getting a job as a graduate

[flaminco]

Wondered if I could get pearls of wisdom on here of how to help my DS get a job next year.

Applying for Engineering graduate schemes and getting nowhere - has potentially a very good degree/masters.

Have been told, may need work experience before you get on good graduate schemes but it seems so hard to get. Seems to be at disadvantage that he didn't do a Year in industry.

Where can he start? Tips most welcome.

Having work experience is a massive help! Didn’t he do anything in the holidays? Is he MEng or BEng? What discipline? Lower his sights and look at much smaller companies?

Meng. Didn't work in hols, did travelling. When tried to get work experience - wasn't available despite quite a good contact to speak on his behalf.
How do we find smaller companies? Are their recuitment agencies? Has heard REED agency can be helpful.

Is Aero.

For some careers like law there is a timetable. You tend to apply in year 2 of your degree for paid vacation schemes which you might do in the summer after year 2 is over (and many are recruited form those schemes) and a non law undergraduate might then apply for training contracts if they want to be a solicitor and that firm might pay their 2 years post grad costs and living expenses ( GDL and LPC courses) so it is a rather fixed and set timetable which you apply for early on rather than just as you graduate.

I am not sure about engineering. My graduate son was a happy postman for 3 years and now happily delivers groceries probably to some mumsnetters. He would like to do this for life and it was not hard to get these £22k a year jobs but I accept it is a very unusual choice and certainly not my recommendation.

I applied to 139 law firms during my law degree and had 25 interviews before I got my training contract. I must have been bad at interviews , but I did get one after many months during my law degree. We were in a recession and although I was just about top of the year with prizes it was still very hard. I have photos from that time of the piles of letters waiting to be posted of applications. I got so used to getting the train to London - at first it had been worrying but by interview 25 it was the norm, making my way around London. perhaps I just got better with practice at the interviews. Anyway it was a huge relief when I secured the job- I got it in Feb 1982 in my final year and I started after the one year law post grad in Sept 1983.

I started applying in March 1981 in year 2 of my degree with my first interview in the first week of September of year 3 of my degree. Most of my applications and interview were between Sep 1981 and Jan 1982 in year 3 (for jobs after the year 4 post grad). My job offer was conditional on getting a 2/1 and in those days only a third of graduates got 2/1 or higher so I was worried all that year I might not get the 2/1 although I did.]

For me it was jsuit persistence that did it - day after day of applications, application forms, going to interviews and not giving up even when everyone else seemed to have found jobs.

To be honest, travelling was a bit of an indulgence and not much use to employers. He’s come a bit late to the need to get the right cv for work.

DH employs grad engineers but not Mechanical. He might look at sideways jobs such as accountancy, etc. Anything that uses maths. Look at ads in the technical press, look at all technical recruitment agencies, and be prepared to be flexible in terms of the job and where it is. Something will come up but in the meantime, volunteer. Get something on the cv!

I used to work in graduate recruitment.
Has he any work history at all? Bar Job, cleaning, waiter...? If not, I would recommend he gets one ASAP. Employers will be very put off if he has never had a job.

Rise is an excellent engineering recruitment agency. They may be able to help.

Thank you for advice so far.
He has had 2 part time jobs.

We did think about volunteering but many companies are innundated. We also thought some kind of technical job and a few relevant computing courses while he keeps trying for Grad jobs.

His confidence has blossomed as time went on - partly through persistance at his v. challenging degree to now being one of the top students.
Low confidence due to overcoming SEN meant he felt too under confident to try for summer schemes until last summer when it was a bit late.

No excuses - he is where he is - and has to build the CV now. Some young people tak elonger to develop.
So anymore advice/tips welcome. Will get DS to check out that agency RBSJ. Thanks.

Could he hold off on the graduate scheme for a year, take any low level job in the engineering field and then reapply for Sep 20?

I know that will seem like an incredibly long time to him but in the grand scheme of things it really isn't. He'd also probably be in a much better position to know when it is he wants to do after being in the industry for a year.

I started a graduate scheme straight after uni and quit after a year as the type of firm I went into just wasn't for me at all, I moved to a client side position and not looked back!

What type of engineering?

Aero - as said up thread.

Dancingqueen- tha'ts exactly what he thinks he needs to do (thank you) - but it's finding those lower scale engineering posts that's tricky - when we're all new to it. He is flexible and he'll just keep at it.

But any more places to look would be helpful.

