You have spent years of stress and hard work to reach your goal of graduating as an engineer. The celebrations have started but unfortunately, your mind is also busy with the next step of the job search and this is equally scary and exciting. You are not alone on this journey, all graduates are going through the same process in whichever career they have chosen.
The good news is that you now have a degree in engineering and that gives you the upper hand in finding meaningful and satisfying work. Even with your degree, there are still several things that you will need to make yourself an employable candidate.
1. Resume
Your resume should show the experiences you have achieved during your study holiday whilst doing part-time jobs and projects. By demonstrating the extracurricular work you have managed to do along with your studies, you show good time management, organization skills and dedication to your chosen profession. By now you would know which direction you would like your career to go in and this will help define your resume. With research, you will find companies that specialize in your field and you can narrow your search to companies that you would like to work for and grow your career with.
2. Networking
Most universities assist with networking by setting up events or guest speakers, this is a valuable tool for meeting eminent people in the industry. Don’t leave out any chance to network. Use your social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook to put yourself out there and make sure you are seen by important people in the industry.
Social media is a very important tool to enhance your brand, which would be your skills, experience and personality. Employers like the idea of being able to validate a candidate’s experience by checking their social media accounts. Make sure your LinkedIn and other social network profiles are consistent and match your resume.
3. Online Search
Engineering jobs can also be found globally on online job portals. These are easy to use and put you in contact with thousands of recruiters looking for engineers. Job portals are free to use and allow you to apply for multiple jobs with very little searching as you also have the option to use job alerts. These are alerts to your phone or email of jobs that suit your search criteria.
If you are planning to start your career abroad, this is also a very useful tool to use because of the easy access to job listings around the world.
4. Recruitment Agency
Unlike a job portal, a recruitment agency will work with you directly to find your dream job. They will get to know you personally and because they are professionals in their industry, they will know which company or position will suit you best. Very often you can find a recruitment agency that deals specifically with engineering jobs, this is an advantage as they will know the industry intimately.
5. Interview Preparation
Once the above steps have been completed and your resume has been sent out to prospective employers, the interview process is the next step. Fortunately, at this level the questions posed will not be as difficult as if you had been in employment for many years. They will still want to see what your soft skills are like: problem-solving, teamwork and time management. All your preparation before will assist you in this process. Remember, don’t be afraid to ask for help, from lecturers to friends and numerous online articles.
