Engineer Looking for Help

[mcinturff]

I know there are a lot of engineers on here and plenty who work with them, so I came here to ask for help. I have been trying to find work as an entry level engineer for almost two years to no avail. I have a master's in mechanical engineering and 15+ years experience wrenching on cars, motorcycles, etc. My specialty is fluid dynamics/heat transfer, but I'm open to other areas. If anyone out there would pass my resume along I would greatly appreciate it. I'd even consider a pretty decent finder's fee if I got a position out of it. My resume is below:


https://drive.google.com/open?id=1f01tpxIHqmJrkE1G8a2bUVxiMKkfBmGw

[otto_kretschmer]

I've heard Raytheon Missile Systems is hiring a lot of engineers of all experiences.

They're in Tucson.

A friend of mine just got a job with NASA in Huntsville. He grew up in the Los Angeles area, worked for 20 years at a small rocket company and decided he had enough.

you may want to trim your resume a line so its all on one sheet. When I opened it, its 2 sheets.

[mcinturff]

Did you download it first? Those google previews always screw up documents.

[otto_kretschmer]

nope,

If it opens as a PDF and Office with one sheet, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Managers can get really picky about things so something tiny like that can make them move to the next resume.

Many times they don't even bother reading the resume thoroughly; just skim and toss.

I'm in between jobs myself. I'm at the point where work is optional for me.

[unclebilly]

I am looking to hire design engineers right now.

The positions are in Canada.

Nothing about your resume jumps out and screams "hire me".

You need to say what type of engineering you want to do and a cover letter that tells prospective employers how your skills ans experience are a fit for their posting and organization.

[LWJ]

Advice? Hire a career coach. Best thing I ever did. Really.

[PorscheGAL]

Do you have LinkedIn? My advice is to connect to as many headhunters as possible. Send them your resume. They will help find you a job, critique your resume, and their fees are paid by the company who hires you.

Good Luck!

[onewhippedpuppy]

Aerospace engineer here, most of it in management so I’ve reviewed a lot of resumes. Yours is ok but pretty average, I would fix the formatting to make it one page, move your education to the bottom, highlight not only your jobs/tasks but also specific personal achievements within those jobs, and open with a one to two line intro at the top. Think of it as a mission statement for who you are and what you want in a job, something to grab a recruiter’s attention. Alternately you can hire a pro to create one for you. LinkedIn is a powerful tool make sure your profile is top notch.

Where do you want to live? Lots of places are hiring engineers right now, post your preferred locations and I’m sure you can get some solid suggestions here.

[slow&rusty]

I work for a small Oil and Gas operator here in Houston and we are looking for a Mechanical engineer right now although and admittingly one with O&G midstream or upstream experience is preferred. I am going to print your resume and discuss further with our other VP of Engineering and we will give you a call if interested. For us we are looking for someone with the right level of enthusiasm, aptitude and attitude, if you bring all that we can teach you the job at the job. We just recently hired another ME with no relevant O&G experience and he has worked out great. It also depends on your salary expectations.

In the interim, if you scour LinkedIn there are lots of Oil and Gas jobs and professional recruiters that can help get your name and resume out there....if that industry interests you.

Regards - Yasin

[cstreit]

Check with MotoSook.

https://forums.pelicanparts.com/members/7002.html

I read many resume's for technology folks yearly. A few tips:

- Your resume renders one line on the second page. Details are important.
- Switch to an easier to read font.
- Provide a summary of what you are looking for and what you excel at right up front.
- You've provided both a job description and results. Thats very good.

When I read a resume I want to know a) what a person is good at, b) what they accomplished for their employer, and c) what they learned while there.

[vash]

I wouldn’t post my resume on a car enthusiast forum for some total stranger to hand out.

I think the better strategy is to ask for someone (total stranger) here to point you in the right direction and you do whatever to get the resume to them.

[aigel]

The main issue here is that after school you have only had one job which lasted for 6 months and this is 2 years ago. Any hiring manager will wonder a) what happened, why did you not last more than 6 months? and b) What have you been doing for the last 2 years?

You need to fill the last two years. Hopefully you have been gainfully employed for a longer stretch and even if it is outside of your education, put it down. Even if it is short order cook at the local burger joint. If you haven't worked, then hopefully you have volunteered somewhere or been on a mission with your church? Or you can put down that you were independently restoring classic cars?

Instead of waiting for someone to hire you as an engineer, you may want to bite the bullet and get a job as a technician / entry level job at a company that is hiring in your field. (Oil industry, aerospace etc.) Then work your way up. Many in my industry struggled out of school in the 2012 time frame and took operator / technician jobs to get started. Then worked their way into engineering roles at the company. It was a bit tough on them for a couple years, i.e. taking a night shift job, but nobody asks 5 years later.

