I'm a college student graduating in a month and still don't have a job. Best game plan at this point?
I'm currently a college student and I'm graduating in a month. I don't have any job offers, not even safeties. At this point, it seems not many companies are hiring new grads. What's the best course of action to get a handful of interviews? Because I can hardly find any companies to even apply to, as hardly any have new grad roles on their career sites. Bizarrely, I've been having more luck with companies typically known to be very selective than I have with startups and small companies. I had an onsite with Bloomberg and was rejected. I had another onsite with Google over three weeks ago, and my recruiter told me it would be another two weeks before I hear back with a decision. Smaller companies have been ignoring me. I've had my resume reviewed by people and mostly receive positive feedback. It lists a previous internship, research experience, hackathon wins, and side projects. I'm located in NYC. Looking for guidance on my best course of action at this point. Any advice is appreciated. Also, please let me know if anyone knows companies still hiring new grads
I’m sorry to hear you haven’t had luck but keep your chin up. The environment these days aren’t favorable to new grads. Smaller companies tend to lack training for people without experience so that’s why they’re more selective in a sense. It’s probably to your benefit in a way. The big companies have budgets for new graduates and can afford them to spend time ramping and learning instead of producing from day one although it’s harder to advance internally than at a smaller company. My suggestion is to go to meet ups, actively use LinkedIn, and try to get something that leveraged similar skills to what your ideal job requires. Transitioning after you have a job is a lot easier than without. Apply widely and be open to unexpected opportunities.
It’s tough but it’s doable. I didn’t graduate with a job and ended up okay. Backup plan is do another internship this summer and try to get it converted to full time. Lots of smaller startups might be willing to take you on depending on your skill level. Reach out to alumni from your school on LinkedIn who work in the kinds of roles you might want to be in and ask them for advice. Smaller companies are also busy so if they’ve been ignoring you try pleasantly following up once a week or so (max 3 times). Also reach out directly to people who work there on LinkedIn rather than just applying online. Don’t let the rejection get you down. It’s part of the process and it sucks but you will be more resilient because of it.
Build projects to show that you’re more than just a degree.
I have several projects on my resume, some of which have won awards at hackathons
Ok. So keep building.
I would suggest you make yourself infamous by posting weird stuff about your past like one of the usc students did and then some creep would willingly sympathise and offer you a job.
"I'm located in NYC". There's your problem.
Also it's not all about"new grad" jobs. That label won't be on every job you qualify for. It may be helpful to look into the power of LinkedIn. No doubt that recruiters from companies of all shapes and sizes utilize LinkedIn for sourcing, hiring and background-checking.
I mean, I'm not only looking in NYC. I'd be open to moving. Just including it for context about what networking opportunities and jobs are easily accessible to me
Try going to your uni’s career center, they can help connect you with industries. Also doesn’t hurt to just apply anyways if you’re interested in the role.
Yes. The money they charge at university career center is worth the help.
All the "tech" roles they tried to connect me with are IT roles
School (tier)? Major? Previous internships?
Mid-tier school. State university with decent cs program. Double majored in compsci and applied math. 1 previous internship
Oh. Only 1 internship :( I assume as it’s not a top school there is a limited number of companies coming on campus. I still think networking for you should be the key but it’s most likely will be “just in time” rather than getting a job which is ready to wait for you 2+ month till you graduate. Spend April outreaching alums from your school asking for their help/advice. How good is your resume? With 1 internship you should use all other achievements to highlight your skills. Did you outreach back to your internship company to check if they have any roles opened? PB acquired a few companies (read borderfree) which can have separate career pages. You can also look at their competitors.
Are you willing to work as a dev at a bank? I know as of December 2017 Chase digital was hiring 100 a month. Other than that I'd suggest going to events (there are a ton in NYC on Meetup- just find the good ones), contacting alum who are VCs to see if their portfolio companies need eng hires (first mark has a talent network you can resume drop for with lots of NYC in their portfolio), and following all the companies on Twitter. A lot of smaller companies don't bother with LinkedIn job posts. I've found indeed to be a larger selection. Also consider setting up a contract or freelance situation post graduation if you think it'll take a few more months. Desperation causes us to take jobs that are a poor fit and extra income may calm your stress. Don't despair. Getting the first job is the worst imo and it'll get better after that.
Sure to working at a bank. I'll take whatever I can get at this point. Will look into chase, thanks for the tip
It's not about what you know, rather who you know. I hope you made meaningful networks while at you were at school or any internships as they are your best bet of landing a meaningful job. Also try job fairs. Good luck.
Try to take few courses next semester and try to stay back in the institute while applying for jobs.
Can't afford another semester to add to my student loan debt
Are you here on f1? If that is the case, it’s better not to risk your status by staying idle