The Second Time Out

I had a great conversation today with an earlier career mechanical engineer. She graduated with her BSME from a well respected engineering school, and landed a solid first job after school. She’s ready to spread her wings and, enthusiastically taking on her job search, she submitted her resume to a few dozen prospective employers - with no results.

In our conversation, she relayed her surprise and disappointment at the lack of results – after all, when she was searching for her current job, she had immediate and almost overwhelming response. Shouldn’t she be just as marketable now that she has some actual experience under her belt?

Like many early career professionals, she is finding out that the job search a few years after college is different than right out of college. Are you more marketable as a new grad, or as a recent grad with some years of work experience?

The answer is different with every employer, and even the individual hiring manager and position within the organization. Yes! In my experience, you are very marketable with a few years experience, but you will have to work at a job search, versus the contacts you receive from employers who actively recruit college grads.

So, here is basic advice, the "3 R's" I would give candidates in this stage of a job search:

• Read up on how to conduct a job search – you will need the advice and tips of those who have the experience.


• Redo your resume – completely. Start fresh. Most college grad resumes are filled with details of internships, summer programs, class projects, etc, which can be essential to a college grad landing their first position, but now considered a professional and not a “grad”, you’ll need to remove much of that information. Many resume experts recommend removing anything that is considered personal, school projects and hobby related.


• Research the industry you are targeting, and specific companies you are interested in working for. Check out their employment section, and if possible read all the jobs posted online - even if you are not interested in the current jobs and/or locations. Create resumes that are specific for these employers, drawing from your research. Use the keywords they used in their descriptions and highlight any applicable experience you have that is similar to their process, product or service.