CS grad needs help finding a job....
Author
I''m a graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology. I have been using Monster.com and HotJobs.com, but each time I submit my resume, I hardly ever get a response in return. I think too many people are applying for jobs through these sites so my resume is ignored. Anyone have any advice?? I need to start paying the bills by acquiring a real job, and not by working at Wendy''s.
~Robert O.
There are 3 main things you should consider...
1. How good is your resume? I don''t quite mean as in whats grades you got or whatever, but did you have an English major sit down with you on it? May seem silly, but when a poorly constructed resume is the employer''s first impression of you, you rarely get a second chance with them.
2. Are you only going through those two sites or are you visiting the websites of prospective companies and doing your homework on them? Those job hunting websites certainy work, but it shows more initiative if you do more researching on your own.
3. Lastly, what exactly is your degree? You said that you graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, but didn''t list your specialties or degree type. Do you have any extra certification other than jut your degree?
Those are three big things to think about when job hunting...
1. How good is your resume? I don''t quite mean as in whats grades you got or whatever, but did you have an English major sit down with you on it? May seem silly, but when a poorly constructed resume is the employer''s first impression of you, you rarely get a second chance with them.
2. Are you only going through those two sites or are you visiting the websites of prospective companies and doing your homework on them? Those job hunting websites certainy work, but it shows more initiative if you do more researching on your own.
3. Lastly, what exactly is your degree? You said that you graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology, but didn''t list your specialties or degree type. Do you have any extra certification other than jut your degree?
Those are three big things to think about when job hunting...
Send out some cold call letters to places you would work at or call them and ask about talking to the personnel manager or ask for their email address. Make sure you also do a back ground check of these places and find out what their market focus is.
Research all the different methods of contacting prospective employers at many of the job sites, the resources they have are very good.
Revise and re-revise your resume then do it again until it is perfect, write up a general cover letter for sending to prospective employers then revise and re-revise again and a again.
Start an interesting project or finish some you''ve already started put it all up on a well presented website; add liberal amounts of information and other content. Also include the address of this site with your contact information on your resume.
Are there any lecturers that will possibly write you a reference? If so ask; most of the time they''re very willing to do so.
Then have a few people look over all of it and get back in and revise it again until it simply shines compared to the other candidates.
Oh and don''t forget to check the spelling, and do it more than once. Don''t rely on the spell checker of your word processor!
Once you land the interview you might want to ask a friend to do a mock interview with you before hand, the types of questions that are normally asked in an interview are easily found on the web.
Also make sure you do research the company and the position extensively, work out questions you may want to ask and work out what the industry remuneration average is for a position like this and quote it IF the topic comes up in the interview. And when you''re at the interview don''t be over nervous, you''re there because they want you there.
In case you’re wondering; I just recently started my first job after graduating. Graduation had just recently finished (6 weeks ago now) and I had to beat out 90 other candidates for this one position. This was one of 20 jobs I applied for the fist after graduating, it was the only one advertised. If you apply directly to a company there is far less competition than if you apply to an advertised position, over 90% of graduate positions are not advertised so you stand a better chance if you don’t rely on Monster or HotJobs, many of my fellow graduates found this the a much less testing direction though they also found that these position were slightly lower paying.
Research all the different methods of contacting prospective employers at many of the job sites, the resources they have are very good.
Revise and re-revise your resume then do it again until it is perfect, write up a general cover letter for sending to prospective employers then revise and re-revise again and a again.
Start an interesting project or finish some you''ve already started put it all up on a well presented website; add liberal amounts of information and other content. Also include the address of this site with your contact information on your resume.
Are there any lecturers that will possibly write you a reference? If so ask; most of the time they''re very willing to do so.
Then have a few people look over all of it and get back in and revise it again until it simply shines compared to the other candidates.
Oh and don''t forget to check the spelling, and do it more than once. Don''t rely on the spell checker of your word processor!
Once you land the interview you might want to ask a friend to do a mock interview with you before hand, the types of questions that are normally asked in an interview are easily found on the web.
Also make sure you do research the company and the position extensively, work out questions you may want to ask and work out what the industry remuneration average is for a position like this and quote it IF the topic comes up in the interview. And when you''re at the interview don''t be over nervous, you''re there because they want you there.
