Advice on getting a job

LRizzy on 26/04/2014 - 17:12
Last edited 29/04/2014 - 12:55

Hi Ladies and Gents,

EDIT: Thanks OzBargainers for your time and help. I appreciate it a lot. Hopefully I can secure a job very soon with the corrections, advice and tips you all have given me.

Thanks again everyone.

Original Post -
I need some help finding a job in the Civil Engineering/Structural/Construction Industry. I worked so hard for 4 years to finish my Civil Engineering degree. I finished mid 2013. I have applied to over 200 jobs and I have had only 5 interviews. My cover letter and resume have been checked by job seeking recruiting agencies and they say it is fine. I have cold called 20+ companies asking if there are any positions with no luck. I also have mailed out cover letters and resumes to companies. I have applied to Perth, Adelaide, Sydney, Brisbane, Mackay and all over VIC (I live in VIC). I am happy to relocate or work FIFO. I prefer to work anywhere in VIC, NSW and QLD.

Does anyone have any advice or any contacts that I could send my resume and cover letter too?

I'd appreciate any help.

Thanks.

EDIT: Thanks OzBargainers for your time and help. I appreciate it a lot. Hopefully I can secure a job very soon with the corrections, advice and tips you all have given me.

Thanks again everyone.

Education & Work

Comments

- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 15:15
  
  Thanks for your post jg86tsv
imcold on 28/04/2014 - 01:12

+1

Anyway i read some bits of your CV and cover letter. You don't seem to have a link to a portfolio. You should at least showcase some of the designs you did at university and show how over time your learning curve etc.

http://www.ceet.niu.edu/ieet/portfolio

Maybe take up some other hobbies such as designing buildings and furniture for IMVU.
pyro love bird on 28/04/2014 - 01:47

Hi there,

I'm currently studying engineering myself and in regards to looking for work I found that my university had an Alumni annual fund campaign which actually gave me an opportunity to speak to people who are already in the workforce. I actually found that several people had offered me help if I ever needed any and jobs.

I also think that for a lot of companies, getting good grades is great, but they want someone with the right attitude and drive. If you come across as someone whose really motivated and sound like the type of person the company would like on the team then you've got a pretty good shot at it.

It's been mentioned before with the cover letter that it's your opportunity to impress them, personalise it a bit and show them that you've done the research on their company. What they strive for is in line for what you want and how you'd be able to be a great addition to the company.

There are a few 'get together' sort of events where I am for entrepreneurs and such, there are others like engineering societies etc. Which might be someone you'd be interested in researching for your area.

Also the university I attend offers people who have recently graduated (in the last year or so) the opportunity to attend events where other graduates would be, this helps with networking which I think is very important. So if you get any invitations from your university as an alumni then I really encourage you to attend them and start networking with people. You never know they could offer you a job.

Another idea is to offer to "work for free" for companies for a short time so they know that you know your stuff then move onto paid work from there. I know that doesn't sound super enticing, but it's better then not having/getting a job.

Anyway, goodluck and I hope you find a job soon!

Have a nice day.

Edit: Also see if you can work for your uni, as a tutor for enge, or whatever, you might find someone might know someone whose looking for a graduate!
jeffr on 28/04/2014 - 05:33

Hi All

I am a registered Civil Engineer with 30 years experience in the industry.

When employing engineers I work don't expect graduates to have experience (if they do, they have lost the plot). Some of the previous comments provide good guidance on how to write a CV.

Work in Australia for civil engineers in some regions is the flattest I have seen in my career.

2014 outlook for Qld is presented in a paper produced by QMCA.

It is available at http://www.qmca.com.au/files/documents/QMCA_2014Report_FINAL…

Extract - "Now Queensland faces a whole new set of challenges. While this year’s Major Projects Report confirms that a significant fall in activity is now underway, the upside is that activity should remain high in a historical sense, with the prospect of further substantial cycles in investment and construction in the near future."

Good luck with the job hunting don't forget to consider: recruiters, seek.com, State government, local government, engineering consultants, engineering contractors and specialist companies such as estimating, geotechnical etc
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 15:31
  
  Thanks for your post and help Jeffr.
Waldo000000 on 28/04/2014 - 08:09
My advice:

It's ok!! Take care of yourself and your self esteem. You're not doing anything wrong. Stay proud of your efforts so far. Looking for a job is tiring, to say the least. You're doing the right thing asking for advice, but please don't assume that you have been doing something wrong - it's NOT YOUR FAULT that it's harder than you expected. For your psychological health, you need to remember this.

