In a new regular feature for The Student
Engineer, our career experts offer their advice to a young engineer who’s not
sure which industry would be most likely to give him a break.
’I am happy to go to into water treatment,
energy, renewable energy, oil & gas or even the food industry.’
The problem:
I completed my bachelor’s degree in
chemical and process engineering in July 2012. Since then, I have been
struggling to find work with no luck. When I first applied for jobs, I was told
that I had very little experience and I did not have a master’s degree. When I
did not secure any interviews I worked voluntarily for a small company as a
research and development engineer for a year and in the end they agreed to
sponsor my postgraduate study.
I now have a year’s worth of experience in
the energy and process industry and am studying for a master’s in chemical
engineering. My sponsor liked my work, however, they have limited resources and
so I have been applying for jobs elsewhere – but I am still being turned down.
Either I get a reply stating that I do not have enough experience or my
experience does not match any of their requirements even though I only apply
when I see do meet the requirements.
“Which industry would give me a chance?”
I am confused. Are these companies not
considering that I have transferable skills which I gained during my current
master’s, my BEng and my experience? I am looking for entry level jobs as a
trainee or junior engineer in the chemical and process industries within a 60-mile
radius of London or in the West Midlands. I am happy to go to into water
treatment, energy, renewable energy, oil & gas or even the food industry. I
would be happy just to contribute to any industry and learn from it. Which
industry would give me a chance?
The advice:
Though your intelligence and passion
certainly comes across in your letter, when you talk about your graduate job
preferences you are not specific enough when you list the industries you’re
interested in
You need to write your CV with a specific
industry/company in mind, one that most meets your interests and experience.
Although you have interests in other areas of engineering, pick your strongest
area of expertise and reinforce your knowledge of it during an application
process.
Research the industry you’re most
interested in and demonstrate this in your applications, exhibit a passion for
the job you are specifically applying for. Otherwise you run the risk of
seeming unfocused to employers. It’s great that you are interested in a number
of different areas within engineering but you need to convey to employers how
you’re focused on launching a career within one specific area.
It’s worthwhile researching relevant
companies and introducing yourself speculatively as a graduate looking for
entry-level opportunities or even some work experience (as the route of looking
into smaller firms may be more effective in terms of his academic background).
”Convey to employers how you’re focused on
launching a career in one area”
Social media is also increasingly important
during the process of job hunting. LinkedIn is a particularly useful tool:
interact with relevant groups, follow companies that you’re are interested in
and interact with them. It’s crucial to have a consistent appearance throughout
different social media channels, so choose a professional profile picture and
make sure there’s nothing visible to employers that you wouldn’t want them to
view. (Trust me, they will look.)
Ultimately, if you’re looking for a
graduate job in Chemical Engineering you need to remain persistent. Apply for
entry-level jobs, continue to research an area of expertise whilst job hunting
and take any relevant placement or work experience opportunities that are
offered. This will bolster your appeal to prospective employers and demonstrate
a determination to get into your chosen industry.
Thank you for expressing so clearly the
frustrations of so many graduates who get caught in the trap of being told they
don’t have enough experience, but on the other hand, can’t get a job in order
to gain that experience.
We would suggest that you tailor your CV so
you have different versions to reflect the needs of each type of industry
sector or company. CVs, as well as covering letters, need to be adapted
according to each role. This may mean you have several different versions of
your CV, each highlighting and prioritising the information relevant to that
sector.
To do this, for example, you could shorten
your personal statement and present a very brief, focused career objective
appropriate to the chosen industry sector, highlighting the main qualification,
experience and type of role you seek that summarises in a sentence or two what
you have to offer.
For example, for a job in the oil and gas
industry you could summarise your statement with: ’I am a chemical engineering
postgraduate with four years’ experience of providing consultancy advice
relating to the installation and design of chemical plants. I have knowledge of
HAZOP and ISO standards and am keen to develop my career in the oil and gas
industry.’
“Tailor your CV to reflect the needs of
each type of industry sector or company”
You could also change the order of
information on the CV and, instead of listing your jobs in reverse
chronological order, put the most relevant experience into a prominent
position, moving ‘Other industrial experience’ further down. Companies will
recognise that you have transferable skills gained from the variety of work and
education experience, but you need to make this obvious to them explaining its
relevance to their role and not leaving them to assume how it is relevant.
When it comes to your cover letter, it is
also important that this is presented professionally, free of spelling or
grammatical errors and written in appropriate business English. This high level
of attention to detail is particularly important for engineering roles. If this
is not your strong point, it is always worth having someone you trust read it
through for you. Most university careers services continue to see their
graduates for several years after graduation and may offer phone, Skype or
email appointments, so contact your university to see if what kind of ongoing
help and support is available to you.
Source: The Engineers