Many apologies! I don’t know why I thought mechanical! However any numerate job would be ok to start. He’s in a bit of a niche sector of engineering so sideways thinking is important right now. I do wonder if there are enough aero grad schemes to go round. He will get something but be flexible.

Ah okay, in that case, I'd suggest Indeed.com, or posting in forums on LinkedIn which are relevant to his field.

You mentioned you had a contact in the field, is it worth seeing if they would distribute his CV?

Anyone at all your son has met in the industry that he could contact? Uni professors? Visiting speakers?

It's amazing what an email/message on linked in can do when it comes to job hunting.

Fantastic he's had some part time work. Anything that develops his soft skills is an absolute pre-requisite.

Ensure he's working, albeit part time, whilst job seeking after graduating too. It's really important & shows independence & the right attitude.

Accept an admin/CS job in the engineering dept of a very good company in his niche may be a foot in the door. It will put him in contact with the correct people!

Good luck!

Has he considered applying to the RAF?

like the admin idea in a good company - what's CS? - maybe dumb here !!!
Yes, linkedin. And getting CV around. His degree does qualify him for mechanical eng. roles. Will look at indeed. com. Thanks.

Not sure about RAF will mention - he has though tof MOD style job - but again, needs experience first. He is very flexible in kind of engineering he does and his course is very good and has been wide ranging.
Definitely agree, he has to work as soon as finishes in whatever until more linked jobs come. Also think relevant courses in computing would be good while he waits as this is an area he lacks a bit of practise in. He needs to know more about CAD for example.

Keep ideas coming - really helping.

Any other mumsnetters out there whose DC are looking for jobs? How are they going about it? Doesn't have to be engineering - just how are DC getting on job ladder?
My DS does want engineering eventually but all other experiences from other mumsnetters may be helpful/relevant in some way.
I was also thinking about volunteer schemes abroad - do they need 'sort of' engineers to carry out tasks? Any schemes known?

Is he making full use of his university careers service? They can give a lot of practical advice and will have experience of his (quite niche) Engineering program. It is still early in the process for engineering students in their last year. The big recruiters still follow the old milk round pattern of starting early in the academic year but they only take a small proportion of graduates. Most of them also tend to recruit from their own intern schemes, so if your dc didn’t get on them he will be at a disadvantage. Smaller companies advertise throughout the year for graduates. Most of our students now find engineering jobs post graduation, usually by the end of the year. Quite a few consciously decide not to apply until after their exams, and do get jobs. There will be jobs advertised steadily though, so he needs to keep in touch with the careers service. Is he a member of his professional institution? They may have advice for graduating students, I know mine does (I don’t know anything about aero engineering, we don’t have it at my university, maybe they are part of IMechE).

There are overseas volunteering schemes, Engineers Without Borders is a well known one. Again the Careers Service will have information.

Flaminco I have a DS in his final year looking for jobs. He's always worked in holidays albeit in tourism, it does give him some useful experience though. He tried for an internship last summer but didn't get anything. Has applied for a few grad schemes and done psychometric tests but is waiting to hear. His degree is science but he'd like something using maths or something environmental.
Has set up a LinkedIn account but I'm not sure he knows what to do with it. He won't work in London and would prefer a small company.
Plan is to keep up the applications and if no luck by summer to get any kind of job in home town while he finds something suitable.
I struggle to advise him.

He is at a disadvantage for not getting a mid-degree eng. scheme - but that is where he's at. He can build his CV from here.

Yes to careers service has been there - will need to go back. professional institution - doesn't he have to graduate first?

Thanks shouldreadmore- yep, helping is hard at this stage. Any info I can pass on would be great. Agree, any job to start with but wonder if volunteering in field in some way might also be a good starting point.

Yes good point about volunteering. DS is contemplating a master's which might give him another shot at a summer placement.

We know gradcracker website for jobs. Any others known?

What about the DE&S grad scheme

All the major engineering institutions have student members. Again, I only know the details of my own but with them the fee for student membership is a tiny fraction of what other members pay and they have a graduate employment pack for final year students.

Some of my students have secured year long internships with major companies, usually mid degree but also after graduation. It’s a good foot in the door with that company and good experience. Rolls Royce seem to take quite a few, for example. Not his area but there is a good scheme for graduates interested in working in nuclear power as well.

Has he done mock interviews, had his CV checked over, mock selection days etc with his careers service? These are often under-utilised by students but can pick up areas that can be worked on.