In case you’re wondering; I just recently started my first job after graduating. Graduation had just recently finished (6 weeks ago now) and I had to beat out 90 other candidates for this one position. This was one of 20 jobs I applied for the fist after graduating, it was the only one advertised. If you apply directly to a company there is far less competition than if you apply to an advertised position, over 90% of graduate positions are not advertised so you stand a better chance if you don’t rely on Monster or HotJobs, many of my fellow graduates found this the a much less testing direction though they also found that these position were slightly lower paying.
I agree with everything RegentZ said except the calling part. Thats actually a bad idea. I''m a floor manager at a retail store and if someone calls in and asks if we''re hiring at the time, I always tell them no, even if we are prospectively looking. Calling just tells a manager that you''re lazy.
Visiting in person or e-mailing your resume to computer businesses is always a good idea.
Visiting in person or e-mailing your resume to computer businesses is always a good idea.
quote:Original post by zer0wolf
I agree with everything RegentZ said except the calling part. Thats actually a bad idea. I''m a floor manager at a retail store and if someone calls in and asks if we''re hiring at the time, I always tell them no, even if we are prospectively looking. Calling just tells a manager that you''re lazy.
Visiting in person or e-mailing your resume to computer businesses is always a good idea.
So the fact that I have a disability and have mobility difficulties means that if I call I must be lazy?! I accept that in a job like yours in the retail sector that it would probably be considered inappropriate to call and that a person such as my self wouldn''t apply for a position there in the first place, not all jobs are the same though it just depends on the position and company. In a programming company were they don’t have a public presence it would be more inappropriate to visit, if you new were to go in the first place.
DO NOT USE THE INTERNET TO TRY TO FIND A JOB!!!!!!
I went to a seminar taught by this guy from the California department of employment security he gave out some really relevant statistics. Only 1% of job seekers find jobs through the internet. A little better was responding to want ads, that was around 5%, and the best way to get a job according to this guy was just walking into a place and asking if they are hiring. Over 15% of people found work that way.
Its a sad and amazing fact that you can go all the way through college and never learn anything about getting a job. To find a job you have to work at it as hard as you would work at the actual job. If your not spending forty hours a week researching, reading the papers, working on your resume, polishing your interview skills, walking the street with resume in hand then you shouldn't expect to get a job. Should you relocate to where the jobs are at? Maybe. Should you look for work in your area that may not be the exact job you want to work in? Maybe. For specialised skills jobs may not be that plentiful and if your not willing to move you better be willing to settle for a less than ideal job.
Believe me, that 6 month student loan grace period runs out fast.
[edited by - nonnus29 on August 1, 2002 8:56:51 AM]
I went to a seminar taught by this guy from the California department of employment security he gave out some really relevant statistics. Only 1% of job seekers find jobs through the internet. A little better was responding to want ads, that was around 5%, and the best way to get a job according to this guy was just walking into a place and asking if they are hiring. Over 15% of people found work that way.
Its a sad and amazing fact that you can go all the way through college and never learn anything about getting a job. To find a job you have to work at it as hard as you would work at the actual job. If your not spending forty hours a week researching, reading the papers, working on your resume, polishing your interview skills, walking the street with resume in hand then you shouldn't expect to get a job. Should you relocate to where the jobs are at? Maybe. Should you look for work in your area that may not be the exact job you want to work in? Maybe. For specialised skills jobs may not be that plentiful and if your not willing to move you better be willing to settle for a less than ideal job.
Believe me, that 6 month student loan grace period runs out fast.
[edited by - nonnus29 on August 1, 2002 8:56:51 AM]
nonnus29 I completely disagree with you. I graduated from RIT and still live in Rochester. Without using the internet, I never would have found a job when I graduated. I had been working as a co-op for two years at the same company when I finally graduated. They made me a full time offer and I was completely, utterly insulted. I got on the internet, sent out my resume to a number of places, and had an interview within 48 hours! Within 3 hours of the interview, they called me back and asked for a second interview. The second interview was more about the company than about the job. Two days later I had an offer letter with a salary increase of over 80% higher than what my old job had been.
