frustrated, so ill whine.

ppl tell you continuously to start early on that job search. unfortunately if you utilize the career center and/or career fairs, companies dont interview until november. perhaps im just unlucky cuz im a december grad.

ive got one offer from september, but i keep putting off deciding because my other interviews have been so late. anyone know how quick normal companies can make decisions? what is reasonable to tell them so i can reasonably accomidate the company i already have an offer for.

11/1/2006 7:55:31 AM

I was lucky because I took the co-op route and got a job offer from the company I co-op'd with. Their pay was ~15% more than anyone else (from asking around), so I didn't even interview w/ anybody else.

My wife, on the other hand, has had a really tough time landing a job. And it just so figures, she got a call back from a job she'd like, but now I'm waiting to hear back from my company about a position in another department I applied for back in the good ole state of NC (I'm in WV now), so she's having to put them off.

I applied for the position last week, and will hopefully know yes/no by the end of this week *crosses fingers*, but I can't be sure. Typically, companies are rather slow in getting back w/ you (based on my wife's experience...that callback she got took nearly a month) unless they're desperate for a person to fill a role. I don't think it's outrageous to ask for 1-2 months from a company, the worse that can happen is they flat out tell you when they need someone by, and you can then accept the position or remove yourself from the running.

I'm hoping to get a "yes" and move myself back closer to friends, family, and NC State so my wife can just start the ole job search again in a different locale, but for your situation, I'd be very honest that you were looking to interview w/ other companies in November, and if they think you're good enough, they'll hold off.

But just remember: if it's a CRAZY good offer, don't delay in taking it.

11/1/2006 8:34:42 AM

Quote :

"ppl tell you continuously to start early on that job search. unfortunately if you utilize the career center and/or career fairs, companies dont interview until november. perhaps im just unlucky cuz im a december grad. "

what about the late winter/early spring career fairs?

11/1/2006 9:21:40 AM

i had an offer of july 04 and i graduated in dec. 04 - maybe you are just a slacker?

11/1/2006 9:24:51 AM

i took 2 internships this past summer, sas and martin manufacturing and stayed on part time (finishing my mba) with mm and will transition to full time. through my internship at sas, one of their partners has hinted at hiring me and took me to the sas championship in their suite and offered to fly me to balt. for the ravens panthers game. my advice is to get involved doing anything with the company you want to work for and prove yourself. that will get you hired.

i recently helped hire a vp for mm and attest to the smaller the company, the faster. i was lucky enough to find the opportunity with mm and was the fourth person brought on and the potential is huge as our first patent was valued at $5 billion. we interviewed and had a signed offer for a crucial vp role within 3 weeks.

get in touch with companies you like and work for free on a project or something. just get your foot in the door.

11/1/2006 9:45:14 AM

^^ well i tried to apply/go to career fairs in the spring but everyone looked at me with google eyes and said to come back in the fall (so i did).

i started applying in august and got an interview that turned into an offer in mid september and have been putting them off since then (career fair was the following monday after my interview). since then i've been contacted by quite a few ppl in october, but most were for interviews/trips in november.

it isnt so much that i think my offer is going to tell me to fuck off and decide, but that 1) id hate to put them in a bad position because they are only hiring a couple of people for said position and 2) id personally like to know where im gonna be before thanksgiving so i can stop worrying and make arrangements to move.

11/1/2006 12:13:00 PM

Quote :

"well i tried to apply/go to career fairs in the spring but everyone looked at me with google eyes and said to come back in the fall (so i did). "

hmmmm. i cant speak for other companies, but i know we won't turn down a well qualified candidate even if they aren't graduating right away. so either it was just simply the companies you talked to honestly wanted workers to start immediately, or they were just giving you the run around since they weren't interested in you.

11/1/2006 12:41:23 PM

twas the same companies i got interviews with in the fall so ill go with the former. i guess some bigger companies dont want to get swamped with resumes until they are relatively certain that they'll start soon or that people are more commited (b/c of time constraints).

shrug.

[Edited on November 1, 2006 at 12:53 PM. Reason : .]

11/1/2006 12:53:24 PM

ps. i work for a big company.


but im sure every company is different.

[Edited on November 1, 2006 at 1:37 PM. Reason : df]

11/1/2006 1:37:13 PM

You have fallen into the FISCAL YEAR job search hell.

