“Graduate job recruitment schemes cut.”
“Too many students, too few graduate jobs.”
With statements like these having dominating the headlines, recent graduates are understandably anxious about their employment prospects. Coverage of unemployment rates and graduate training scheme cuts can be alarming but its important not to panic – a quick scan of the headlines also reveals optimism for the engineering community:
“Vocational graduates have better job prospects.”
“More confidence displayed by engineering students.”
“Engineering graduates have greater job prospects, study finds.”
With strong nuclear and food & beverage sectors, and AMP5 creating demand within the water industry next year, as well as a stable oil & gas sector, the chemical engineering industry is by no means dormant. Similarly, there has been no noticeable change in salary levels for graduate vacancies; while they haven’t increased (as they might do year-on-year during more affluent times) they certainly haven’t decreased either, so graduates can expect to earn roughly the same as last year’s counterparts when they do secure a role.
It’s not uncommon to hear reports of chemical engineering graduates over 20 years ago submitting hundreds of applications before being offered their first graduate position; it’s always been a fierce struggle so, recession or not, you’ll need to brace yourself for a tough battle for that first job. However, there are a number of steps that you can take to cope with the current downturn, some strategies for improving your CV and a number of ways that you can position yourself ahead of the competition during your job search.
Coping in the recession
There are a number of different things you can do to cope in the recession. Be flexible about your type of company, type of work and job location to increase the number of opportunities available to you. While you may be attracted to large multi-national organisations, it is worth remembering that not everyone will be able to secure a graduate role with this type of company. Being prepared to relocate overseas could increase your options even further.
You could also consider a gap year if the doom and gloom surrounding the jobs market is making the prospect of looking for work seem like an impossible task! If travelling is something you’ve considered and you’re happy to postpone your job search to see the big wide world, then there’s no reason (funds permitting) that you shouldn’t do this. Consider how you will cope returning to a not-necessarily-much-better economic climate next year though.
If - due to finances or otherwise - a gap year is not an option for you, it is perfectly understandable that persevering with your job search is your number one priority. Regular contact with your recruitment agency to find out about the roles that are available and honesty about the kind of work you are willing or not willing to consider is strongly recommended if you’re keen to secure your first role at the earliest opportunity.
A good degree from a reputable university is a starting point for a chemical engineering graduate but it is by no means a golden ticket to the perfect job, with the perfect salary and a perfect career path ahead of you. They are things you have to work hard to achieve from now on, building on any work placement experience that you have and convincing hiring managers that you have what they’re looking for.
While your technical ability will certainly be assessed during the application process, don’t underestimate the importance of “soft skills.” To be a successful chemical engineer, you must be able to communicate your technical expertise effectively and at a variety of levels, so showing that you have this ability will be vital. Confidence in your abilities is also required – you need to be able to show interviewers that you have something that the other applicants don’t.
Your CV & job search
As a graduate jobseeker, the composure of your CV and the way in which you approach your job search are both important. As the first chance you will get to promote yourself to a company, it’s important to make sure that your CV accurately reflects your skills and achievements. Documenting your educational history will be relatively straightforward but, with limited previous experience, many graduates find describing their work history particularly challenging.
Work placement experience as well as project work at university are likely to be most relevant to graduate roles, so remove the bar work or shop assistant jobs and focus on the skills and achievements that you gained during your work placement. Even if your work experience was unpaid and during your academic holiday, you can still use key achievements to demonstrate your suitability for a graduate role. Focus on skills, describe your contribution to the overall success of a project and remove references to your love of abseiling, fine wines or computer gaming as they aren’t related to your ability to do the job.
Once you’re happy with your CV, use it as a base and tailor it where possible according to the specific requirements of each role that you’re applying for. This doesn’t have to mean changing the whole thing each time; it can be small amendments, depending on what’s emphasised in the job specification of each role. Don’t forget to follow up submitted CVs – just a quick phone call is enough – this shows that you’re proactive. It doesn’t just apply to direct applications either – if you know that a recruitment consultant has put forward your CV to one of their clients, make contact if you haven’t heard back within the agreed timeframe.