You've already got CV and cover letter advice out the wazoo. Now you just need either a) some luck, or b) someone you know to hook you up with something. My advice is to widen the scope of what you're looking for, if you haven't done so already.

Go back to 1. and repeat.
2ndeffort on 28/04/2014 - 11:07

+6
An idea from a different perspective…have you thought about the Army. The Royal Australian Corps of Engineers (RAE) regularly recruits engineering grads. They never (never used to anyway) get enough qualified engineers out of ADFA to fill all of the jobs that they need professional engineers to fill. They sometimes recruit straight from 4th year uni students and help them with study costs etc. They used to have 2 pathways:

where you get into Duntroon and qualify as a GSO Officer like most everyone else, takes 18 months of Blood, Sweat and Tears!

they also have specialist programs for specialist service officers recruited specifically for a fixed term against specific roles.

Advantage of being a GSO is that you can have a Military career if you want it and you are good enough. There is no fixed term so you can stay through to retirement etc but the best advantage is that you would probably get at some stage to be a Troop or Squadron commander and have Diggers working for you. That was certainly the highlight of my working life, trying to keep my soldiers and myself out of trouble.

I am a former Army Officer and i have a couple of mates that were civil engineers in the Army that transitioned across when they left and at least one of them is now an exec with a large engineering company. There are enough big defence construction contracts that having experienced former ADF engineers in your team helps win those contracts. Most of the big defence projects have an 'infrastructure' component, stuff like lengthening runways, designing specialised buildings/facilites/storage and maintenance installations etc. In the Army there are always roads/bridges/multitude of field things that need designing and building. I initially made my move out of the Army into an engineering company as they knew they could sell me straight back to the Government to work on Defence projects as a 'Consultant' (realistically meant taking off my uniform and putting on a suit).
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 15:23
  
  Hi 2ndEffort,
  
  I have thought about this multiple times as my Dad and Brother are in the Australian Army. Problem with it that they only offer Civil Engineering Part Time. I guess I will give it a few more months and try to secure a permanent job. Part Time with the army is better than nothing.
  
  I am pretty interested in joining the army and becoming an Army Officer (I'd be outranking my dad and brother - give me 50! hahhaha). In all seriousness thanks for the post. I am going to read up more about this on the ADF site.
  
  Thanks 2ndEffort.
  - 2ndeffort on 28/04/2014 - 16:56
    
    RMC Duntroon certainly used to be available to anybody that met their selection criteria and they have an intake every 6 months. I dropped out of the accounting degree I started post high school to join up. My selection board was a very long time ago but I am pretty sure that having a Civil Engineering Degree would help your chances (as long as you met all of the other criteria).
    
    When you get close to graduation you are asked to put forward 4 Corps choices and then you wait to find out which one you get (I was RASigs). Certainly in my time, if you were a civil engineer and you asked for RAE (unless you had performed really poorly at RMC) you would have been almost guaranteed a spot. In Signals we had positions that you needed to be an electrical engineer for. Most of us weren't engineers. From time to time they hired specialist service officers but there were a few GSO professional engineers. It would have been unthinkable in my time that somebody with an electrical engineering degree that wanted to go to RASigs would get refused. That said I did know of people with Civil Engineering degrees from ADFA that chose to go to Armour, Infantry or Aviation (Helo Pilot) on grad, because they thought the job sounded cooler. There are now and have been in the past a few generals that had science or engineering degrees. They never did a day's design engineering in their lives (other than digging a pit or 2 as a Lieutenant).
    
    If you looked at the Army Reserve (ARes) there would possibly be engineering opportunities there. In terms of building experience, sometimes reservists with needed qualifications are engaged on full-time service or involved in tasks bigger than their part-time role. They have even deployed reservists overseas and I believe the engineer corps has used reservists with specific skills to help with overseas construction tasks etc. You would get reserve pay and potentially job experience. Assuming the other officers in the Reserve unit were themselves Civil engineers you might also get the beginnings of your professional network as well. You might get to work on Army bridges/roads/training areas and potentially have the start of that experience base everyone above is talking about.
    
    I know a guy that is a full Colonel in the Regular Army now who was a reserve Lieutenant that turned up at our Regiment having somehow managed to arrange a switch across from the reserves to the ARA without going to RMC. There are some negatives to that path but my mate has made it much further up the chain than many RMC and ADFA grads.
    - Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 21:09
      
      Thanks 2ndEffort.
      