You also need to absolutely be mobile, not look just in your location, be open to temp agencies as well.

The resume could be a bit better, you have some advice there, but the resume really isn't the issue here.

Good Luck!

G

[otto_kretschmer]

Trent,

Just keep hammering at it. Tweak your resume and get it looking good. Go hit all the job fairs you can and bring copies of your resume with you. Get used to rejection and don't take it personally. You have to be willing to relocate. You are going to make a lot of mistakes in interviews so do as many as you can. Don't let opportunities slip thru your fingers.

and network network network

[crustychief]

Look at USA JOBS or INDEED
https://www.usajobs.gov/
https://www.indeed.com/jobs?q=thermodynamics&l=Houston%2C+TX

[mcinturff]

I looked up some engineer specific career coaches and found one in Houston, so I’ll be making a call to them on Monday.

I’d say aigel is 100% right. How do you explain that the person responsible for training and evaluating you absolutely HATED the person who got you hired (distant relative) and then took it out on you? I wasn’t allowed to change groups, so I left.

I’ve done everything from (self employed) auto/motorcycle repair to music gigs just to stay afloat. I definitely have no qualms about leaving the Houston area, I would welcome the change. I’d give anything to go back to Pensacola area, but there are not really any jobs there.

[Eric Coffey]

Originally Posted by mcinturff

I have a master's in mechanical engineering and 15+ years experience wrenching on cars, motorcycles, etc. My specialty is fluid dynamics/heat transfer, but I'm open to other areas.

MSME w/ specialty in fluid dynamics/heat transfer, based in Houston?
I'd think the oil/gas industry would be squarely in your lane.

(kudos to Yasin above, BTW!)

Good luck out there...

[otto_kretschmer]

Originally Posted by mcinturff

I’d say aigel is 100% right. How do you explain that the person responsible for training and evaluating you absolutely HATED the person who got you hired (distant relative) and then took it out on you? I wasn’t allowed to change groups, so I left.

don't talk to a potential future boss about people problems you had in past jobs

that's a black hole you want to avoid

[aigel]

Originally Posted by otto_kretschmer

don't talk to a potential future boss about people problems you had in past jobs

that's a black hole you want to avoid

I don't think it is mcinturff's intention to tell this story to a hiring manager. He is just telling us what happened. That said, you will want to have a good explanation why you only stayed that briefly!

So, back to my suggestion, I would put down something for the last two years, if it is not a total stretch: "Automotive restoration and repair - self employed, July 2017-present".

And once you land a job, you will need to put your head down and stay there for 3+ years if at all possible.

Good Luck!

G

[MotoSook]

I have a master's in mechanical engineering and 15+ years experience wrenching on cars, motorcycles, etc. My specialty is fluid dynamics/heat transferQUOTE

With just this these two sentence and you are struggling to find employment in Houston, you are doing it all wrong or your expectations are too high for an entry level job.

Last I looked there were almost 40 engineering positions open with my employer, and I am certain other companies like mine are struggling to fill engineering positions in Houston. Houston is about to realize a major vacuum in technical talent in the oil and gas industry. We have been struggling to fill technical positions with good candidates, someone with the right education, some practical (farm or hobby counts) experience and the aptitude and attitude to learn.

Companies like mine are always looking for engineers like described in those sentences. The Master Degree is sometimes a turn off. We will not pay more than entry level pay just because you have a master degree. If you have been expecting more pay with a master you won't get in. You have to be willing to put in some time and gain experience. Then the master degree will allow you to spring into higher positions within that company. Good mechanical engineers can start out at 75-85K per year with nice benefits. If you're willing to relocate to more remote places to put in your time there are jobs out there! Midland, TX is booming. The Dakotas. Permian Basin. Marcellus Shale. All still looking for good people.

If you've interviewed and you're still not getting offers, then your presentation is off. If you're presentation is on point, but you're still not getting in, then there are other issues.

There is only so much coaching one can provide. If the candidate is not learning and improving there is little a career coach can do. Hell I didn't have anyone to coach or mentor me. My parents were about as blue color as can be (janitor and factory worker). I had no circle of family friends who were professionals to bounce ideas off of. I had no siblings who had gone before me....

....but I was eager and willing. I observed and adjusted and soaked up everything so I could move to the next step.... pedigree doesn't mean jack if you don't have desire and aptitude.

[mcinturff]

I guess I’ll delete the master’s degree and try that for a while. My expectation was 60-65k, I don’t know anyone starting at 75k. I can’t even get companies to call for a phone screen so I guess they see the master’s degree and think I’ll want 90k.