My company is laying off 3k people (and more than likely me). I just graduated college and have been interning/co-oping since early last year. I just started full time and I'm finding it difficult to land any interviews for the jobs I'm applying for. I want to get into a tech company, but being born and raised and graduating college in the same Midwest city with little to no tech companies, I'm finding it very hard to get my foot in the door or even get noticed by tech recruiters. I can't seem to get over the invisible barrier I feel my geographic location and college have created. Any advice on how to land an entry level tech job in business/marketing?
We really don’t care for you resume. Where in the Midwest are you
Wichita, KS
Hey I was literally just there! It sucks try BNSF I interned there
Time to leave Kansas. Go to Denver and start attending local meetups that are interesting to fields you are looking in nto. Talk to people afterwards! Thank me later.
Check out Cerner Corporation in KC. One of the biggest tech employer in KC area. They hire round the year
I’ve worked with the Cerner Devs before. They’re not bad, but their software stack is 10 years behind the times like everything else in Medical
Very few recruiters and hiring managers pay close attention to your university after you have had a full time job in industry. You will need to leave Wichita for at least KC to have any success. I echo what others have said about finding a market with the companies you are interested in and moving, or at least getting a mailing address you can use there temporarily. The zip code on your resume is probably the biggest thing holding you back at this point. You need to fish where the fish are biting. Good luck.
Thanks for the advice!
I have no first hand experience, but I have heard positive things about Cerner as well. Garmin is also headquartered there in Olathe.
Dallas is also close to Wichita and has many companies across all industries and high QOL. I recommend looking there.
Dallas is meh....go to Austin if you’re going to Texas
Sorry about the 737 MAX situation. I know a few Wichita state grads who moved to TX, WA, MN, CA with successful jobs at Amazon, Cargill, Cisco etc. most of these were direct from college. Only a few left in Wichita — they’re working for Koch Industries. Wichita state is not a total no-name school and with referrals, a good resume etc you can nail a sweet gig for sure
You also need to apply using referrals from close connections at the companies you're interested in, which should nearly guarantee at least a phone screen interview.
Find the email of the hiring manager at places you are interested in and email them directly. This is one way to make you stand out from the thousands of applicants online.
Same thing happened to me here, so far so good. If you've got a good group, with a relevant purpose, doesn't mean you're going to get laid off. Make yourself needed, don't be slack, you should be good. But nature of the game, layoffs even in healthy companies happens, gotta shake the slack, so to speak.
Move to an area with jobs and then search in hot local market?