No one said finding your first job would be easy but if you follow this guide you’ll be well placed to go after that engineering role of your dreams.
You’ve probably heard that the UK has a shortage of engineers. But that doesn’t mean getting a graduate job in engineering is easy.
What employers really mean by a “shortage” is that there aren’t enough engineers with the right mix of technical ability, personal skills and practical experience in specific areas.
But with the right mix of research, planning and action, you can make yourself very attractive to companies who are desperate to find the right people to make their businesses grow.
Here’s our introductory guide on how to find and secure your dream graduate job in engineering.
1. Start early
If you want to finish your degree and go straight into a job you’ll need to have used your university time effectively to build up your CV. Of course this means getting a good academic result – many employers won’t look at anything below a 2.1 – but also carrying out work experience and taking part in extra-curricular activities. You didn’t think this would be easy, did you?
‘You can never start too early,’ says Fran Shaw, engineering placement manager at Huddersfield University. ‘You’ll be applying for a graduate job quicker than you think. And if you want to do a work placement you’ll be applying in your second year.’
During your first year at uni you should try to work out what you want your CV to look like by the time you start applying for a graduate job and then go out and get the experiences to fill it up.
2. Get some experience
The single most important thing that will improve your chances of getting a graduate job in engineering is work experience.
Many university courses include time for year-long placements and these can often lead directly to permanent jobs. They could even help you do better in your degree when you return to uni the following year.
‘Placements help develop academic skills because you will better understand how the theory is applied,’ says Mike Grey, head of Coventry University’s Engineering Futures career team. ‘They also allow you to make decisions about your career path. For example you might change your mind from wanting to be a design engineer to operations.’
But given that over 40 per cent of engineering employers believe graduates lack practical experience, according to the Institution of Engineering and Technology, any time you can put in with a real company will help you stand out.
Of course, the age-old problem is that employers often want you to have experience before they’ll even take you on for a placement. Start by asking firms if you can come in for just a day to see how things work. Then try to undertake a few weeks work experience or a summer internship. This will put you in good stead if you do want to apply for year-long placements, which can be almost as competitive as permanent jobs.
And don’t forget that practical skills don’t just come from work experience. They could come from social clubs, sports teams, part-time jobs or anything where you’ve demonstrated you can do more than just calculations.
‘We’re looking for lots of dimensions that give a person character,’ says Nicky Bassett, UK HR director at multinational engineering firm Eaton. ‘We’re not looking for real geeks who can’t interact. Have they supported themselves? Do they have good motivation?’
3. Aim high – but keep your horizons broad
‘My advice is to aim high – don’t be afraid to apply for the companies you really want to work for.’ That’s the opinion of Maria Zaretskaya, who secured a coveted place on Eaton’s engineering leadership development programme last year.
The UK is home to some of the biggest and best engineering companies in the world, as well as outposts of many international giants. Graduating from a British engineering department creates a fantastic opportunity to target world-class employers.
And don’t let your degree subject stop you from going for a particular firm or job that specialises in a different discipline – the basic principles of engineering are widely applicable.
‘Students tend to rule themselves out more than the companies do,’ says Coventry’s Mike Grey. ‘They might pick mechanical engineering because it’s broad but something else doesn’t necessarily narrow their options.’
But it’s also important to remember some of the most interesting and innovative engineering on the planet is going on in the legions of British small and medium-sized technology firms, most of which you’ve probably never heard of.
If you just apply to the household-name firms such as Rolls-Royce and BP, you’ll not only be pitching yourself against the fiercest competition and risk coming out empty-handed, you’ll also be missing out on some amazing opportunities.
Small firms tend to require more niche skills and experience and so struggle to find the right graduates. Matching yourself to the right employer can create fantastic opportunities. ‘Smaller companies can offer an accelerated career path so you’ll get more responsibility quicker,’ says Grey.
‘And it’s not just traditional engineering companies who recruit engineers,’ says Debbie Laing, careers adviser at the University of Huddersfield. ‘For example you could work as a lighting engineer in the entertainment industry, or in the head offices of big companies such as Morrisons.’
4. Make the most of your university
Your uni isn’t just an expensive place to spend three years locked away from sunlight in an engineering lab. It’s also likely to be a hotbed of research that is often called upon by engineering firms to collaborate on exciting new technologies.
As such, your lecturers may be able to give you the lowdown on different companies and relate their own experiences working for them. In fact, it’s not unusual for engineering firms, especially interesting startups, to get in touch with universities they’ve worked with in the past to search for new recruits for graduate jobs.
Danny Fennell and Elton Nunes are helping to develop an engine that runs on liquid air for startup firm The Dearman Engine Company, and both heard about their job openings through their universities, Fennell from his lecturer and Nunes by speaking to career advisers.
‘Do check out your career centre,’ says Nunes. ‘It sounds obvious but a lot of people don’t look there.’ As well as job listings and other information, career departments often provide personal advice sessions and coaching in skills such as interview technique.