11/1/2006 4:17:37 PM

I can't understand why it's so hard to get a job right now. I'm open to anything within the arena of science; biotech, pharmaceutical, research, public sector, private sector, universities. And it's not like I'm an idiot, I have a zoology and botany degree with a 3.5 GPA and only need to take BCH 451 to get my third degree in biology. It's not the resumes or cover letters, I've been to CALS career services. Shit I even have traveled and done research in Costa Rica, South Africa, and Brazil but I still can't seem to come up with anything, not even an interview. If I were to get hired in a lab setting it would have to be entry level since all my research has been field based, and I simply cannot find an entry-level lab job in the triangle. I'm on monster, hotjobs, careerbuilder, and registered with Kelly Scientific and Manpower Professional. I just don't get it. Is a B.S. life science degree that worthless or is it just a hard time to find something right now???

11/3/2006 1:17:16 PM

what are your lab skills?
what experience do you have in the lab?
Sounds like you might have done eco stuff. Do you have any bioinformatics skills in that area, like using phylogeny-related software?

11/3/2006 1:22:28 PM

lab experience is limited to what I did for my coursework, I have no lab experience otherwise

I would therefore list my lab skills as somewhat basic

No bio-informatic experience, close thing would be using biostatistical software (a little SAS, JMP, Statistica) for analysis

11/3/2006 1:47:04 PM

On a quick glance of the major career search websites, there are 75-100 entry level positions in NC for a CSC grad. I'm sure that number is 4-5x that if you dig deeper. Entry level lab technicians (or equivalent) look like they are a bit lacking in NC, but are pulling up a ton of results elsewhere. Jobs are out there waiting to be applied to ... don't complain UNLESS you are physically limited to a specific area and then only IF that region is ridiculously small.

There isn't a magic number for when companies will get back to you. I've had some contact me 4+ months after I applied. First professional job I applied, interviewed, moved, and started in less than a month. Really depends on the individual need of the department within that company.

Good luck.

[Edited on November 3, 2006 at 2:43 PM. Reason : .]

11/3/2006 2:40:25 PM

there are tons of jobs out there

open up your options by looking OUTSIDE of nc

i'm not an nc hater by any means. i would have loved a job in nc but i knew there were opportunites elsewhere (ie: better experience, higher pay, etc)

the plan is to go back to nc later when there is a job opening in the company i work for

its not easy though-- you really have to get out of your comfort zone


to answer the original posters question

i graduated in dec 05. i went to the job fair in september, interviewed in october, got the offer in november and started in january. i work for a large corporation, if that helps

[Edited on November 3, 2006 at 6:52 PM. Reason : kjflkrf]

11/3/2006 6:51:15 PM

Quote :

" its not easy though-- you really have to get out of your comfort zone"

this is true. but its worth it in the long run. i've been 'gaining expereince' for about 6 years now, and am just now about to interview in asheville, where i've really wanted to live ever since i graduated.

11/3/2006 11:33:42 PM

You aren't going to get too much sympathy if you aren't willing to move somewhere else.

11/4/2006 11:14:04 AM

I was lucky because I took the co-op route and got a job offer from the company I co-op'd with. Their pay was ~15% more than anyone else (from asking around), so I didn't even interview w/ anybody else.

11/4/2006 9:06:38 PM

im sure that depends heavily on what companies you apply for.

11/4/2006 10:40:04 PM

I am having to decide if I want to stay in Texas for a temp job that might lead to something.....I am a "traveler" now and get Per Diem and room and a car, so I would have to go back to NC to get my car and find a place here. I have been doing this temp job for about 7 months(just in Texas). I have a kick ass manager, and have had two long discussions and he is pretty straight forward and tell it like it is(probably says to much). I about about 75% sure I will tell them to fly me home Dec 15th and come back Jan 2nd(drive), if they dont want to do that(he was saying fly home THIS month and then come back) then it was not ment to be. I have missed two Christmases in a row with this job, and this Xmas i will be opening last xmases gifts too) I really just get along great with my manager, and his is the second down to the Boss. Even he started out temp...most of them did.....It is either return to NC, move to Raleigh, no job, or stay here, have a job, but who knows how long? At least during the past 16 months I have saved alot of money....even though I will loose the Per Diem, I should be ok, though i will not be saving nearly as much as I am now. I have called like 5 people to get their opinion, dad isnt really thrilled......I guess i could always change my mind before the 2nd(if they agree to that). I just see that there could be a chance of a permenant job down the road, after I have earned my dues.