Now, granted, they had been looking for someone for quite some time, but I never would have thought to ask this company for a job. Not in a million years. Using the internet is one of the best ways you can scout out companies in your area and the surrounding areas. I'm not saying that a phone book doesn't work wonders, but a name and phone number aren't always enough to tell you what the company does or if you'd have a shot at a job there. Unless you've heard of the company, chances are you will know very little about them.
bluemace, Monster.com and Hotjobs.com are great for scouting companies, but I wouldn't submit your resume directly through them. Your best bet is to find the company website, and poke around until you find their jobs section. Then, email the HR director about the job you are interested in. Something else you can do is do searches through search engines for the type of job you're looking for and the location to see what companies in the area do that kind of thing. Then, browse their websites and send them resumes.
As zer0wolf mentioned though, you should seriously look at your resume and determine whether it is top notch or not. If it's not, then revise it and keep revising it until it's good. I've spent well over a hundred hours over the course of the years on my resume. Every time I went to an interview, I was always complimented on how easy it was to read, and how impressive it was. Emphasize your skills, touch on the things you've worked with but don't know a lot about, but never outright lie.
I have LaTeX, Prolog, and LISP on my resume. Could I program out of a wet paper bag in those languages? Heck no. Not without a book and a lot of time. And I'd never want a job doing them. But, having them there serves a purpose (and it's not just to bulk up my resume). It's to show a breadth of knowledge. You should show that you have a very broad knowledge base if possible. Your resume is their first impression of you, and if you make a bad one, no matter how much you know, you won't get hired.
Since you're from the CS department, I am assuming that you have some co-op experience. Use that to your advantage. Don't put your graduation date on there. Lately, people haven't wanted to hire new graduates so they find it difficult to get jobs. If they ask during the interview, then tell them. But if they don't ask, you're not obligated to tell them.
You can allude to the fact that you've worked at x company doing this, y company doing that, etc. That shows experience. You don't have to tell them you were just a co-op. But if they ask you a direct question, you MUST tell them the truth. If you lie, that is grounds for termination if they ever find out.
If you need any more advice, as an RIT grad myself I can give you some pointers and help you along. I can't give you a job, but I can show you the way.
Looking for an honest video game publisher? Visit www.gamethoughts.com
[edited by - mtaber on August 1, 2002 9:43:50 AM]
Now, granted, they had been looking for someone for quite some time, but I never would have thought to ask this company for a job. Not in a million years. Using the internet is one of the best ways you can scout out companies in your area and the surrounding areas. I'm not saying that a phone book doesn't work wonders, but a name and phone number aren't always enough to tell you what the company does or if you'd have a shot at a job there. Unless you've heard of the company, chances are you will know very little about them.
bluemace, Monster.com and Hotjobs.com are great for scouting companies, but I wouldn't submit your resume directly through them. Your best bet is to find the company website, and poke around until you find their jobs section. Then, email the HR director about the job you are interested in. Something else you can do is do searches through search engines for the type of job you're looking for and the location to see what companies in the area do that kind of thing. Then, browse their websites and send them resumes.
As zer0wolf mentioned though, you should seriously look at your resume and determine whether it is top notch or not. If it's not, then revise it and keep revising it until it's good. I've spent well over a hundred hours over the course of the years on my resume. Every time I went to an interview, I was always complimented on how easy it was to read, and how impressive it was. Emphasize your skills, touch on the things you've worked with but don't know a lot about, but never outright lie.
I have LaTeX, Prolog, and LISP on my resume. Could I program out of a wet paper bag in those languages? Heck no. Not without a book and a lot of time. And I'd never want a job doing them. But, having them there serves a purpose (and it's not just to bulk up my resume). It's to show a breadth of knowledge. You should show that you have a very broad knowledge base if possible. Your resume is their first impression of you, and if you make a bad one, no matter how much you know, you won't get hired.
Since you're from the CS department, I am assuming that you have some co-op experience. Use that to your advantage. Don't put your graduation date on there. Lately, people haven't wanted to hire new graduates so they find it difficult to get jobs. If they ask during the interview, then tell them. But if they don't ask, you're not obligated to tell them.
