I graduated in May 2003 with a degree in Computer Engineering and have
been unable to find work since then (or even an interview, for that
matter).

My question is: how many other people are there out there who have
graduated with an engineering degree and are now unemployed? My focus
in on the areas of electrical / electronics / computer engineering in
the U.S. and Canada. Only the most recent stats are needed (I am most
interested in people who graduated around the same time as me). Info
on engineering grads who are working, but not in their field would
also be useful if possible.

---

Request for Question Clarification by czh-ga on 20 Oct 2003 02:11 PDT

Hello again sol9-ga,

It seems to me your chief concern is how to conduct an effective job
search. It really doesn't matter how many people in your circumstances
are unemployed. Knowing those numbers will not get you a job. Would
you like to refocus your question?

Take a look at the "Jobs and Careers" category on previously answered
career related questions to get an idea of how to present your
situation.
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?catid=1506

You can also search the previously answered questions (i.e., "job
search" or "engineering jobs") to give you some starting points.

http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=%22job+search%22&qtype=all&num=10&start=10
http://answers.google.com/answers/search?q=engineering+jobs&qtype=all

I look forward to your clarification.

~ czh ~

---

Clarification of Question by sol9-ga on 26 Oct 2003 15:13 PST

Hi czh, thanks for your help.

OK I'll bite: how do find entry level computer / electronics
engineering jobs in Canada (where I am a citizen) or if it is better
to be specific, in Alberta (where I live)? No preference as to
location, I will go anywhere for a good job.

Things I have tried:
- Regularly search local and national internet job boards
(careerclick, monster, workopolis being the biggest ones in Canada).
Entry level engineering jobs VERY RARELY appear on these boards.
- Search the careers sections of several company websites that hire in
my field. I have indentified a handful of jobs to apply to this way
but a very small number. This also generally excludes smaller
companies that don't list positions in this manner.
- Sent my resume unsolicited to a number of companies (I plan on doing
more of this, I have only sent a few so far).
- Network: I have contacts at two companies that hire in my field,
neither resulted in anything. Unforunatly, this is basically the
extent of my industry contacts, which is probably a major reason why I
have been unsuccessful, since I feel that most entry level engineering
jobs are being filled this way.
- Talk with recruitment agencies, email my resume to agencies. I was
told that companies do not go through agencies to find entry level
engineers, and based on the complete lack of repsonses from this
angle, I tend to agree. The common response from them is that they
only deal with experienced employees.

Is there something big that I am missing? Something I am not doing
that I should be doing?

Lists of companies that would hire or are currently hiring entry level
engineers in my field in Canada or Alberta would be ideal as I feel
this is the best way to proceed.

Hello again sol9-ga,

I’m glad you decided to provide additional information about your
situation. I’m impressed with all the things you’re doing right in
your job search. It looks like you’ve taken the appropriate steps to
use online jobs resources and to make connection with employment
agencies and companies that are of interest to you. I believe with
some additional help you will be able to find a rewarding job.

You noted that it’s tough to find entry-level jobs because they’re
rarely advertised and employment agencies aren’t interested in working
with you. Your perceptions are correct. This means that you will have
to increase your efforts to make direct contact with potential
employers.

From everything you’ve written it looks like you have a good
understanding of what you bring to the employment marketplace. The
problem is with finding companies who will find your background and
qualifications compelling enough to invite you for an interview. You
will have to maximize the chances of this happening by conducting a
more effective marketing campaign offering YOU.

Your goal is to identify companies that will be eager to consider your
application because it is clear from the way you approach them that
you are the solution to their problem. This means that you have to do
the market research to identify companies that have the kinds of
problems you want to solve and then make the necessary connections so
that you can make a personal pitch. Most jobs still don’t make it to
the job posting stage and are filled from the hidden job market.

I’ve collected a variety of resources to help you develop your
potential employer prospect list. The Web is a wonderful resource for
conducting research on companies, industries and the local labor
market. Since you have specific geographic limits, you can easily
develop lists of companies that hire people into the kinds of jobs you
are interested in.

Once you’ve made your list, spread the word to everyone you know that
you would like to learn more about those companies and you would
especially like to find people who work there. Your goal is to have
someone inside refer you for consideration.

I believe that the sites I’ve identified will help you energize your
job search campaign.

Wishing you a speedy landing and spectacular career success.

~ czh ~



=========================================================
WHO ARE YOUR TARGET COMPANIES
Prospect list of people who could use you
=========================================================

http://www.hireanewgrad.com/default.asp
Hire A New Grad, Inc.
Apply directly to Canadian Employers for entry level positions, jobs
for new and recent graduates, career opportunities, internships and
co-ops - based on your degree or diploma.

http://www.hireanewgrad.com/aboutus/aboutus.asp
Hire A New Grad Inc. is a Canadian organization that is dedicated to
assisting new and recent graduates find employment suited to their
education while providing employers access to the best and brightest
our country has to offer.

