Graduate jobs

nellynel23

I qualified as an engineer this year and have been applying for a lot of jobs and have only had one interview!I did get offered the job but turned it down for several reasons. My CV is pretty decent and i got a 2:2 honours degree. I have heard that most graduate jobs dot come about until september/october time. Am I right to believe this?

AARRRGH

No, there are always jobs for graduates.

How's your cover letter?

fret_wimp

ive said it in many threads here but its just so important. make sure your cv is perfect. its all these people have to distinguish you from the hundreds of other applicants. spend weeks honing and perfecting your cv. after that, its all about interview eticut.

maceocc2

Specifically what kinda engineering are you certified in? And why if you don't mind me asking did you turn down the first offer?

barryfitz

fret_wimp wrote:

its all about interview eticut.

Whats that I googled it and found it to be a hairdressers:D

I think your right, most of the grad jobs dont seem to appear until sept, that was the case with me anyway, Nothin for ages then a whole pile of ppl lookin for me to attend interviews when I did get a job.

AARRRGH

As someone who used to work in recruitment, the problem is nearly always the jobseeker. You would be saddened by the poor quality CV's and cover letters we used to receive.

Most companies have a continuous hiring policy - if the right person comes along, they will hire them. It is up to you to prove you are the right person.

fret_wimp

and thus the advice to make your CV stand out becomes valid!

lukin

fret_wimp wrote:

and thus the advice to make your CV stand out becomes valid!

That's all well and good but I have got totally sick of fiddling about with my CV, constantly changing it on the advice of other people.
Also, if you don't have experience of the kind of skills the employer wants, all the changes to your CV in the world won't make a difference.
I don't believe for a second that they look at every single CV that they receive anyway.

AARRRGH

The first CV's the employer receives get the most attention, so it's best to try to get your application in as soon as the job is advertised.

Not having the experience is a problem alright, but you know what, maybe they are looking to hire immediately and no one has applied for the job, so there is no harm applying for the position anyway.

fret_wimp

lukin wrote:

That's all well and good but I have got totally sick of fiddling about with my CV, constantly changing it on the advice of other people.
Also, if you don't have experience of the kind of skills the employer wants, all the changes to your CV in the world won't make a difference.
I don't believe for a second that they look at every single CV that they receive anyway.

Yes, it does get monotonous constantly honing your cv, but thats whats required for a good cv. If your dont put in the effort, dont expect terriffic results. theres no such thing as a free lunch, as they say.

Sure if you dont have the skills and expirience, the shiniest CV wont help, but look at your suituation. You are a qualified Engineer with a degree. Now my reckoning is you will be applying for engineering jobs. So your a graduate engineer. If your applying for graduate engineering jobs, then you do have the required expirience. If your applying for jobs that require years of expirience, then you are aiming too high. So with your qualifications, you ARE qualified for any graduate engineering positions. Let your CV show this.

Think about it, your applying for graduate jobs, you are a guaduate with the necessary qualifications, but you are getting relatively few calls. Theres a weak link somewhere and the only things it could be are:

1. you are not proactive enough in looking for jobs and are not applying for enough jobs ( I dont think this is the case)

or

2. Your CV, when viewed alongside CV's of other candidates for the positions is not up to scratch. Its your call to decide which of these are the weak link preventing you getting more calls.

Heres something I learned when I first left college and started looking for a job. I knew bugger all. You think college teaches you everything and you are ready to take on the world, but this couldnt be further from the truth. When i got a job, it was like starting all over again. All my degree did was prove to the employers that I was dedicated, could learn independently and had some knowledge in my chosen field. The degree is only means to get your foot in the door. Then the real learning begins! Its only after a few years at work you realise how little you knew on leaving college. Graduate positions generally cater for this and are designed to help you ramp up to becomming a fully functional profitable employee. so let your cv show examples of when you excelled, really exerted yourself, examples of teamwork, and examples of how you are good at picking up things and learning independently. Graduate CV's are worlds apart from a CV of someone with a few years expirience. If you need some info on how i think a graduate cv should be formatted let me know and il do my best to help.

Best of luck with it all.

maceocc2

The fact of the matter is, ye have a 2:2 degree, which is not bad by any means, but many engineering companies firstly screen there graduate candidates by what level degree they got. now if theres 20 jobs going and 50 people with a 1:1 or a 2:1 degree go for the same job as you, your fecked for starters,

What you should be doing is trying to get any engineering job ye can regardless of pay, hours, management, location or what ever reason ye had for not taking the first job you where offered, to move up quickly you need work experience not a fancy CV with bells hanging from every corner

fret_wimp

all the expirience in the world wont get you a job if the cv that lists the expirience looks like crap. People wont read a terrible looking cv. its not about bells, (dont know why you would hang a bell of a cv anyway) its about presenting your information in the cleanest,concise and articulate way.

nellynel23

I have been told from my current boss that my CV is impressive and he would what he is talking about and my cover is also good! I have been applying for jobs that do require 1-2 years experience as well as any graduate jobs. From about 16 applications I have got one interview and two rejections, both for not having the required experience.