You can allude to the fact that you've worked at x company doing this, y company doing that, etc. That shows experience. You don't have to tell them you were just a co-op. But if they ask you a direct question, you MUST tell them the truth. If you lie, that is grounds for termination if they ever find out.
If you need any more advice, as an RIT grad myself I can give you some pointers and help you along. I can't give you a job, but I can show you the way.
Looking for an honest video game publisher? Visit www.gamethoughts.com
[edited by - mtaber on August 1, 2002 9:43:50 AM]
I just wanted to wish you Good Luck
also - reapeating the advice from above - keep improving your resume and letters, call all the companies in you area ...
if you get a spare job - send me a email
also - reapeating the advice from above - keep improving your resume and letters, call all the companies in you area ...
if you get a spare job - send me a email
Ahh the joys of job searching. I sure don''t miss that.... well lets see if I can help.
#1. Make an investment in quality supplies such as nice resume paper, resume envelopes and the like. (just in case someone asks to see your non e-resume). I also purchased some "thank you cards" that I could print out on my printer.
#2. Put some real time and effort in to creating a custom coverletter for each company/job that you send out your resume to. Most companies don''t appriciate it when you blanket them with some generic cover letter that''s been sent to 500 other companies. P.S. If your sending out resumes with out a coverletter you might as well not bother sending them out at all.
#3. Do some research on the internet there must be tons of companies looking to hire software engineers. Get a list of the companies that are hiring. Call up the company and make a contact. Then send them your resume in paper form. Send these by registered mail so that you get a confirmation that someone signed for it. A few days after you recieve confirmation that the package has been delivered, call up the company and talk to the contact you made. Ask if your resume has been recieved, and inquire as to how long it will be before you can expect to hear back from them.
#4. Every time you talk to someone by phone make sure to send a thank you card. This includes phone interviews.
#5. If your turned down for the job, you might consider sending them a little note asking for information on why you were turned down. This may help you determine what flaws you have on your resume, or in the interview process.
#6. If your consistantly being turned down then it''s most likely time to revise your resume.
Those are just generally good tips that will help you stand out in a pile of resumes
If your in need of a job you might consider contacting your local IT outsourcing companies. These jobs are usually considered "temporary" but they pay very well, and some are "perma-temp".
#1. Make an investment in quality supplies such as nice resume paper, resume envelopes and the like. (just in case someone asks to see your non e-resume). I also purchased some "thank you cards" that I could print out on my printer.
#2. Put some real time and effort in to creating a custom coverletter for each company/job that you send out your resume to. Most companies don''t appriciate it when you blanket them with some generic cover letter that''s been sent to 500 other companies. P.S. If your sending out resumes with out a coverletter you might as well not bother sending them out at all.
#3. Do some research on the internet there must be tons of companies looking to hire software engineers. Get a list of the companies that are hiring. Call up the company and make a contact. Then send them your resume in paper form. Send these by registered mail so that you get a confirmation that someone signed for it. A few days after you recieve confirmation that the package has been delivered, call up the company and talk to the contact you made. Ask if your resume has been recieved, and inquire as to how long it will be before you can expect to hear back from them.
#4. Every time you talk to someone by phone make sure to send a thank you card. This includes phone interviews.
#5. If your turned down for the job, you might consider sending them a little note asking for information on why you were turned down. This may help you determine what flaws you have on your resume, or in the interview process.
#6. If your consistantly being turned down then it''s most likely time to revise your resume.
Those are just generally good tips that will help you stand out in a pile of resumes
If your in need of a job you might consider contacting your local IT outsourcing companies. These jobs are usually considered "temporary" but they pay very well, and some are "perma-temp".
Have you ''Activated'' your resume?
Also, ''Renew'' it from time to time. Sometimes employers only search through the most recent (like last 7 days) active resumes.
Good Luck, Brother! I''d be so freakin scared if I had to find a job in this economy right now.
Peace.
Also, ''Renew'' it from time to time. Sometimes employers only search through the most recent (like last 7 days) active resumes.
Good Luck, Brother! I''d be so freakin scared if I had to find a job in this economy right now.
Peace.
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