I graduated in December with a BS ME. I've applied to 100x jobs and am not getting responses. I am beginning to wonder if these jobs are real. Does anyone have a job site where they were actually hired off of?

Some jobs are not real. Big companies force managers to post jobs and conduct a few interviews but they still get to make the final decision. They already have someone chosen who will get the job. Also immigration requires no Americans be available for the job so lawyers post fake job listings. To get work you need to know people and network. Keep polishing your resume. Your full time job is finding a job. Once you are working it’s easier to get another job.

Lots of jobs are fakes.

Did you have AI go all over your resume and fix it up perfect? So did everyone else. Did you make sure to include all the right search words. So did everyone else. Find some way to set yourself apart. And then write a book on it and get rich. :)

Another big one, WHERE are you looking. I would HATE to be an entry level engineer in Austin, Huntsville, or some place with big growth. Everyone is already there. Look at applying in locations that aren't so popular.

Something else to consider. Every entry to early level engineer in the world is applying to space and rocket companies. Shield AI is not scrambling for entry level people to fill positions. And young engineers would PAY Anduril to hire them, right now. So if some brand name company doesn't call you back, don't lose hope.

Another thing to consider is looking for your first job maybe in an industry that isn't "trendy" or doesn't have a lot of competition but does have some job skills that are valuable. Look at a smaller city (or town) with a legacy but stable industry. Get your 1-3 years in there, and then go looking . . . if you want to?

I had the same issue several years ago when I graduated. I applied to well over 100 positions had 3 interviews, 2 offers, and accepted 1. All that took about 9 months. I started applying in January, graduated in may and accepted a position in October. My advise is to do all you can to bypass HR. Most larger companies are using AI tools now to sort their stacks, they will take the top 5 and trash the rest. If you submit resumes through a company’s career/employment page more often than not it ends up in the HR void. Most of those people don’t know how to screen resumes for technical positions.

One of the companies I got an offer from I had submitted resumes online for 2 different positions about 6 months apart with no response. One day I just showed up, walked into the lobby, and asked to speak to their engineering manager. I handed him my resume, we talked for about 5 minutes, then he and I walked over the HR managers office and he had her schedule an interview. Even though he was the one that had opened the positions and was making the hiring decision, neither my of resumes had ever even made it to his inbox. So get creative, be bold, and don’t sleep on the smaller firms. The smaller ones more often than not don’t utilize your Glassdoor’s and indeeds. They are also more approachable in the sense that their HR dpt may only be 1 person that’s pulling double duty as HR recruiter/senior engineer.

You will go into the x10,000s.

The internet is full of AI spam and bots spewing out fake jobs.
Be real careful with your data because they are all out to get it without offering a real job in return.

Use a burner phone number. Use a secondary email specifically for job hunting with the burner. Never answer a 'recruiter' asking to set up a time to talk about position if you only give them an email and phone number.

Apply directly to the company mentioned in the posting. Do not follow links. Start by going to the big name brand ones you know off the top of your head. They are always interested in hiring new grads for less because they 'pay in exposure' using their name.

Don't be discouraged as someone with 4 years of experience and already had their contract ended early twice, don't become discouraged.


For larger companies many times the position has already been decided with contract to hire candidates and the job posting is merely a formality. Take a look at possible contract positions for experience.

They exist. Few years ago I could throw a stone and find an engineering position. Today? Much more challenging. No degree. All experience.

I know nVent is currently looking for a BSME in Cincinnati, the job may not be posted yet but should be in the very near future

It is crazy out there. You may even want to try laboratory technician route to get your foot in the door somewhere then internally apply to an engineering role when one becomes available. There are way too many resume collection farming efforts that companies do to make them look like their company is growing and to collect potential candidates for the future.

When you have time get more certifications naefems, pe, ai, etc. Also you need keywords such as software they use, certifications they use. Ask GROK for advice too.

Good luck!

Very tough market, are you flexible on your location? Sometimes it’s worth applying to a remote location with a large company and working your way up internally. Incredibly tough out there though don’t get discouraged. Work on padding your resume and try to network as best you can.

Indeed is really the only legitimate site where employers post jobs they are serious about filling. I used LinkedIn for specific purposes, but only rarely for placing a role I am serious about filling. Just my experienced opinion.LinkedIn has been associated with some targeted Social Media platforms by fraudulent actors. It is, however, an excellent way to communicate and connect with other professionals.

Try Indeed. Serious employers...

I work in retail and I have a master's in aerospace.

The degree is worthless. They want to see experience, but you need experience to get experience.

An MBA is much more useful in terms of employability than an engineering master's.

Only other suggestion I have is to try reaching out to local or startups. They told me to f off and that they only hire mechanical engineers. So it might work for you

Try something adjacent to ME like tech sales. ME is a dead end career for most people as any publicly traded company views it as an unfortunatly necessary expense not a vital part of the business. They care about bringing in money so get on that side and you will be much better served in the long run. I wish I saw that 15 years ago.

You've likely heard this from others already, but, try contacting key people who work within your target companies. You can see who many are in sources such as LinkedIn and local business journals (I used the Philadelphia Business Journal as a recent engineering grad).

Try not to be overly persistent with your newfound contacts, but, after your intro communication, prepare for a longer game and send brief-but-purposeful, bi-or tri-monthly messages to your prospects. Take continuing education courses in your area of expertise, and also network... not just within professional societies, but among everyone you know who is likely to have some connection with your targeted audience. My first upwardly-mobile employment opportunity came to me by way of a lady who was a recruiter, and who I happened to have a brief conversation with at the 1/4-mile track where I used to run a few miles each evening. You never know, so keep an open mind wherever you are, keep seeking to speak with "connected" people, and don't get discouraged.

Utilities (power) need engineers pretty bad right now. Not sure where you’re at but if you take a project engineer role you can work on your PE while gaining experience for decent pay. I see lots of jobs all around the country and get calls all the time and I don’t even have an ME degree! Also, ignore most of the advice on this thread. Your grades, or whatever are meaningless now. Pick a spot you can start from, go from there, quit if it ain’t good. Be loyal to yourself only.

most of them are fake job to tell their worker " you are replaceble"

You should try the US.

Just keep trying. There are real jobs out there, and no response doesn't mean the job isn't real, just that there's too many applicants and their company policy doesn't require a response to any random online applicant. Not every company pays for their job board/listing service to provide a robo-response to every applicant when the job opening is filled or closed, so don't take it personally.

Look for the Lonely Office feed in Glassdoor and for their podcast online and look for threads about job applications. It can be quite helpful. Also, there are a few "interviews with a hiring manager" or "HR specialist" you can listen to/read about that may have more pointers than I'd like to repeat here.

My company is hiring field engineers for renewable energy construction. Most come directly from school. Let me know if you are interested and we can talk about it!

Open your job search nationwide