5. Tailor your applications
Every employer has stories about candidates sending them applications with the wrong company name on (a surefire way to get your CV thrown in the bin). But getting your form right isn’t just about careful proofreading – although that’s essential. You’ve got to demonstrate not just that you’re a good engineer but that you’re the very best person for that specific graduate job.
‘People often think sending out lots of apps increases your chances,’ says Coventry University’s Mike Grey. ‘It’s about quality not quantity. Applications need to be targeted, researched, with skills matched to the role. Professionals look at this so they know when someone hasn’t taken care.’
As well as thinking about your individual skills and experience, this means finding out more about the company and demonstrating an understanding of their technology, their challenges and the broader sector in which they operate.
‘Candidates need to understand role they’re going for,’ says Mark Newland, a consultant at specialist recruitment agency STEM Graduates. ‘That means more than just checking website. For example, use LinkedIn to find a profile of the interviewer.’
6. Don’t give up
‘A lot of people have a lot of rejections but it’s important to stay positive and keep going,’ says Maria Zaretskaya from Eaton.
Every time you miss out on a graduate job, take some time to think about why. Was there a gap in your CV? Did you make mistakes in the interview? Were you really right for the role in the first place?
If you made it past the initial application stage then ask for feedback and you’ll be more likely to succeed next time. Each graduate job you’re rejected from is a step towards the one you’ll eventually get.
Good article. Unfortunately a lot of young engineers will only think about this issue when they are in the final year of university. Too late then.
It is the same here in INDIA, I am in my final year as a student reading this article and hoping to get placed in any company.
Mine are:
1. Get a degree from an accredited university course. (2:1 or above)
2. Do a placement year during the degree.
3. If an opportunity to do volunteer work comes up then take it. It costs you a few Saturdays but you can get a load of engineers together working at a museum for example.
4. Do your best in the final year project. It will empower you and give you confidence. Formula Student is a good project to work on.
5. Have a long term plan that includes measurable goals such as chartership etc. Align this with your aspirations but don’t walk into an interview saying you want to be a manager, get the technical part right first.
6. Learn how to write a good CV and right an individual CV and covering letter for each application. Generic ones are usually spotted from a mile away.
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‘Uni’ ugh ! University please.
Also I thought with all this STEM and engineering shortages we’re having you could simply sit-back and wait for the offers to come to you !
Oh hang on it’s only the think-tanks that say we need more engineers, so we can have an economy a bit more like ‘ze Germans’ trouble is we need somewhere they can work..
We call that cart before the horse..
@James-
That is my view also. There isn’t a shortage of graduates, more a shortage of highly experienced professionals. As there is a bottle neck at the bottom end there will be no way to fill the upper end. It is a “catch-22”. The graduate application for engineering is highly competitive with far more applicants than positions. This switches around the other way as you get older with experience.
The most important advice was missing! Nowadays I’d recommend apprenticeship every time. Get your feet under the table first, get sponsored for that education and get workplace help from colleagues to succeed.
I agree – it took my oldest son 2.5 years to get a proper engineering job with his Master’s degree in engineering (although he’s very happy in it now)so both my younger sons are heading for apprenticeships which I believe are the best route to employment. However, you’ve got to choose a good employer and make sure they’re associated with a good college.
Does it mean there is no future for 2:2 engineer graduate?
I know a few people who got a 2:2 and are doing great, I also know one more person who got a 2:2 and isn’t doing so good. Your attitude makes a difference, always aim high (realistically speaking).
I have worked in many firms in the electronics/electrical field and really I have never seen anything good. Graduates are given fancy titles such as “research and development engineer” where as in reality they are given tasks they could have done at 16. One place I worked at even had some guy translating manuals into his native language under the title of “engineer”. Really the truth needs to be told about how the boomer generation has screwed the next one out of careers due to importing experienced staff from abroad and neglecting inexperience grads. Oh and most senior engineers I have met are incompetent and barely know ohms law.
very good article….
I have a 2:1 BEng (Hons) in mechanical engineering. I don’t have any industrial experience. 12 months since graduating I have applied for 100s of jobs, None are interested. Despite help from the careers office and parent’s about 10% of companies reply . I cant get any experience as internships don’t want graduates and graduate schemes don’t want people without industrial experience. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. My final resort is the armed forces as no one else seems to want me. I cant keep wasting my time applying for jobs. (The company research, covering letter, BS questionnaires and hope this might be the one).It’s bad for my mental health and it’s time I don’t have. I work 50 hours just to cover my bills and living.
Any recommendations?
Anonymous, Start researching for small engineering firms around your local area to see if they have any work experience opportunities. Alternatively, get stuck into a professionally approved course e.g “Part 66 Aircraft Maintenance Engineer ” Note: This will cost money but will most definitely guarantee a job upon completion. Hope this helped.
My situation is exactly the same as Anonymous above.
