So, I've been applying and have been rejected non-stop without fail no matter who I reach out to what I change on my CV or however many attempts of "networking" I try. The result is the same, nothing. My degree is in electrical engineering in Canada. Should I take a trades program in avionics, SAIT and then try to transition into avionics engineering from there? Anyone done something similar or transitioned into something else? I finished my bachelor's with high gpa at UBC. How to go about doing this if I finish the second trade diploma. Or should I drop everything and look for a new career path. Thanks.

 

Really no way to answer questions like this unless I sit down with you and get a feel for your actual qualifications. I've interviewed people graduating from some well-respected schools (including my alma mater) who had high GPAs and within a few minutes I knew that there was no way that I would ever hire them because they were clueless. I don't know if that describes you or not, so anything I suggest may or may not really be applicable to your situation.

 

Would a copy of my CV help?

 

Would a copy of my CV help?

Nope. As I said, I've interviewed quite a few candidates that had high GPAs from well-respected schools. You can bet their resumes looked quite admirable. But sit down with them and given them a very simple problem that is just slightly outside of the standard textbook fare and they quickly reveal that they have no grasp of the fundamentals, but only know how to throw memorized formulas at things and can't even spot when their answers make absolutely zero sense, even after that is pointed out to them. After several years of interviewing candidates, I came up with two simple problems that I would give them. We made a job offer to everyone that could answer at least one of them completely, or could recognize that each had an issue and discuss it halfway coherently. Every person that we hired as a result worked out quite well. But they aren't questions that I can give to someone and have them go off and work them and come back with their answers, I needed to see how they approached tackling them. Starting off down a blind alley was no problem -- if they were able to spot that they were doing so and then start digging in and applying some fundamentals. It was fine if they had to overcome an initial urge to just throw an equation at the problem, provided they didn't do so and then think they were done. I was even more than willing to try to guide them a bit by asking a leading question here or there.

 

So give an example of this simple problem. Share as broadly as you can these two simple problems.

 

So give an example of this simple problem. Share as broadly as you can these two simple problems.

As I've already stated, the problems only serve their purpose if I can observe how the candidate tackles them and can interact with them as they go so that I can see how they incorporate additional information that might be offered.

 

So other than anecdotal experience anyone here actually have legit advice?

 

So, I've been applying and have been rejected non-stop without fail no matter who I reach out to what I change on my CV or however many attempts of "networking" I try. The result is the same, nothing. My degree is in electrical engineering in Canada. Should I take a trades program in avionics, SAIT and then try to transition into avionics engineering from there? Anyone done something similar or transitioned into something else? I finished my bachelor's with high gpa at UBC. How to go about doing this if I finish the second trade diploma. Or should I drop everything and look for a new career path. Thanks.

It took me 1 and half year after graduating in EEE. Are you not getting interview calls or not being selected after interview?

 

A combination of both. I apply then either rejection or silence. Those that do invite me for interviews always end up rejecting me anyway. The pattern goes like this, a recruiter calls a week or month later rejection and even in the rare cases that I do end up in the final round it yields to rejection yet again. Obviously this can't continue so what to do?

 

I'm beginning to think that this degree is BS and that my intuition has been right all along. It seems only those with connections get good jobs or any jobs for that matter. Let me phrase this question more clearly. What additional degree, certificate, etc actually helps one get into this line of work regardless of social standing or how well connected one is? Thanks

 

I'm beginning to think that this is BS ragebait.

Being good at what you do is how you get good jobs . That paper only says you tried, not that you are any good.

 

You know nothing about me to judge. So keep your opinions to yourself, you don't know how good I am at all. I'm only here for information.

 

In a job interview, the employer has limited information to work with. A diploma is only a small part of the picture.
An employer will be looking at experience, analytical skills, interpersonal and communication skills, and attitude.

 

I agree with what @WBahn has said.

During the course of my career, I interviewed many candidates in plant interviews that didn't reflect what was on their resumes. I phone screened an even larger number of candidates who didn't get plant invites for the same reasons.

We went through a multistage process. Screening resumes by the recruiting department, distributing internally, doing phone screens of candidates who looked promising, and inviting potential candidates for plant interviews. Plant interviews were serious business because we had to pay for travel, hotel rooms, and meals and we had a team of half a dozen, or more, people who did the on-site interviews. Other companies might not care so much about the expense. My company was a large semiconductor designer/manufacturer and hiring was a big deal.

In addition to asking technical questions, we also asked behavioral questions. Sometimes, there was an entire interview that was behavioral. Failing in one area was sometimes sufficient to reject a candidate.

Sometimes, otherwise good candidates didn't get an offer because of who they were competing with.

For some jobs, a BS degree without experience wasn't good enough. Did you do an internship while getting your degree? Towards the end of my career, I was mainly interviewing candidates with MS and PhD degrees.

 

The job market is tough. An employer might tick off all the check boxes they are seeking in an applicant.
But you are competing against others that meet and surpass your check boxes.

 

Welcome to AAC.

What sort of positions are you applying for? Do you have specific experience with the technology the company is producing/integrating?

 

if I finish the second trade diploma. Or should I drop everything and look for a new career path.

I have had a good life doing EE but ..... during the recession jobs were not there. I have done lots of electrical wiring of houses. Also plumbing and whatever it takes. The definition of an engineer is someone that can do anything. Where I am, an electrician with experience makes good money. (the same) I am not saying, do trades but you should think about it.

An engineer is someone that is creative. Rethink how you are looking for a job. "outside of the box"
I research the company. See what they are making. Read up on that subject. I found a company that used CMOS logic not TTL so I spent a day reading the data books. First question was "what is a MC14001"? I said it is the "same as a CD4001, 2 input NOR gate, quad." Then we talked about input and output current and done.
My English is bad. Back then I carried a small dictionary. Twice I have been told that I was the only person in months without a spelling error. LOL Things were different in 1970, or maybe they are the same.
-----edited-----------
p.s. My spell checker sometimes takes me down the wrong road.

 

You know nothing about me to judge. So keep your opinions to yourself, you don't know how good I am at all.

Such knee-jerk reactions tend to look bad in interviews. I hope this isn't the way you generally react to tough questioning.

Here is some unsolicited advice: until you have established some career bona fides, consider every random interaction you have -- especially with those in the field -- as a job interview.

You never know when it might be.

 

Things were different in 1970, or maybe they are the same.

I suspect they're vastly different.

I walked into the lobby of an HP facility in June 1976 to drop off my resume (for a technician job). The receptionist asked me to wait while she called to see if they wanted to interview me. They interviewed me on the spot. HR said they had interviewed a lot of candidates that day and it would probably be a few weeks before they got back to me. I was flying home the next day (after an interview at a different company where I was hoping for an offer) and had an offer from HP when I got home.

I put off HP for a couple weeks while waiting for an offer from the company who flew me down. After I accepted the HP offer, the other company called and made me an offer. They apologized for the delay and said 3 labs were fighting over me. I was still glad for the delayed offer because I didn't want to be the only graduate from my school to not get an offer. I had a referral from one of my instructors.

 

I walked into a company's office. I did not present a CV or diploma. I showed them equipment that I had made.
They hired me on the spot and I became their R & D department. They did not hire me based on my education. They hired me because I had what they needed, experience applicable to their field.