I graduated from college in December 2024 with a bachelor’s in computer engineering and I’m lost on what I’m supposed to be doing at this point. It’s been 8 months now and I’m still unemployed. I have been applying non-stop since I graduated and I can’t catch a break, I get to first-round interviews about once a month (twice if I’m lucky) but every single time I’ve gotten past the first round I am rejected for someone who was recommended internally/someone with job experience. how am I supposed to get the experience I need if every opportunity is sniped from me?
I’ve been applying mostly on career pages of most companies and for any job that has software developer in the title or description, I’m willing to relocate to anywhere in the US I’m not sure how I can cast a bigger net without just leaving the CE industry that I spent so long studying for.
My resume has been reviewed countless times and okayed by technical professionals. I didn’t get an internship in college so I know that’s holding me back, but my college had a senior project where i worked on a technical project and I try to push that as much as I can. Is there any advice on finding entry-level jobs willing to hire fresh graduates with no work experience?
I’m an old computer scientist, so my days of being a fresh out of college unemployed graduate long long ago, these days I have some input into the recruitment process and we do occasionally take new grads on .
The kinds of grads we like are not necessarily the ones who got the best scores from there University, but the ones who use their time productively. if you’ve been using this time, while you’re not profitably employed to create new wonders and invent things, there’s a chance that some of the technologies that you are investigating might be the kinds of things we need. It’s also possible that your continued study will open new doors and inform potential employment that you were not previously prepared for.
in other words, you need to get out and do stuff. create a portfolio of work and when you are ready for your next interview. dazzle people with your creativity.
Do you have any personal projects? Even something small can help you stand out. Find something fun or contribute to another project if you can.
Hi! I’m a dev with > 10 years of experience and I’ve been laid off twice in the past few years. Both times I’ve spent more than 5 months without a job. It’s not just you, hang in there. The current market conditions are tough with lots of layoffs in the industry and resume writing and reading getting automated.
I’d say keep your friends close - make sure they know you’re looking, frequently, as you’ve noticed an internal referral can speed things up; and keep busy - working on maybe some personal projects, or contributing to things that are out there can help keep you sharp, motivated and doesn’t hurt to have on that resume.
You can start looking at job aggregator sites, not just career pages. there’s indeed, builtin, etc etc etc. I personally also am a big fan of the hacker news monthly who’s hiring thread. It’s frequently a good way of getting in touch with folks who are hiring directly.