      I have to do some research and most importantly get into better shape!
randompunter on 28/04/2014 - 11:28

Definitely consider volunteer work, possibly with a small engineering consultancy (may be harder with the big players). I was in the same boat as you when I graduated in 2003 and had no luck for six months so decided to volunteer. Three months of that led to full time employment. Working for free sure did suck at the time however the investment was more than worth it to get that crucial experience on your CV. One thing to consider though is if you are on Newstart this will screw with your job seeking obligations so do not tell Centrelink.

Good luck!
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 15:30
  
  Hi RandomPunter,
  
  Thanks for your post.
zoinks on 28/04/2014 - 11:36

I work in the civil construction industry (but just as an office admin worker) and we do get regular calls from people in your position looking to volunteer etc. The only people we have employed in the past few years who do not have any experience have been friends of the owners/or a relative of a company we do business for etc unfortunately.
I should also add that my work has been quieter than usual with work for more than the past 12 months which is why we are not looking for anyone.

I know you have heard it before but just keep trying. I was in a similar situation to you 8 years ago. I had qualifications in Business Administration but could not get paid work. I was applying for any sort of job and missed out on a general hand at a nursery job but the office lady at that company rang and said she needed some help and I started working in their office the next day.
You could try to apply for jobs that you are over qualified for and try working your way up

Good luck and don't give up.
AlanHB on 28/04/2014 - 12:36

This thread reminds me of when I was fresh out of law school, expecting a job just to jump at me. How naïve. If I could do my degree again, I would definitely have spent the time applying for work within law firms as a clerk/paralegal so that I would have had a job lined up upon graduation.

Instead I worked virtually for free for a year and a half and was so stressed about work and bills that I grinded my teeth in my sleep.

That said I was able to get my one year experience up, and my next job was 10x my salary at the time. As you can understand, I cried with relief when I got the job.
- AmericanDad on 28/04/2014 - 16:01
  
  Lol another law student! Out of curiosity, what was 'that' job? I'll be interested in a job that pays 10 times the salary! lol.
  - AlanHB on 28/04/2014 - 19:51
    
    Well I made roughly $6k in my first year so 10x that amount isn't totally awesome. On the flipside I did end up getting paid a bit over $70k one and a half years in so that's not bad. More to the point my financial difficulties disappeared.
    
    The job was regulating the release of information that flows from Army to the public.
azshade on 28/04/2014 - 15:16
Hi Rizzy,
Just wanted to pass on some quick advice, given I work for a engineering company.

It's easier to get a job if you have one. Sounds crazy but it is. With that in mind, consider taking part time work or casual or 'consultant'. Some companies may not take on a new engineer, but if you can help for a project for 2 days work, that may help them.

With that in mind, consider getting abn. It'll make life easier.

In the 16 years the company I've worked for has existed, we've not advertised a single position.

Tip for other reading this thread. All of our engineers actually started pre finishing their degree (started as student engineers). Start looking in your 3rd of 4th year for a job.

Consider broader job aspects. You have a Civil Engineering degree. By counts, this should mean you can also project manage, event manage, design, implement, CAD etc. Again, some of this could be contract work.

Best of luck!
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 16:13
  
  Hi Azshade,
  
  Thanks for your post. I just want to get any job no matter how long the duration is. I got an ABN last year. Hopefully things start picking up. Thank you for your help.
AmericanDad on 28/04/2014 - 15:57

+1

What I don't see in your cover letter and cv is work experience.

I understand how you feel because I sent over 100 applications when I graduated in end of 2012 and received no response. Back then I had work experience in 5 different firms (in the legal industry) and over 2 years volunteering experience with NGOs (legal-related roles) but that is just how competitive the job market is nowadays.

Every industry is different but one universal rule is that you must show that you are better than the other candidates to get the job. Your application did not stand out. You have no work experience in the field. You haven't highlighted skills that you learnt from your part time experience that may be transferrable to your new role. You also haven't highlighted any achievement you had academic wise or job wise. Your attributes, hobbies - anything that can make your application different to the other 100 applications they received.

You mentioned you had 5 job interviews - what went wrong? What could have been done better? Its always good to contact the HR after the interview to get some feedback on why you are not hired.

Attend some social networking event to try to know people in the industry, who may be able to give you some pointers.