Perseverance is vital to any job search. It has always been difficult for chemical engineering graduates to find work and, while media reports have inflated the issue, it’s nothing new. If you’re concerned that you haven’t heard back from 30, 40 or even 50 job applications, try not to dwell on it and keep your focus on continuing your job search, working to improve your applications each time.
Your university’s careers service will be able to offer guidance about applying for work and about long-term career management, but you should combine this help with that of a reputable recruitment consultant who will have a range of contacts within the industry. It is in the best interests of your university and the recruiter acting on your behalf to prepare you well for a job search and offer advice on improving your CV – you’re a reflection of them, after all!
Getting ahead of the competition
Avoiding the temptation to apply a “scattergun” approach to your job search, preparing well for interviews and thinking about your appearance beforehand are all ways to help you stay ahead of the competition. These may seem like minor details, but things like this will make you stand out from the crowd - you’ll be competing with plenty of other candidates who also have good degrees, so reminding interviewers that you got a 2:1 will no longer be enough.
While a graduate job search can be an immensely frustrating process, you need to avoid the temptation to apply for every single vacancy you come across! When you feel like you’re getting nowhere, it might seem worth a shot to apply for a role that requires some previous experience, but this really isn’t going to do you any favours - a role like this will undoubtedly be filled by a more suitable applicant and the time that you invest in this application will be time that you didn’t spend on finding something more appropriate. It’s difficult when you’re keen to find work and get your career off to a flying start, but it’s important to stay focused.
Job interview preparation is another essential aspect of your job search. Company information will be readily available online, so there’s no excuse for not having a good understanding of the organisation. Read the company’s latest news (on their website as well as in search engines) and familiarise yourself with them as much as you possibly can. While it’s understandable that your university work will be a big priority for you, unless you’re able to make time to thoroughly prepare for each interview, your performance isn’t going to match that of other applicants.
If you’re applying for roles through an agency, you should seek the support of your recruitment consultant as part of your preparation too. They’ll have a good understanding of what’s expected during the interview and, while some companies don’t like to give too much away, it’s always worth trying to find out as much as you can before each interview or assessment.
Despite a wealth of career management information and advice available online, some common errors are made again and again by graduate jobseekers. There’s a fine line between being professional and not over familiar with your interviewer and being too nervous to look at them! Think about how you will appear to your interviewer; make eye contact, use open body language and nod where appropriate to indicate your understanding of what is being said. Smile too – it will make you feel more confident even if you’re anxious.
If you have been interviewed for a vacancy and are not subsequently offered the position, requesting feedback could help you to improve for next time. If you apply for a role directly, it’ll be up to you to make the contact for feedback, but if you have used an agency, they will be happy to follow up interviews on your behalf. It isn’t always going to be possible to obtain feedback, especially if the role has attracted a large number of applicants, but if you’re able to find out why you weren’t successful, you can improve for next time.
So, while it’s understandable that negativity surrounding the employment market in the UK has led to anxieties among graduates about their employment prospects, the outlook for chemical engineers hasn’t changed significantly as a result of the recession. The nuclear, food & beverage, water and oil & gas sectors continue to create demand for well-qualified engineers, but it has never been easy to secure that first graduate role within this industry; tenacity is fundamental to a successful job search.
Flexibility about the type of company, type of work and location of your job will help to increase the number of opportunities available to you, and relocation overseas or a gap year to go travelling are additional considerations. With the help of your university’s careers service and recruitment consultancy, you should make sure that you have an outstanding CV and you’re well prepared for job interviews. Avoid common pitfalls such as a “scattergun” approach to job hunting or inadequate interview preparation, stay positive and work hard to convince companies that, of all the applicants attracted to that role, you are the one they need.
