What are the reasons for an engineering graduate not finding a job?

[lindaL]

What are the reasons for an engineering graduate not finding a job?

I’m asking this for my friend. I’m luckily to get an electrical engineering intern position.

So this guy from China just graduated from U of C. He's a chemical engineering graduate specialized at petroleum.
He has been trying really hard to get a job but failed.
He doesn't get any interviews either.

I find this really weird. Why a chemical engineering graduate can't find a job in Alberta??

His resume has been reviewed by many people, including people from career center at school.

He has asked many friends to help him with internal referral but still not getting any good news.

I am trying to help but my company hires electrical engineers.

He has a GPA over 3.0 which is not that impressive but okay, at least he passed all courses. My GPA is only 2.5, I failed some classes that I had to retake, but then when I applied for jobs I got several interviews (with 2 offers only though) and now I have a job.

His English is not that good but better than mine for sure.
It took me long enough to finally learned how to communicate with native speakers.

He doesn't graduate with an intern or summer job, he said it was because he “didn’t have any experience” so companies didn’t want to hire him for intern. However, he does have some experiences at oil sands in China. On the contrary I didn’t have any experiences at all.
He is Asian but I’m sure there are many Asians here getting jobs with no problems. I am Asian too.

Any clue?

[vengie]

Nothing wrong with having no experience, everyone has to start somewhere. I'm willing to guarantee the issue is his English speaking abilities.

[lasimmon]

Tell him to use an English name on his resume.

[lindaL]

He does use English name on his resume, he can't do anything about his last name though:nut:

[kenny]

Apply for jobs outside of province to see if its a candidate issue or a regional demand issue.

[littledan]

MAINLANDER /thread

[samo147]

i remember when i was in engineering there was this girl that was talking in homeroom when everyone was applying for internships
and she said and im paraphrasing but it went something like

"if you were hiring would you hire a girl engineer or a guy engineer."

take it for what its worth but that could a factor as well for why it was so easy for you to find a job vs him.

[Boat]

How are his cover letters?

Has he applied to CNOOC? Not trying to be racist, it's worth a shot!

[r3ccOs]

Originally posted by littledan
MAINLANDER /thread

I'd almost agree... so many are incredibly booksmart with significant amount of graduate education, from accredited institutions

yet lack practical experience and Charisma to even get into a seat

[kaput]

.

[Abeo]

I'd say its one of a few things:
-Sending out generic resumes and cover letters. A generic resume won't get far into the selection process. Research the company/position and tailor the resume to the job.
-Correspondence where its apparent that he has poor communication skills. In my office, communication skills are easily as important as technical skills, and broken english in a covering email or interview will hurt chances at getting the job.
-No network. Its hard to get your name out when you are an "outsider", but joining APEGA (etc) and volunteering at functions won't hurt, and may lead to opportunities. Also can help with the communication skills.

[colinxx235]

My first question would definitely be how many resumes has he sent out? I did a SHIT load my 4th year to find a job.

Individual resumes/cover letters for all of them.

What else does he discuss on his resume? Try to humanize yourself too. Diversify anyway you can.

If I didn't have a job thats all I would be doing. Checking positions everyday and sending resumes to every possible link.

[CanmoreOrLess]

Well there ought to be a department or person within the university who is well versed in these sorts of situations. We can assume it is his resume at fault, poorly presented with grammar issues. He has had zero offers for interviews so we can assume his English is not an issue as of yet unless the resume is a red flag or perhaps he has spoke (poor communication) to someone from HR on the phone. How can a person in HR know your friend and judge his level of communication? Did your friend take a phone call from someone in HR?

I doubt a Chinese name is going to be a negative, this is Canada and there have been Chinese here since the 1800's at least. My family did not arrive until 1901 from Europe as an example of how young this country is for all.

1. Contact the right person at the UofC, ask this person for help in looking over the resume and prepare him for an interview. I would guess a call to the School of Eng. might be a good start.

2. Your friend has a cellphone? Has he had any calls? If he is unable to conduct a phone conversation this is a red flag for HR. Phone conversations are a real tough test for non native speakers and honestly native speakers can be confused at times as well.

3. Resume good, phone works, send out a hundred resumes and expect interviews to come.

[revelations]

If your friend speaks passable English (enough to pass eng), hes better off living in Vancouver were the chances of having someone hiring mainlanders is far higher.

[FraserB]

Where has he applied? Huge difference in applying at an E&P versus an EPCM

[pheoxs]

surprised this hasn't been brought up, you state he is from China. was he born here and his parents are from China or did he move here for school? if he needs a visa/sponsorship that will kill almost any entry level job opportunity.

also I'm assuming he lists a Calgary address and not one in China

that being said, it's only been 3 or 4 months since grad. if he waited until spring to start applying then obviously he's going to have an issue as most entry level jobs are filled/taken before school ends.

if he's been applying all year and not a single interview then definitely needs to redo his resume. Maybe redo it from scratch in a different format all together and try sending that to a few.