While you are looking for a job, do some part time/volunteer work that is related to your industry.

Your uni wil have a career consultant. Make an appointment to go and see them.
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 20:59
  
  Hi American Dad,
  
  I will go into uni this week and have a talk to them. If nothing comes around I might go back to uni and do some post grad studies.
  
  Thanks for your post.
  - [Deactivated] on 29/04/2014 - 16:43
    
    +1
    
    Careful about post grad studies… With some of them you might be wasting time and money
    - Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 17:35
      
      +1
      
      Thinking about doing Masters of Eng (Structural).
      
      Do this while I look for work. Might reduce from F/T to P/T once I have a job.
      
      Cheers.
Bmann999 on 28/04/2014 - 17:18

You can ask around to different professors in your department to see if they need research assistants. A lot of international students in engineering end up taking 1-year RA contracts because they can't work for most large companies without PR. If you can find one, it will likely pay ~$60K + 17% super and you will get to work on an interesting project.
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 20:59
  
  Thanks Bmann999
mls82 on 28/04/2014 - 17:44

My 2c.

Cover letter - You've answered the right questions but I personally believe its too long.

Course highlights - I would emphasise achievements rather than regurgitating what you studied (none of that makes you unique from the next candidate), e.g. how you did well with your honours project and anything else that might come to mind.

Technical skills - Tailor to your audience, e.g. if you're applying for a construction/project engineering I'd employ someone with just MS Word, Excel and Project (have you never used it?) over you someone that lists a bunch of software which would suit a consultancy but not a construction company.

Interpersonal skills - Tailor to your audience again, e.g. I work for Thiess and their catchphrase is something like safety, passion, integrity and excellence. Safety in particular is a big one.

Employment history - I don't think a lot of this would be relevant (depending on the particular job you're applying for) so I would emphasise your responsibilities more than the work that you did. Did/do you report to the owner (gym job), were you responsible for project delivery or did you have someone holding your hand the whole time (cabinet job), that sort of thing. I would emphasise on achievements here as well (Are there statistics showing website referrals for the gym job? Did any clients commend your design work at the cabinet job? That sort of thing).

Extra curricular - This is good. A lot of people cull this from their CV's and they don't realise how much name dropping an interest can get you a gig. It will do nothing for HR but can make for a more comfortable interview if the interviewer notes something you have in interest with them.

References - Everyone has their own opinion on this one. I'd name them, state their position and company but not provide contact details.
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 21:01
  
  Hi mls82,
  
  Thanks for your advice.
  
  I am in the middle of changing the course highlights to reflect achievements rather than the subjects I went well in.
  
  So many people say different things about references. Some people say don't say it, some people say do say it.
  
  Thanks again.
pointblank on 28/04/2014 - 19:44

OP - I think your cover letter and CV are really good. The only thing that I personally would consider changing (and it really is only my opinion) is to not put so much emphasis on 'leadership.' I don't really think that uni leadership is too relevant when the market is bad although in boom times I think they probably look for it. In the current market every employer just wants cheap graduates who work hard and who don't push too hard to become project managers/leaders too quickly. The reality is that engineering work has dried up a lot due to the mining slowdown and even fully experienced project managers/engineers don't have much work on at the moment so employers won't be looking to put grads in leadership positions any time soon.

I think you're cover letter and CV are really brilliant and concise. Honestly I think that in the current market 90%+ of it is just luck. I graduated from civil eng at the end of 2011 from UQ. I started working casually at the end of my 3rd year of uni for a tiny local consultancy and got brilliant technical xp there. I volunteered to work for free (but was given $5/hr) because I desperately needed the 60 days work XP to graduate. When I got my 60 days the boss kept me on casual at $15/hr and when I graduated I got a job at a fortune 500 consultancy that isn't that big in Aus. I started on really awesome engineering work but the market tanked and I was reduced to doing GIS work (mapping) about 80% of the time and that's where I'm stuck now. I have really smart friends who got jobs after graduating, only to be made redundant a couple months later (during probation) because the market changed that quickly. They were much smarter than me and more deserving but I just got lucky. Although a lot of the work I'm doing now is boring as I'm just grateful to have a job.

My advice is just keep spamming your resume to companies. Try small local consultancies that you've never heard of, even consider working for free if you get really desperate. People are a lot more optimistic this year in comparison to last year and 2012 when it was all doom and gloom and there were lots of redundancies. I think things will slowly get better so just keep smashing your resume out and don't give up.
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 21:03
  
  Hi PointBlank,
  
  Thanks for your post.
  
