[mooreppj]

Hello!

I'm a first time poster to this forum, but I felt like I needed to sign up to a place full of engineers and say my piece and hope for some advice.

I have a B. Eng in Chemical Engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario.  I finished this degree back in 2012 and after 7 months of resume and cover letter counseling, going to job fairs, and applying online to postings, I had not even one call back or interview.  As a result and in desperation, I left Hamilton to move to Ottawa and go back to school for Pharmacological sciences.  I figured if I can't get work, I needed to bolster my resume and my credentials.  I had no internships or co-ops in my engineering degree because I worked more than I should have during it to pay for, well, everything.  I'm in the end of my second year now and it really is not working out for me and I am not happy here.  I have been applying to work via LinkedIN but so far with no avail.

I really don't know what to do to get myself into this industry out of school.  I have no network to speak of, and no one to speak on my behalf to assure them that I am someone professional, intelligent, and over all a good worker and problem solver.  I find that every 'entry level' job requires years and years of hands on professional experience and it precludes me from applying to well over 90% of the jobs I have seen listed.

I guess what I am asking for is advice.  What should I do?  How do I even start to get my foot in the door into a company if the only applications I can send are online?  I want to cease this new degree immediately and get a real job and start a family.  Being a 28 year old indebted student is tiresome and I really would like to apply the degree I worked so hard on. 

Thank you very much anyone who takes the time to read and respond to this.  I am feeling despondent and really need a pep talk!

[Furanone]

I hate to say it but I think it might also have to with the fact we are in Canada (I'm near Toronto). I do not know exactly how it is for chemical engineers, but I am a food chemist, and I had a difficult time finding a position after completing my MSc also with very little industry experience. It took over two months, and I got very depressed/discouraged by this, but finally got in with a company that did R&D/Science. I realized from talking to employers that most of the R&D in food industry had moved out of Canada back to the U.S. centralized R&D centers after the Free Trade Agreement. Additionally, I found that the food industry in the U.S. was paying their scientists much more than here in Canada, which has made me think about making the move to the U.S. somewhere down the road.

So my question is -- Are you able to move to the U.S? This may help your job prospects substantially. Also, Alberta due to the economic gains from extracting oil from the oil sands has led to many jobs for petrochemical engineers, although if the low gas prices continue, even Alberta will be making severe employment cuts.

Also, it may be worth looking at finding a recruiter/headhunter in your industry. Typically, they will bill the company from finding the right person so it will not cost anything to you to contact them (although it may indirectly as it may affect your starting salary). At very least, they will be able to objectively look at your resume and tell you honestly what is hurting you from finding employment and ways to improve your resume/cover letter, since they will have much experience with this.

[mooreppj]

Thank you very much for the reply!

I found that in Ontario at least there was very little of anything to work with that didn't demand years and years of experience.  I have been applying currently all over the Americas including in Brazil in hopes that shotgun-blasting the western hemisphere will turn something up.  Thanks for the headsup that it isn't just me who is had difficulty finding work.  School said that the demand was huge for these kinds of engineers; but they didn't say they don't want you if you have no experience haha.

I've never heard of a genuine recruiter for this industry.  Is that the same kind of thing like ZipRecruiter or LinkedIn?  I understand using these services may hurt a starting salary but you know, I make $12/h working my butt off in restaurants just to cover life's expenses so anything that isn't 7 days a week and 70+ hours is a step up!!

[Arkcon]

Working with a recruitment agency, or a technical temporary staffing agency is what is likely to work "best" for you.  Without experience, you'll be at the end of every list, if only because no one really knows if you can live up to your academic qualifications in a real world setting.

Tell us more about your previous work experience, does it translate, in any way, into letting us know your suitability for technical work?

[mooreppj]

Hey! Thanks for the reply!

I have looked a little bit into recruitment agencies and am looking right now at a technical temp agency.  It's a shame that these are the only real vectors I've found so far to get myself out there.

My previous work experience involves working in restaurants in the back.  Sounds pretty laid back, but rest assured as a worker who is given a supervisory role with no extra pay it is not.  I've been doing that for over 6 years in two restaurants.  One year round, the other I fit in during the summer so I am working 7 days a week.  Outside restaurants, I did some trivial field work for an inspection firm during my engineering undergrad.  It was simply walking on sidewalks and detailing all the faults we could find and compiling it into a massive paper database so the number crunchers could digitize it.  Anything beyond this has been oddjobs in construction (usually with family), but nothing overly technical other than assembly.

[Arkcon]

Well, for a first position, much of those experiences are highly desirable.  You've worked hard with your family instead of slacking off when young, so that's good.  You've taken on supervisory roles while still young, so that's good.  Definitely mention that.  In fact, mention it just the way you did -- tell people that back room at a restaurant is very intense, that will show that you're confident in your abilities.  And yes, the field work as an engineering student is also important, obviously.

In this older thread, I post my first resume after undergraduate school.  http://www.chemicalforums.com/index.php?topic=30317.msg115216#msg115216  You'll see how I work trivial high school jobs into a technical resume.

[jjwinkle]

http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes172041.htm#ind has valuable data for people pursuing chemical engineering in the U.S.