Today I'm gonna be going over my four steps to help you get your first job as an engineer
Even though it might sound that these steps are specific for engineers it works for almost any
other profession and if you stick around until the end of the video I'll give you a bonus tip
on what type of company to look for. Step number one: communication skills in a professional setting
you will have to be able to liaise with clients talk to architects and other engineers as well
as report to your superiors. In a job interview your interviewer will watch for traits on you
that show you're capable of carrying out these tasks effectively. In my case it was even harder
as english is not my first language and I only started studying english as an adult. A good
tip in engineering is, because every company can be different, specifically research the company
you're about to sit the interview for to work out every possible question that they might ask you
and rehearse what you're going to say. Step number two: brush up on your engineering skills, study,
read the codes, read the australian standards, the national construction code revise those subjects
you have studied at uni ages ago. Why? because some companies that you're going for an interview
will ask you technical questions like can you draw a bending moment diagram for this beam
or do you know what section modulus is stress strain diagram do you know what moment of
inertia is do you know how to read a soil test. My very first job interview I got handed a piece of
paper with three technical questions related to the tasks I would have to perform in the position
I was applying for and it was a big fail. Actually it wasn't that bad. I got one question right
besides being useful studying these subjects will boost your confidence when looking for a position
in an engineering office because now you know that you have something to offer to that company you
can show them now that you're not there only to acquire work experience but that you can actually
contribute to the growth of the company my Uni tutor used to say engineers don't ask for a job
they offer their services. Step number three: internship new graduates often face a catch-22
situation when they look to enter the job market since they lack work experience many employers
won't hire them yet this rejection denies them the opportunity to gain this experience
that's what internships are for I did eight months of a non-paid internship i was studying in the
morning going to the internship in the afternoon and working in a restaurant at night so if you get
a chance to do an internship do it especially if you're an immigrant and have no work experience
in this country and finally step number four: network and persevere and what I mean by that is
show up for conferences seminars join networking groups talk to people that work in the industry
be proactive when i got my first job in australia i happened to be in the right place at the right
time some people will say was lucky but before showing up to that company I had already shown
up to another 20 companies before my point is if i had given up at the 19th company or I didn't have
taken the time to go up there and talk to people I would have missed that opportunity so put your
pretty face out there and make your own luck. To finalize the video i'll give you the bonus tip
i know you might be thinking that you need to get a job in a big multinational engineering firm
and work on prestigious projects however my advice to you is to start off your career
in a small firm. Why? because it is there where you have the opportunity
to see how an engineering business run you will have the chance to manage the whole project from
start to finish and you will have exposure to a variety of projects meanwhile in the big firms
you might be allocated to a single sector where you will only perform very specific tasks
so these are my four steps to land your first engineering job let me know in the
comments below your thoughts about them and if you like the video consider giving a thumbs up
and subscribe to the channel i'll see you next time thanks for watching the video