I also have this other job(from a coworker going to do it) that i am exploring, lots of $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, that job you have to apply online, and i will tell her i did that on Monday then the recruiter will look it up. She is leaving for that job after Thanksgiving(another reason why i want to wait until Dec)



[Edited on November 5, 2006 at 5:51 PM. Reason : w]

11/5/2006 5:49:56 PM

Quote :

"i had an offer of july 04 and i graduated in dec. 04 - maybe you are just a slacker?"

my fiance just got her first offer (making more than me) - she graduates in may 07

11/11/2006 11:22:07 AM

^ thats not totally unheard of

the company i work for is currently giving offers to may 07 and dec 07 grads

i have a friend who had a degree & expereince that her company wanted so bad that she moved out to chicago and was being paid full time while only working full time and finishing her last few classes at a local college.

11/11/2006 4:38:38 PM

we should all be so lucky to work full time and get paid full time

11/12/2006 3:01:35 AM

Give this a whirl...

Kimmel & Associates (828)251-9900

They are a placement company here in the carolinas. They call me every couple weeks with a job opportunity. Most companies may want some experience, but hell it's worth a shot, at least tell them who you are and get in their database. They get paid to place people so they should listen.

11/12/2006 11:39:42 AM

^^ haha i meant working PART time being paid for FULL time

11/14/2006 6:49:39 PM

3 offers on the table

11/16/2006 7:56:17 PM

I realized this semester that engineers at NCSU get the red carpet treatment by employers...the rest of us are up shits creek when it comes to job hunting

11/17/2006 1:33:16 PM

You can't just open up a factory and produce human calculators.

You have to buy them from Engineering Schools.

11/17/2006 1:46:42 PM

I was recruited for a job in CLT in May, selected - interviewed whilst up in NYC in June, selected - ended up taking the job in CLT.

I didnt apply for any jobs (long story) except for the one in NYC, for the record I had 3 years experience when I graduated within my field.

11/17/2006 3:33:43 PM

Quote :

"I realized this semester that engineers at NCSU get the red carpet treatment by employers...the rest of us are up shits creek when it comes to job hunting"

Can a person be this ignorant? Or is this intentional flamebait?

Anyways, also look for jobs that require 0-2 years of experience. You don't have to be 100% qualified for everything that's listed in the requirements. I hardly know any .NET, know some C++, and scored decently on a C# exam I had to take recently. Some skills you can pick up pretty quickly on your own time before you hit the interview (and no, they don't have to be computer related necessarily).

11/17/2006 4:50:17 PM

^ C'mon, it's exaggerated, but it's true to an extent. We're an engineering school, it makes sense.

11/17/2006 5:06:38 PM

i stumbled into my job, now i am relocating to Texas.....i see opportunity because there is a good bunch that will be retiring within 10 years, upward mobility as long as i impress. However, just in case I got a 6 month lease so if it doesnt work out.....oh well....

I am about 2 months off of 2 years.

my first real job after college lasted exactly 6 months and it was pure hell.

[Edited on November 29, 2006 at 10:00 PM. Reason : w]

11/29/2006 9:58:01 PM

well im heading to wisconsin if anyone wants to touch me. you missed your chance while i was in raleigh lest you were at some random tdub shindig.

11/29/2006 10:05:09 PM

Met the rep at Career Fair in Oct
inteerview in Nov
Offer in Nov
Verbal Acceptance in Nov
Gotta do the paperwork before end of Dec


I dont graduate till may, dont start till august. They hired me almost a year ahead of time - you really can't start too early. That said, you may not have something walking out the door, keep trying.

Most companies will hire as long as you are within 12 months of last degree (at least the ones i've talked to), so if you dont have something by spring, go to the career fair then.

As far as offers, go ahead and say to the new companies you have another offer and need to hear back from them as soon as possible.

[Edited on December 5, 2006 at 10:05 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2006 10:05:16 PM

I just found out the company I interned with has a hiring freeze for that department for ALL of 2007. Not even an intern budget, which means it's looking grim on them hiring me as I graduate in May.

12/5/2006 10:23:26 PM

im glad everyone read the thread. by that i of course mean that almost none of you did. i wasnt complaining about a lack of jobs, but that companies waited quite long before interviewing for december graduates. i had 4 interviews and declined 2, but 3 of them (2 of which i declined) were VERY late in the semester.

12/5/2006 10:47:34 PM