  I emphasized 'leadership' because I want to show I don't need spoon feeding.
  
  I just gotta do what you said - keep sending them and not give up!
  
  Thanks again.
  - pointblank on 28/04/2014 - 21:36
    
    That's a really good skill to have. Perhaps you can say that you're able to work independently and with little supervision as well if you haven't already. I only had a quick skim through it.
    Good luck!
    - Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 17:49
      
      Thanks Pointblank.
Caped Baldy on 28/04/2014 - 19:58

First off, this.
http://cdn.themetapicture.com/media/funny-cant-get-a-job-cyc…

I would suggest to you to try getting into smaller engineering firms in whatever civil(water, roads, PM etc) related fields you can so that experience can make its way on to your CV. Try volunteering for free (remember if something is free the commodity is you).

Personally, I completed a civil eng degree about two and a half years ago and only managed to get one interview which I fortunately nailed. The industry is doing it tough at the moment, a lot of friends have struggled to find work and it has taken a long time. Some people I know are working at councils, NBN (not civil related) and in insurance (surprisingly eng related - possibly underwriting).

CBB commenting on your CV since a lot of other people have already made great points on it except maybe to work on the formatting so it looks pretty and eye catching.
- Rizzy on 28/04/2014 - 21:05
  
  Hi Phil1311,
  
  hahaha, that picture is epic!
  
  Thank you for posting and giving me some advice.
  
  Cheers.
[Deactivated] on 29/04/2014 - 07:26

-3

Get a haircut and get a real job…
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 17:49
  
  +1
  
  Which is?
  - [Deactivated] on 30/04/2014 - 22:26
    
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3l2Vo1z260&html5=1
Lucky13 on 29/04/2014 - 13:58

Theres a lot of fantastic advice on this forum for you and just thought Id put in my quick observations as well and hopefully they might be helpful too. Just looking at your application letter and just as a suggestion obviously but I might change the opening line so you get introduced/guided into the letter a little more fluently but I might opt for the first line being something like:

I am applying for the position of ______ advertised on the Seek?? website on the 29 April 2014.

I graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Melbourne in 2013 and would like to develop my career as a Civil and Structural engineer with (name of firm).

So its basically the same as what you had, just has an intro that guides you in a bit more. Next line is your line just minus the July part so they'll just assume its the end of 2013 and if/when they ask later you can say oh yeah it was July and no comma after 2013. Also wasnt sure if you were writing Civil/Structural engineer in the actual application letter or it was just used as an example, but you shouldnt use a / character in an actual letter. You could get away with it in the RE: line at the beginning, but I wouldnt use it in the actual letter so instead write Civil and Structural engineer (no forward slash /).

Also maybe talk about what you can offer them a bit more. You graduated was that a credit and above average if so state this. You led your final year project team to score first class honours for your report and presentation, what was this on? What elements of that project could interest a real world employer.

Also as youve mentioned Melbourne University didnt include work experience in their degree, but other universities have so this has left you at a disadvantage. So you may want to look into completing a period of work experience to lift your game to the standard of the other universities. Also the company may also look at keeping you on after the work experience ends which would be great.

Also mention in the application letter that youve used AutoCAD and mention any other relevant software too. You probably wouldve used Power Point for your report/presentation, mention this.

eg. I have a thorough understanding of AutoCAD (which versions?), Word, Outlook, Power Point, etc.

Anyway cant believe Ive written so much geez. So better get going, but hope that some of this has been helpful and I wish you all the best with your job search efforts. Good luck! :)
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 14:39
  
  Hi Lucky31,
  
  Thanks for your advice.
[Deactivated] on 29/04/2014 - 16:33

Dear Rizzy,

I feel for you. I thought exactly the same thing with my psychology masters. Nobody wanted me. But then I got a job in the public service. Unfortunately now the public service rarely hires new staff. The dept I worked for REDUCED staff from 35,000 to just 6,000 in 10 years while client base INCREASED by 200%. Then I ended up being their customer when I too got retrenched. Guess which one? No wonder we have to wait 4 hrs on the phone when we call them.

