I graduate in December with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Philosophy.
So I am now attempting to begin the job search that will (hopefully) start my career as a real live adult and contributing member of society.
I’m currently in China, which means I’m limited to what I can do by e-mail, but I’m getting a bit lost as to how to go about this. I’m on Monster.com and my school’s placement site right now. Are there any other resources I should be looking into? Any tips for the first time job searcher? (Well, I’ve looked for jobs before, but those were just to make money while I was in school…this is real now.) Any Doper hiring really bright just graduated ChemE’s? (That would be too good to be true.)
Alternatively, I’d like to hear some good job hunting stories. This is scary business.
What’s your Chinese like and would you like to stay in China? You might find a position in China that allows you to do work several steps higher than an entry level position in the US. Highly doubtful if you could bag an expat position but you might get into something interesting with a lot of responsibility and challenge. Just might be something to consider…
China Guy, my Chinese is pretty much non existant. I have only just started learning the language. I would love to stay here, or find a way to get fluent and come back as an expat. I don’t think its too probable right now though.
I suggest you start with a location first. Pick a place to live. It doesn’t have to be where you stay forever, just a jumping off point. Base it on climate, cost of living, proximity to family – whatever is important to you. Then get online to that city’s classified ads in the paper. You’ll get a much better feel for what sort of positions in your field are available. Monster.com and most university recruiting sites are just that – recruiting sites. You’ll have much less extraneous job “opportunities” to sift through if you localize and specialize your job search.
I wish someone had suggested that to me when I was 21 and looking for my first “real” job.
So are you looking for things directly related to your Chem. E. degree, or stuff in general? Are there companies in particular you know you’d like to work for? I’d agree with the others that it’ll be easier to focus if you pick an area and direct your efforts toward employers in that area. The area around Wilmington, DE has plenty of employers in the chemistry/biotech/pharmaceutical industries; ditto for the Research Triangle area in NC.
In any event, it sounds like you’ve at least made an effort to get a good liberal education (philosophy) while pursuing a technical degree. That bodes really well for your long-term prospects – while recent graduates with technical degress out-earn their liberal arts-educated colleagues in the first several years out of college, over the course of a full career the liberal arts grads, statistically, catch up and pass the tech heads, rising higher in their organizations and earning more over their careers. The skills of analyzing a complex situation, developing a creative approach to problems, and effectively communicating all of that to others become more and more important as you move up the hierarchy.
In the meantime, target companies you want to work for, but don’t limit yourself to them. As long as you’re working in the same geographical area and in the same general industry, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to network your way into a position there. And while you don’t want to sell yourself short, if you have an opportunity to start working somewhere, even if it’s not your dream job, take it. There’s a lot to be said for the experience of working somewhere, anywhere, especially when you haven’t been out in the “real world” before. When I bailed out of graduate school (English lit.) at 23 years old, I took a job as a proofreader for an advertising agency for $14K/yr. – barely enough to live on in Atlanta, even in 1988). By the time I was 29, I was vice president of a software company (albeit a fairly small one). My income, including salary and bonuses, has been about 2000X my age for the last several years – it’s actually a bit higher than that now. Many college graduates would look at that proofreading job and turn their noses up at it as a “dead-end” job, which it was in some respects – but it led directly and inexorably to what I’m doing now; there was no point at which I threw everything over and suddenly switched careers. I went from that to proofreading for a prepress shop, to setting type, to learning desktop publishing, to running the DTP side of the prepress shop, to doing tech support for one of our software vendors, to managing support, to other managerial roles, and so forth.
I’ve got bad news for you. The US has run out of H1B visas (no more until April) so finding a job in the US is going to be tough. Add to that the unlikeliness that anyone in the US is going to pay for an interview trip all the way from where you are.
People in the computer industry in your situation pick a location with lots of jobs, find a friend, and move there temporarily, so that interviews don’t become such an issue. But work visas are still a big issue. I’d advise you investigate that before you do anything else - it would be embarassing to make contact with a company and then find you can’t go. Things are very weird these days - I have to write letters to presenters at a conference I’m running certifying that they are speaking, and that is just to visit.
Good luck, and hit the US embassy site for more information.
Voyager, if I am not mistaken, Medea’s Child is an American, and will be returning to the United States to find a job. She doesn’t need an H1B. It would be pretty surprising if she was Chinese, living in China, but couldn’t speak any Chinese!
oops. Well, the currently in China fooled me. :smack: I have gotten resumes from people in India, (no chance) and I also know people who camp out in Silicon Valley looking for jobs (better chance.)
Let everyone you know know you are looking. I got a job simply simply starting with someone my husband had formerly worked with, and was still in touch with, calling and saying “I hear you are looking, we have a job opening.”
Call your college and get referrals to alumni currently employed in your field. Hit them up for informational interviews. Most will say they aren’t hiring, but most will - if you email them your resume - be willing to forward it on when they hear about something.
When you get back, try temping “around” your field. You’ll get a good feeling for a company like 3M or Dow if you are “just” a clerical temp while you continue to look for a job. And it will give you an inside track to real jobs…“I have my ChemE and am just temping while I job search” will sometimes lead to “did you know that Abrasives has an entry level Chem E job open?” I got my first “professional” job this way. And offerred many more with firms I didn’t really want to work for.
If there is such a thing as a professional organization, join it, whereever you end up. There are a lot of “Women in Engineering” societies, and the members often look out for one another. My last job dropped from the sky from a referral from a professional organization. I wasn’t even really looking when I was approached with “you should consider this job we have open.”
grin Thanks mrblue92. Resumes all over the net is about what I’m up to. I was wondering if there was a better way.
Military is out. Completely. I love and support those who wish to serve our country in that way, but I am not military material. I hate research and I have no respect for authority.
Checking out teh Women in Engineering societys is a good idea, thanks!