Some of the jobs I applied for, I applied for nearly a month ago and have heard nothing back, is this normal? Would they not email to say they arent offering an interview or do some not bother?

The reason i turned down the job I was offered is that was a job that I know I would really dislike, it would involve a lot of travelling and a serious amount of hours. I know beggers cant be choosers but I didnt work hard to go for a job that I would dislike and probably not last long in. Also it would not have been very good experience for me as it strayed away from enginnering and more into sales!!

My degree is in Manufacturing and Mechanical engineering.

damnyanks

Well unless the jobs are identical you will most likely need to edit your cv a bit to get the best results. Having a 2.2 is a disadvantage if you're in at entry level because many students have a 2.1.

If a job really interests you follow it up. Ideally you want to get your Cv/cover letter in within 1 day of the job posting coming up. This will get you the quickest response.

Use any contacts or friends you have at companies you're interested in.

aidan_walsh

Just a quick stupid question that I can't seem to find an answer to online, what exactly does the 2.1/2.2 relate to in terms of GPA or overall percentage? The IT I went to didn't issue results in that system, so I don't know how to convert to it.

Vokes

Isn't it something like 2:2 is 50-59% and a 2:1 is 60-69%? I think that's what it was in my I.T.

May be slightly different in the Unis.

ixoy

SofaKing wrote:

Isn't it something like 2:2 is 50-59% and a 2:1 is 60-69%? I think that's what it was in my I.T.

May be slightly different in the Unis.

It's the same in Trinity. I got a 2:1 with about 66% or so.

nellynel23

In My course a 2:1 is 63%- 69% and a 2:2 is 55%-62%.

In my course of 14 there was one 1:1 and one 2:1, the rest were 2:2's and pass degrees.

Borzoi

nellynel23 wrote:

My CV is pretty decent and i got a 2:2 honours degree. I have heard that most graduate jobs dot come about until september/october time. Am I right to believe this?

No, not really. As others have said, Grad jobs come up all year round.

I'm an engineer, I've recruited grads in the past, some tips:

1) Honestly there is no difference between the degree grades, as an employer they give bugger all information. So don't sweat it.

2) The CV and cover letter. They don't have to shine like a light from God, they do have to be readable, no spelling or major grammatical errors. Correctly addressed. Ideally, if you know the company say a few words to that effect. If you've ANY experience that might be particularly relevant mention that in the cover.

3) Picture my problem, I've one vacancy and several hundred grads out there. I also have a job to do, and the sad fact is that recruiting and interviewing takes time. So the easiest way to sort CVs is: first in, first read interviewed etc. I used to sort by date, read the first week's, bin the bad ones (usually 25% plus), then interview at most 15-20 people. If I can't find anybody suitable in those, go to the next batch. But usually that's all I've time for, and I've rarely gone outside that first batch. Try and whittle the group down to 2-3 for a 2nd interview. Hire one, send a PFO to the rest. It's brutal, but it's the way it is.

This has been my experience in a small specialist engineering firm, larger companies with HR departments etc, may work differently but who knows.

Good luck with the job hunting.

Cantab.

nellynel23 wrote:

I qualified as an engineer this year and have been applying for a lot of jobs and have only had one interview!

...

nellynel23 wrote:

The reason i turned down the job I was offered is that was a job that I know I would really dislike, it would involve a lot of travelling and a serious amount of hours. I know beggers cant be choosers but I didnt work hard to go for a job that I would dislike and probably not last long in. Also it would not have been very good experience for me as it strayed away from enginnering and more into sales!!

Ah yes, the sense of entitlement that's still prevalent in the Irish psyche...

AlphaMale 3OO

Get some sleep.

damnyanks

Cantab. wrote:

...


Ah yes, the sense of entitlement that's still prevalent in the Irish psyche...

Now is the time to move job. Global economies are booming, only a sucker would settle for something they didnt want.

nellynel23

damnyanks wrote:

Now is the time to move job. Global economies are booming, only a sucker would settle for something they didnt want.

Cheers for that. Why would I take a job that i dont want...Who does that? Anyone can get a job they dont want but they dont because they have more sense!

PDelux

The best advice that i got for my CV and interviews was to show the employer i can do the job. This means research the company and position to know what the job needs are and then tailor your CV and interview discussion to this.
As Borzoi said, think of yourself as the employer, you have a vacancy and want someone who you know can do the job.
I got my current job with a 2.2.