The information provided in this article is almost exactly the steps and experiences that I have come through.
Graduated in mechanical engineering 2:1 accredited degree, did an industrial placement (absolutely vital and needs lot of motivation and perseverance go obtain), and applying to companies that you may have never heard about before, small engineering companies. I work for a firm that produce machineries to put together aerosol components such as asthma pumps. I would’ve never have known about small niche firms like this company, if I just applied to a typical well known corporate engineering firm. DO YOUR RESEARCH, PLAN & AIM FOR PROGRESSION.
There is not a shortage of skills in this country – I know several people with doctorates in STEM subjects who are teaching on zero hours contracts who are barely making the minimum wage so to paraphrase Bernie Ecclestone (I think): ‘… you can get any skills you want as long as you’re prepared to pay for them’.
We can all waste years “waiting for something to turn up” and the first few years after graduating are usually very important ones for career development / progression. The more “ordinary” you are (eg not particularly wealthy or well-connected, good degree but not a stellar one), the harder you’ll have to work to give yourself the hope of a decent future.
Ideally under-graduates should have begun exploring career options in their second year, if not the first. Forward thinking doesn’t commit you to anything but it does make subsequent decisions much easier.
Students who don’t have a clue what careers interest them should insist on one to one careers guidance interviews with their university Careers Service advisors. If they don’t get enough help first time round they should go back for another try. It’ll be much easier for them to access free careers guidance while they’re at university than after they graduate.
New graduates from one university can get free help from other universities’ Careers Services for a period of time (1 – 3 years typically) after graduating.
Raymond Bennet
These are all actually really great tips! Literally when I finished uni I think I flailed for about like 8 months applying for literally anything. Ngl not the best time of my life – my confidence was shot haha. I promise it does get better though! Honestly just keep applying and having hope and someone will notice your CV – I guarantee it! It’s mostly a numbers game I guess! Honestly I sent my application to so many recruiters and just got nothing of value back at all (I learnt really that recruiters aren’t necessarily always the best option for post uni jobs so that’s worth bearing in mind). So really just don’t get down and make sure you broaden your horizons and keep mixing up where you’re looking. Job sites are good too like Linkedin and Indeed – just remember to keep searching for different keywords or you’ll always see the same thing! Oh Reed is good too, and Talent Pool (less well known but honestly great for first jobs: https://talentpool.com/) so try applying for things there! Honestly you will get there and succeed! It takes determination and I know it’s not exactly everything you’d hoped post uni life would be – but you’ll get there and you’ll be so happy you pushed yourself!
You shared the very great tips so this is worth to share to everyone and can be helpful to everybody who reads this article. Thank you and good job!
To break the cycle ‘need experience’ but cant get initial work. Lower your expectations and offer to work for nothing, to show your enthusiasm, to learn, and to gain experience. Even for a day or a few days (and ask to put place on your cv).
New Graduates must realise that in many 1st positions, more time/money is spent training them than they add to the business. For small business’ this is a negative return ! Hence expecting to be paid, as well a being taught may be an ask. (I’m almost tempted to say proper experience should be paid for 🙂 )
FWIW I am a small engineering consultancy and get many applications (mostly of the generic ‘dear sir’ variety and no research into what we actually do ). Most are too long, all about ‘me’ and not enough about ‘how I can help you’ . Also at fresh graduate stage I find there is a massive gulf between ‘university skill sets’ and ‘skill sets in industry’ , even in CAD, university ‘expert’ users are not very productive in real world – compounded by weak knowledge of manufacturing process’ the CAD is for.
the institute experience is so great.
Let’s not mislead graduates. Employers require not just work experience, but specific knowledge and experience. For example, If you want to be an automation engineer, getting work experience as a library assistant won’t help you get the job. The truth is if companies want a specific set of skills, then they have to train people for that. Unfortunately companies don’t want to train people. We can’t put all work on university because industries are different. Also, the government should pass rulings regarding employment of new graduates.
Great Tips! Every student needs these tips and guide-ness. Thanks for sharing
I graduated 15 years ago from engineering. I didn’t know at the time that the university I went to was in the middle of the pack. This meant that my school was not very good. I knocked on many doors. I got rejected for several years until eventually I found something in the service sector and stayed there ever since. I don’t need a degree for this job and make a six figure salary.
The truth is that companies will hire through networking. Most jobs are not advertised and a person like me was misled.
The best advice I can give to young people is to improve their soft skills, start working in the service sector and eventuallyget a certification once you they meet the right people through networking.
All six points you mentioned in this blog in very useful to an engineering student. Keep sharing thanks a lot.
Hi! This is amazing and I sincerely thank you for all the information that you have given here, though I had a few more questions.
What kind of skills do eng grads need to stay ahead of the competition? For example, an aerospace grad would probably benefit if they had prior knowledge of CATIA or similar CAD software. Like that, what types of skills would you recommend to gain knowledge in Database System Management and other things like that?
Thank you!