Being a graduate can be a daunting experience, especially in a competitive field like engineering. That’s why we at Waterstone have listed some tips to help graduates land their first job.

Networking

When it comes right down to it, this may be the most important tip. The key to success for many is  simply knowing someone that could lead to opportunities. Stay in contact with other engineering graduates who can give you a possible lead on jobs. Connect with engineering figures through sites like LinkedIn, which offer modes of communication, as well.

Searching

In searching for possible employers, don’t limit yourself to only the “big” companies. Take a look at smaller companies, for sometimes their pay can match or even surpass that of the larger companies. In addition, smaller companies allow graduates to fin a job in a less cluttered environment. As you can imagine, every engineering graduate will send their résumé to the big companies, so why not see what smaller companies can offer?

Résumé

Don’t settle for just one résumé. With the competitive nature of the engineering field, you should tailor your résumé to fit each individual employer that you are contacting. Employers are much more inclined to look into résumés that gear specifically toward the nature of the company. Moreover, you’ll want to customize the design of your résumé as to make it appealing in an immediate sense. With employers being bombarded by résumés, you’ll want to make sure yours stands out. (Note: if you’re having a hard time keeping your résumé to under one page, simply eliminate the “objective” section since nearly every résumé will feature the same one.)

Interviewing

The interviewing process can easily be the most intimidating aspect to a job search, but as an engineer, you cannot afford to be unnerved. Take the initiative. Try to ask questions early in the interview so that you can correlate your experience with their responses. For example, by asking what to expect in a daily setting, you can tailor your answer–based on your prior experiences–to what they plan of having an employee do. Don’t spend the enitre interview telling them about your accolades, though. You want to leave the interview knowing what they, as your possible future employer, really want.

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At Waterstone, we’re always providing our staffing skills and techniques to help match engineering employees with employers in the Milwaukee area. We’re committed to high standards and a professional approach, and with these tips, we aim to help future employees find the right match.