[BananaFob]

My dad (who is also chinese) has a hand in the hiring process for engineers on his team for a major engineering firm... they have an unspoken no hiring mainland chinese rule now. He won't hire another one ever again. Blame it on the poor work ethic of your other countrymen.

[clemmy26]

If he were from Canada, I would say he probably has a sense of entitlement and still lives with his parents.

Someone will pick him up.

[kvg]

RACISM plain and simple;)

[botox]

Too many to list without knowing the guy.
- Is he on a student visa and now trying to get someone to sponsor him?
- His resume is getting reviewed, but is he making any suggested changes? I've helped people with resumes and found out later they changed it back because they didn't agree with the changes. Yes they were asian.....
- His english may be better than yours but that doesn't mean he's a better communicator.
- Is he getting any calls? If he's not it's got to be something on his cover letter or resume that is making them look the other way, and yes is could quite possibly be his name........
- Is he getting calls then nothing afterwards? If so then he's obviously giving them the wrong answers.

[ExtraSlow]

Simple fact is that it's going to be harder for him, as an immigrant, to get a job than someone born here. That may be racism, it may be based on a poor reputation of his countrymen, or it could be something else, but he IS at a disadvantage.
If he works harder than all his peers, and is open to taking a worse job, in a couple of years his experience will get him good jobs at comparable pay. He just has to "pay his dues" for longer than some of his classmates.

EDIT: Also I wanted to say that shouldn't believe the BS that the folks at university say regarding how easy it is to find a job with "any" engineering degree. Fact is, the best jobs are always hard to get, and some years, there are lots of grads who don't get jobs in their field for six months to a year after graduating. That is common.

[realazy]

It's probably a combination of being an immigrant and the lack of experience. I'm Chinese and I work at an E&P right now, but it was tough getting this job (during the recession), and i even worked at this company for internship. I can speak perfectly fluent English too, I've been here since I was 7.

He really shouldn't have skipped out on the internship. Most companies, particularily E&P's, only hire new grads from their pool of students. Our new grad program posting isn't even posted on our public website.

[thetransporter]

I suggest:

Worley Parsons

They hire even people with little education if any as long as they can do the job.

[lindaL]

Hmm now i see the reason, he is not even an immigrant. He is an international student and if he can't find any jobs in a year or two he has to go back to China. For me I am still an immigrant since I am just too lazy to apply my citizenship. He doesn't get any called from HR, I wonder if they can tell if he is an international student from his resume though. He has applied all the jobs not only in Calgary but everywhere in Canada relative to engeering, still failed. Btw he is not the only Chinese I known who tries so hard but still can't find a job after graduate from engg, but the only one who can't even get any interviews.

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by lindaL
For me I am still an immigrant since I am just too lazy to apply my citizenship.
lol.

[flipstah]

Originally posted by BananaFob
My dad (who is also chinese) has a hand in the hiring process for engineers on his team for a major engineering firm... they have an unspoken no hiring mainland chinese rule now. He won't hire another one ever again. Blame it on the poor work ethic of your other countrymen.

That's a bit unethical.

[leftwing]

Originally posted by flipstah


That's a bit unethical.

And prejudice...

[max_boost]

redlyne_mr2 would sum it up as: your friend is a loser lol

[foos_guy]

If he only came here for school, he's likely on a student visa. Unless he possesses a set of unique skills, no company will sponsor a work visa for him as it would be easier to find another candidate with similar skills that is allowed to work in Canada.

[XylathaneGTR]

Originally posted by flipstah

That's a bit unethical.

Originally posted by leftwing

And prejudice...

Yup...but them's the breaks...not really much you can do about it, other than to try harder eh? Nepotism also sucks if you don't have a connection in the industry, but that's just the way it works sometimes...what are you gonna do? He's just going to have to hit that pavement harder.

Since he can't even get interviews...he should probably use an English name on his Resume, customize his resume and coverletters (like Colin mentioned...I did the same thing when I applied and it takes a shitload of time but it's worth it if you want to make any attempt to stand out) and pay more attention to the feedback he's received on his resume.

My old boss at the company I interned with told me that when he was a young lad in university, he was always told that "what you do outside of your education is going to make you stand out" and he always brushed it off. Later in life when he is in the position of reviewing resumes and hiring, it was mind numbing to go through a big fucking stack of black and white, where everyone is the same. It's kind of late for your friend now...but extracurriculars can make a difference.

[My_name_is_Rob]

Im assuming he has triple checked his contact information to make sure its accurate and correct? :dunno:

[Sugarphreak]

...

