Getting Your Next Job Is Easier Than You Think, Just Follow This 3 Tips
As an entry level candidate, there is just too much competition. Whether you are searching online, talking to people at a career fair or handing them out at an engineering company, you are always at the end of the pole – because you have no experience. However, things don’t always have to be so hard if you learn how to hack the system.
Here are the top 3 ways I’ve used (and verified) that works to get your next job as an entry level engineer.
Make Communication Real – Through Any Event
Never underestimate the power of simple conversation.
One day, I went to a pre-career fair event (only because I just wanted the free food). I brought my resume with me and ended up sitting with 2 guys that were just relaxing at the table.
Turns out that these 2 people were actually engineers that were working at the company I wanted to work for.
Do you think I talked to them about “how cool I was” and “my greatest achievements as an engineering student”?
Nope. I just talked to them about how I was a master at getting free food.
3 days later, I had an interview.
Within the same period, on another occasion, I went visiting my old junior high school and saw my tech ed teacher. After talking to him about how I went to college to do engineering, he hooked me up with his son-in-law who was an engineer that worked in Upstate NY.
2 weeks later, I got a job offer. Better, this one was guaranteed 😉
Now, I ended up going with a different company but the point is don’t sell yourself short.
Placing your confidence in an online website is dumb. Make communication real by actually letting people know that you are looking for a job in engineering. Or talk to them about free food.
LinkedIn Is A Real Marketing Tool – Use It
Too many students today just think that the jobs are waiting for them after school. They aren’t.
Why not target a few people that will get you a job instead of trying to prove you are worth hiring compared to 50-100 other candidates?
I tried this for myself and I came up with some interesting results.
Here’s what happened:
1. I went to Linkedin.com and look for engineers that worked in the mechanical engineering industry.
There were too many people to choose from so I used the shortcut: Just look for engineers that are already talking to other people.
I used CTRL + F on 2-3 articles that were career-related then searched for “engineer” and looked for a mechanical engineering manager who I wanted to talk to.
2. Connect with them using an “awesome” message
From there, I messaged them using this template. You can use it as well. Send them something like this and it should work for you:
Hey {Name},
First, I just wanted to thank you for your comment you made on the {insert article name}. I totally agree with you on that point, especially since {your point you found interesting}.
In any case, I would love to connect with you. Please keep me updated if you ever plan to write articles as well!
– Eyram
Wouldn’t that make you smile if you got that message because of a comment?
3. Follow up 1-2 days later asking a question
After they accept the request (this is usually within seconds of seeing your message), send them another message asking them a question that you’ve been wondering.
It can be almost anything related to the engineering industry.
I asked this question: What advice would you give for {insert topic}?
In the message, go deep into what your problems have been lately and how they have been a real inspiration for you, especially after looking at their profile.
Then, explain where you want to go in your career in the future but you don’t know how to approach the problem.
What will they reply?
A positive answer in the right direction:)
I got to speak to the HR Director of Ferrari and even some IBM engineers that gave me tips, from experience hiring other people to THAT company, to put me ahead of other candidates.
Jobs Will Only Come With Experience
The catch-22 that we face will always remain the same: “How Do I Get Experience Without Experience?”
You need to make it. Remember, experience is more than just some bullet points on a resume.
Some college programs, like Knod, are trying to solve this problem by linking more work experience with classroom lessons. Here is an infographic (click to see full image) that talks about what they found while developing their program.
So, in other words, we can’t concentrate our efforts on school. It just isn’t worth the time investment.
Focus on your experience, meaning all the hands-on projects you can get, to be able to talk with employers before they are actually looking for people.
I had a similar experience where I contacted a company when they weren’t hiring and, 8 months later, they hired me when I was looking for a job before graduation.
When you are in that situation, you need to show evidence that you know what you are talking about. Even if you don’t have much, the fact that the open communication was made before they were hiring will put you ahead.
Focus on the core. Be useful to who is hiring you.
Before you go, I would like to know what other tips have you applied or heard of?
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