Where to find that first technical job?
The obvious
Seek employment with your co-op, internship or summer job
employer and let them know about a year in advance of your graduation that you
are highly interested. Many companies make provisions in their budgets and
headcounts well in advance. Check with your campus placement office to find out
what companies may be coming to your campus to interview candidates for
degrees.
The not so obvious
Network
through a friend, family member, relative or previous graduate – expect
that they can provide you with the name and phone number of the company and the
hiring authority.
On-line or
newspaper want ads and job fairs- these tend to be localized so you may
have to visit areas or search for the information on-line to determine who is
hiring and where.
Check with
employment agencies – they place candidates with employers for a percentage
of your hourly rate. Seek out those agencies that specialize in placing
technical personnel. This is likely to be a temporary employment opportunity but
may lead to eventually being hired full time by the employer at which time the
employer will probably pay a finder’s fee to the agency.
Technical recruiters
– also known as "headhunters", they place candidates in full time, long term positions also for a fee but
generally prefer to work with experienced technical personnel or those with a
unique set of credentials.
