Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Like Don said, big companies tend to hire by the boat load -- I know mine does. If you're looking to stay in Indiana as an ME, check into places like Rolls Royce and Cummins.

I'm not sure where you went to school, but your university should have a job placement office. You don't always need to know a specific person who gives you a heads up for job openings, as those placement offices build those relationships for you. Don't underestimate the power of an alumni network either. I've definitely seen the preference managers have for hiring from their alma maters.

Lastly, when you get interviews, talk up your FIRST experience. Those teamwork, systems engineering, and project management skills are what employers want. You'll still need some of the technical knowlegde you learned in school, but it's rare to get a job where you can just be book-smart.

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

I am in a slightly similar situation. I am going into my senior year this fall and so far this summer I have been unable to find an internship. The last company I worked for hired me last year as an intern and kept me on as a co-op for the fall and spring semesters. Even though I was in the middle of a design project that I was told would last through the summer the company could no longer continue my employment due to a limited grant program. I was only notified three weeks prior to finals this past semester that I would no longer have a job. With such short notice and said notice being after the typical internship interview period I have had trouble even finding viable job postings to apply for.

While it was convenient at the time to catch of for finals and have a week or two off after school and FIRST the reality of life catches up quick when your efforts in finding a job aren't getting much notice in the way of interviews.

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Like someone mentioned above, there are a bazillion jobs in the auto industry right now. And I'm not just referring to GM/Ford/Chrysler. There are probably more engineers employed at suppliers than there are at the OEMs. In addition to that, Nissan, Toyota, and Hyundai/Kia have R&D facilities in the area. I usually get about 10 postings from the Hyundai R&D facility every week in my daily e-mail from Monster - and that's just in my area of control systems and signal processing. Then there are the niche companies, like Roush (yes, that's the same Roush as the NASCAR team), Riccardo, etc.

The only drawback to the auto industry is that it is a bit of a roller coaster. When the economy goes bad, the first thing people do is stop buying cars so they can save money just in case they lose their job. In parts of 2008/2009 car sales dropped by nearly 50% - those type of drops are unheard of in most industries. The good news is that when recessions end, there is a lot of pent-up demand and things are great (and I mean GREAT) for a long time afterward.

Last thing, people that trash the Detroit area are those that haven't spent any significant time here. I came here thinking it would be a temporary thing: put up with it for 3-5 years to get my necessary experience to get my next job. I've been here for about 15 years now and have no desire to move anywhere else. Yeah, the downtown area isn't the greatest, but there's a positive side to that: all of the cool stuff you need to go downtown for in most cities exist here in the suburbs, so it's even closer to home. I have a handful of pilot buddies that moved here for pilot jobs, expecting the worst. Like me, most of them end up staying in the area for good, even though they don't have to.

And just think of how prevelant FIRST is around here :)

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Hello All,

I am planning to hold a telecom for recent graduates looking for a job.

The call will be June - 4,11,18,25 at 7PM Central time.

If interested, send me a PM. I will send the telecom number for the first 7 individuals, that are willing to make the commitment to attend all 4 telecoms.

Agenda :

June 4 : Cover Letters
June 11: Resumes
June 18 : Applying for jobs on the web
June 25 : Networking with Professionals at professional organizations.

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Specialty: None. (SDSM&T doesn't have you declare one.)
Interests: Mechanical design, fluids/heat transfer. Most of my electives reflect the mechanical design aspect--I took vibrations, a second machine design course (one is already required at SDSM&T), sustainable energy, and CAD-CAM, which was more of a GD&T/design thinking course.

Preferred industry would be aerospace or robotics/mechatronics, but when you're looking for work, you can't be all that picky.

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

There are 15 new hire positions available here in Austin:
http://www.ni.com/careers/

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

By the way, if you type "Entry level engineering jobs" in Google, you can get a lot of results. I did "Entry level engineering jobs in Michigan" and I found a website with 24 pages worth of open positions (479 job postings). Here it is: http://www.michiganengineeringjobs.net/entry.aspx

The third job listed appears to be at the GM Milford Proving Grounds (if the facility doesn't sound familiar, that would be team 67).

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

My college doesn't have specialties either. I did research on thermal modeling of a lithium ion battery. I've focused mostly on completing the ProE section during group projects. My main interests are to work in a design or quality department. If possible, I'd like to avoid the automotive industry. I'd also prefer to live within 8 hours of Indianapolis. As Eric stated, I can't really afford to be picky but those are my personal preferences. If I could have my dream job, I'd work in the toy industry but that will be the dream for one day.

Something of interest, many companies require 2-5 years of experience for an entry level position. Does anyone have advice on finding jobs that require minimum experience? I've completed 1 semester of co-op, 1 summer internship, and 1 summer of research.

Thanks again to everyone who has posted helpful advice,
Jason

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Apply for the 1 to 2 years jobs even if you only have internships under your belt.

Re: Graduated Yet Unemployed
 

Boeing is hiring now too. Every single program is increasing the production rate and lots of new airplanes are on the drawing board. These are the entry level positions. Those are across the company, but currently it is Commercial Airplanes that is doing most of the hiring.