable face to face and on the phone, to allow for dialogue and two way conversation) with professionals involved in your area.
Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
Ken recommends the following next steps:
Ken’s Answer
These sites contain tried and true methods of achieving employment and are an addition to may previous answer: ## Job Hunting Tips:
Job Search Tips
Information Interviewing