Using Chief Delphi as a Networking Tool

[Tom Line]

Coming out of College cold and getting a job with no prior experience can be very very difficult.

That's why I suggest to every one of our team members that they do a co-op, intern, or even simply a summer job with a company. Even if you have to work for peanuts, this is the singularly best way to get your foot in the door with a company. Once they know you are a good worker, it opens opportunities for hiring.

Even if they don't hire you, being able to use them as a reference is key as well. Employers simply do not have the time (or money) to take on college kids and polish them for a year or two before they become truly useful. And it WILL take that long before you integrate into learning the processes of where-ever you go to work to become truly effective.

Of course, getting your name out there on monster, linked, and all the other sites is not a bad thing. Be aware (and I wish more folks WERE aware of this fact) that future employers will probably do an internet search on you, and a background check. That's why it's a very poor idea to have myspace or facebook pages up with your actual name on them. See the current Republican vice-presidential candidate's daughter's boyfriend for the perfect example....

Finally, cold-calling the HR department and dropping off resumes is not a bad idea either. I know Ford keeps those resumes in a file and looks at them when they have a position to fill. It took me over a year to get an interview with them after giving them a resume.

If you can't get a job in the exact company you want, find out who their suppliers are (machine tool and otherwise) and get a job there. Those smaller job-shops are often much easier to get a foot in the door because of higher turn-over and once you know the business it will be much easier to get noticed at the company you really want to work at.

In the end, the best bet is to work out a strategy. Where do I want to work. Failing that, what other places will give me experience so that in 5 years I can go get a job where I want to work. Do not go in expecting to get a job and retire in 30 years either. It's pretty rare that anyone will go 30 years without changing jobs a couple times, and you need to think about what you'll do in that situation.