***** This is an interesting Canadian website. Check out the Grads
Helping Grads section. When I searched on Alberta employers I got
dozens of listings. You can do this with listings for all of the
provinces. Go ahead and use the list to apply to employers from this
site but a better use of the list will be to identify companies that
you may want to approach directly.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.ryerson.ca/career/students/fairs/hitech.htm
Careers in Engineering, Science & Hi-Tech Careers in Planning, Design
& Building
Wednesday, October 8, 2003
(15 Companies/Institutions Registered)

***** This is a listing of 15 companies who signed up for a college
recruiter job fair at Ryerson University. While you cannot attend this
or similar events I suggest that you identify other Canadian colleges
and universities and look up their career center websites to see if
they list companies that are recruiting their graduates. Once you’ve
identified prospect companies you can research what they’re about on
each company’s website and then do everything you can to find a way to
network your way to making a personal connection with the hiring
managers in that company.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.justbus.com/index.htm
Just Business Online
News and Events for Alberta's Entrepreneurs and Small Business
Community

http://www.justbus.com/canadian_jobs.htm
Canadian Jobs Online Resources

***** This site offers lots of local resources for you to explore. Pay
special attention to how you might make connection to increase your
opportunities to network so you can find jobs in the hidden job
market.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.alis.gov.ab.ca/employment/lmi/alberta.asp
Alberta labour market

Here you'll find a wealth of data that will assist you in researching
employment trends, career building, and financial and business
planning. Search labour market information in Alberta, Canada and
around the world. Investigate job trends, salary surveys, the latest
labour market news, workplace innovations, small business information,
and industrial and commercial sector information by category.

***** Be sure to review the Alberta's local labour market bulletins.
Your goal is to identify growth areas. Pay attention to companies that
are growing. It doesn’t matter what industry they’re in. IT jobs are
available in all industries. A company that is advertising lots of
jobs or where growth is evident may have additional jobs that are not
advertised. Investigate what the company is about and network your way
in.




======================================================
NEW GRAD RESOURCES 
Current market trends
======================================================

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/
http://www.graduatingengineer.com/about/index.html 
Based upon the CASS Recruitment Media publication, Graduating Engineer
& Computer Careers magazine, Graduating Engineer Online is an original
career and information center for young engineering and computer
science majors starting their careers.

http://www.graduatingengineer.com/interview/salaries.html
Average Entry Level Salaries For Graduates with Engineering & Computer
Degrees

***** This is an excellent site for advice for new graduates. Browse
through the article archives and other resources to get help with all
aspects of your job search.

---------------------------------------------------


http://www.engr.ucr.edu/~nsbe/Jobs/salaries.doc
Average Entry Level Salaries For Graduates With Engineering & Computer
Degrees

***** This site provides information from graduatingengineer.com and
jobweb.com.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.ieeeusa.org/employment/entry.html
Entry Level Employment Assistance

***** This site offers lots of specialized resources for recent
graduates.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.job-hunt.org/computers.shtml
Computers, the Internet, and Technology 
These Web job sites specialize in computer programming, Internet
development, and other related technology positions.

***** This site offers specialized links for your field. While the job
boards listed might be useful for exploring job postings, I suggest
that you browse through the resources to help you hone your job search
skills and to find target companies that you will want to approach on
your own. Pay special attention to networking and hidden job market
information.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.jobpostings.ca/default.cfm
jobpostings – Canada’s Student Job Network In Print & Online

http://www.jobpostings.ca/employers/corporate.cfm
Passion Inc. is one of North America's leading publishers targeting
the university and college market. Companies can advertise locally,
nationally, or on-line through our different media outlets. Mark and
Nathan Laurie formed the company in 1994 and operated the business as
a partnership known as Target Student Marketing (TSM).

***** This site offers lots of resources. The section on Networking
Advice is very good.

-------------------------------------------------


http://www.itworldcanada.com/jobuniverse/
http://itworldcanada.bitpipe.com/data/web/itwc/itwc_index.jsp
IT JobUniverse Canada!
Job Universe Canada is a free online resource for IT professionals
seeking employment, and tech savvy companies looking for qualified
employees.

***** Use this site to identify companies that you want to include on
your prospect list. The Skills Management News and Information will be
helpful to give you insight into industry trends.


===============
SEARCH STRATEGY
===============

computer engineering entry level
computer engineering entry level canada

Very impressive, this will keep me busy for a while! Thank you very much.

Hello sol9-ga,

I wasn’t able to find unemployment statistics for 2003 graduates but I
hope that the articles below will give you some information about your
fellow graduates. It’s a tough market and your situation is not
unusual. Don’t take it personally. Keep looking. Persistence will pay
off.

Good luck with your search.

~ czh ~

http://www.jobweb.com/SalaryInfo/03summerss.htm
New College Grads Earning Less
Times are tough if you're seeking employment. Many students who
graduated in May are still job hunting and salary offers in some
fields are lower than they were just one year ago, according to the
Summer 2003 issue of Salary Survey, a quarterly report published by
the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

http://www.naceweb.org/press/display.asp?year=2003&prid=178
DATE:	September 08, 2003
SUBJECT:	Year-End Report Shows Lower Salaries for Class of 2003
BETHLEHEM, PA—Sales, management trainee, teaching, and accounting
positions were among their top jobs (see Figure 1), but for the many
of the college Class of 2003, the year ended much as it began—with
declining starting salary offers, according to a new report published
by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE).

http://www.collegerecruiter.com/pages/pressrelease07312003.html
Majority of Grads Unemployed for More Than Four Months
(July 31, 2003 Press Release)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, July 31, 2003 - A majority of college and
university students and recent graduates who are actively seeking work
nevertheless report being unemployed for more than four months,
according to the results of a poll released today by
CollegeRecruiter.com, an online job listing service for students and
alumni.

Thank you for the links and words of encouragement. I guess I was
looking for something to convince me that I'm not alone in the world.
I figure I have until spring to find a job (when the new grads will
come out). If I don't find something by then my life is screwed.

For a UK school of electronic engineering the stats are at
http://www.ee.qub.ac.uk/schools/grademp.htm

For a US school see 
http://www.engineering.uiowa.edu/career-services/stats/May02gradreport.pdf

You may also want to contact the student employment department at your
school for some information relating to those with the same degree as
yours.

You may want to get some help with your resume and job search
strategies. Even in the temporarily dressed economy there should be
something out there for a computer engineer.

Good luck