[GTS4tw]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak


Wow... how very un-canadian and shameful, can't say much more than that.


Exactly this.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by Sugarphreak
Also from what I have seen there seems to be a bit of a slow down in the hiring trend for the last few months. It may stay this way right up until after Christmas.

I've noticed this as well. It's actually a bit disconcerting to be honest considering we will feel the hit first if it comes.

[Cos]

.

[jaysas_63]

I'm not too sure how it is in Canada (as i started my work life in the USA) But over here its damn near impossible to get work if you are here on a student visa, as the company has to sponsor your working visa, and ultimately your green card, which is very costly.

unless you are in a high demand field, with little competition, you would be hard pressed to find a sponsor. (no shortage of Canadian EIT's in Calgary)

This is how it works in the states, I would imagine its similar in Canada.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[flipstah]

Originally posted by Cos

Not that I disagree but do you think a white guy who can speak broken Chinese and moves to China is going to face any different?

That's less plausible because like Sugarphreak suggested, English is a universal language.

Plus, canto or mandarin is easy to pick up if you listen and are attentive with associations.

English is the most fucked up language of all time.

[Evo prec]

From what i have noticed is that alot of companies are going to route of working as a team. Most of these Mainland chinese applicants usually have no social ability to interact with other people and alot of companies have taken notice. Being able to get good grades just doesnt cut it any more. Companies are looking for people that can work as a team player socialize in a professional enviroment and communicate.

[FraserB]

Originally posted by Evo prec
From what i have noticed is that alot of companies are going to route of working as a team. Most of these Mainland chinese applicants usually have no social ability to interact with other people and alot of companies have taken notice. Being able to get good grades just doesnt cut it any more. Companies are looking for people that can work as a team player socialize in a professional enviroment and communicate.

I noticed this as well, especially in my interview. There was a lot of emphasis placed on how you would interact with others and team situations, more so than actual job related stuff. It might have just becuase I was a new grad though.

[Evo prec]

Originally posted by FraserB


I noticed this as well, especially in my interview. There was a lot of emphasis placed on how you would interact with others and team situations, more so than actual job related stuff. It might have just becuase I was a new grad though.

I would say this is stardard practice now for all employees as i have seen numerous people fired because they cannot communicate or simply have no people skills

[Disoblige]

Originally posted by Evo prec


I would say this is stardard practice now for all employees as i have seen numerous people fired because they cannot communicate or simply have no people skills
Which is really how it should be.

How often do people work with a total douchebag or socially awkward individual on their team? The answer is very often.

[Sugarphreak]

...

[jutes]

Originally posted by Disoblige

Which is really how it should be.

How often do people work with a total douchebag or socially awkward individual on their team? The answer is very often.

Now imagine being stuck with that unworkable dbag because you can't technically fire him. :banghead: Fucking Military.

[magicalpoop]

You guys don't work in the city do you? Walk into many firms (Not finance or accounting), and you'll see an extremely homogeneous-mixture (Oxymoron for ya) of staff there.


Back to topic, um honestly,

either

a) His cover letters fucking suck
b) he is not "targeting" his resumes
c) people find out he's a mainlander/FOB

[[Yu]]

Originally posted by Abeo
I'd say its one of a few things:
-Sending out generic resumes and cover letters. A generic resume won't get far into the selection process. Research the company/position and tailor the resume to the job.



I too think this is the main issue. The resume along with a cover letter (and various other things) is what basically sels you. The ability to write a proper resume is surprisingly low but there are lots of resources to help, especially things like career centers at the Universities.

[calgaryrally88]

Originally posted by BananaFob
My dad (who is also chinese) has a hand in the hiring process for engineers on his team for a major engineering firm... they have an unspoken no hiring mainland chinese rule now. He won't hire another one ever again. Blame it on the poor work ethic of your other countrymen.

The company I work for also has this unspoken policy as well. It is a smaller company and when an Asian applies, it goes through the "asian filter" from the senior asian Enggs. I have no idea on the differences of Mainland, whatever. I always seem to get along with all of them and would work with them, but if a "mainlander" gets to the "filter" he is dismissed and the resume into the shredder. Again I can work with most Asians no problem, but apparently, according to the senior Asian Enggs, the mainlanders have poor attitudes, less than acceptable work ethic and whine. Again, I haven't experienced this but there is a no mainlander policy here. Anyways, good luck to your friend.

[MovieClassic]

I think that his resume and cover letter haven't been very well written.

I'm an international student from Asian country and studied engineering. I'm just graduated a little over a month ago.

So far I have had 2 interviews. Unfortunately, I didn't do that well in answering questions in the 2 interviews. So there wasn't an offer.

I would have 2 more onsite interviews in the next 3 weeks.

I am quite certain that his resume and cover letter would need to be rewritten and tailored to the applied positions.