| Right now, I am living at home in Boston and waiting for a response from two places that I've interviewed: Camp Dresser & McKee (CDM) and MassHighway. I interviewed with MassHighway about five weeks ago and with CDM three weeks ago. I have a pretty good chance of getting an offer from MassHighway because they have lots of money and like me, but because there's so much bureaucracy, it could take a while before I hear anything back from them. I have a network in CDM, but I am not sure if two of the seven people who interviewed me liked me, and they informed me that it will also take them an additional week to give me a decision because they are still interviewing people for the position.
So, it would be a good idea for me to continue to apply to other places. Before March this year, I've focused my job hunt mostly on newspaper ads, HotJobs, and MonsterTrak for mechanical engineering positions as well as civil/environmental. I've also sent letters and resumes to HMC alums who work for Fluor, Parsons, and Bechtel, and didn't hear any responses.
In March, I've changed my strategy and compiled a long list of civil/environmental firms in the Boston area and did extensive research on those companies before sending in cover letters and resumes. I've thus far applied to 25 different civil/environmental engineering firms, and I still have lots more to apply to on my list. While I feel that I am doing the job search right in terms of using my contacts and following up, I don't think I want to keep this strategy because prospects look so grim.
I've been informed by someone at a midsized company that my chances are better off if I apply to big companies because smaller companies can't afford the overhead to train entry-level environmental engineers. But I've already applied to the biggest civil/enviro companies in the Boston area (Army Corps of Engineers, Metcalf & Eddy, CH2M Hill, Louis Berger, GZA GeoEnvironmental, Mass Water Resources Authority), and it's been impossible to hear anything useful from them. When I follow up, they mostly tell me that they will get back to me if they are interested.
I am thinking of shifting my strategy again and focusing on applying to temping agencies such as www.aerotek.com. An alternative is to focus on applying to the large civil/environmental firms in other parts of the country. Since I am single and don't have a family, moving isn't that big of a problem, but I don't know of a reason to believe that civil/enviro firms in other parts of the country will be more responsive than the ones in Boston. Which path would you recommend that I pursue first? Do you know of any one who would be willing to help? |