It is of course, TADA… CENTRELINK. Please be kind to my former colleagues, as often they have to do the work that 3 people used to do. It's not their fault the govt is putting the squeeze on them. And by govt, i mean both flavours labs and libs, they are all the same, they stripped the sh… out of a body where the focus was to HELP people not try and get them OFF payments any way they can…

So try to make your own opportunities, building inspections, tenders, one-off projects and the like. Can you get a building inspector licence? Councils no longer have their own building inspectors so there may be opportunity there.

A friend a long time ago had a similar degree, and ended up doing engeneering designs for building companies on one-off complex jobs designing roof spans etc.

If all else fails try gestaba's suggestions above: LIE OR MAKE IT UP within reason of course. With staff reductions nowadays, not every reference and job history is followed up, and you may get lucky. Remember that barrister that became a judge with fake law degree from a few years back? If he can do it…

Sorry for the depressing tone ;-(

Good luck.
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 17:48
  
  Hi SmartConsumer,
  
  Thanks for the post. I can not do building inspections/design work because I have no experience. I want to learn aspects from my senior engineers/peers and get then I will get the gist of what is required.
  
  Thanks for your advice.
azm on 29/04/2014 - 16:56

+1

If you are interested in an Oilfield career, have a look at Schlumberger website. Field Engineer job is a tough job but it is a way to go for fresh grads.
http://careers.slb.com/recentgraduates/engineering/field_eng…
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 17:46
  
  Hi Azm,
  
  Thank you for the link.
  
  Below is a confirmation message :)
  
  -
  
  Online Application for Field Engineer
  Step 3 of 3
  
  Thank You
  
  Your candidature was submitted.
ChickenTalon on 29/04/2014 - 18:10
Hi There,

Haven't had to hire for a grad position before engineering space, But have done a fair bit of recruitment in my working life for marketing & analyst roles (and a bit of applying for the odd job).

These would be my tips:

Don’t just fire off resumes, call the recruiters before you apply and try and engage with them, request a detailed JD if it’s available. You’re not actually after this, but it’s a great bonus if it’s available, you want to demonstrate your communication skills to the recruiter and get them to at least see your application.

As above refer to the position advertised, address every point in the selection criteria. Thank them for taking your call (above).

One of the biggest considerations when hiring grads is that this is often their first real full time job. Many of them don’t make it. You need to show you aren’t a risk in a work environment. Highlight your work experience and get as much as you can. Even if it’s volunteering.

Talk about your learning in terms of outcomes. Listing off systems/projects/training is done after you talk about the outcome or what you’ve achieved.
E.g. delivered an increase in sales of 15% by re-working the way leads were being presented in the system. Made a few formatting changes in Excel which allowed….

Join any professional associations in your field, some are a little pricey but it’s good to show you’re committed. Often they’ll have recent grad pricing, maybe ask if you can defer payment?

Generally I’m assuming these roles will be flooded with candidates, think about how you can differentiate yourself from the 100s of others. Highlight anything that makes you different.

Other channels: Expand your network. Keep in-touch with your classmates and even lecturers. Do you have any family/friends in the field?

Good luck!
AlanHB on 29/04/2014 - 21:03

+6

PROVISO: I wrote my example paragraphs really quickly, so if you wanted to use some of them you may want to adjust them for smoother reading.

In the nicest possible way, on the basis of your Cover Letter and CV I would not hire you. I'm actually really surprised with the support some of the other comments have given you, because I don't think they're very effective at what they do.

I won't go into a full analysis of both, because I REALLY want to play PS3. But I will go through your covering letter:

The opening sentence is the most important part of your covering letter. I'm Mr HR dude, I get hundreds of these on my desk a week. I want to see something that grabs my attention.

You open with:

I graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from the University of Melbourne in July 2013, and would like to develop my career as a Civil/Structural engineer at the Civil/Structural Consultancy firm.

What this tells me is:

(a) You have a qualification that is an actual requirement for the job;
(b) You don't have experience; and
(c) You don't have a personal connection to my company.

Although kinda cheesy, if I read something like:

When I first saw [THE COMPANY's] banner flying as a corporate sponsor of my Engineer's Ball I told myself "I want to work for them one day". Needless to say I jumped at the opportunity to apply for this position.

It would grab my attention, I'd want to know more about them.

Next up, it's amazing how much you don't talk about your qualifications or experience. If I were you, I would milk your current job for all it's worth. Instead you opt to talk about what you did in your degree (which does NOT equate to a job), nearly a year ago, and your soccer team. You also talk a lot about what you would like to be, rather than what you are.

Let's continue on:

I am an outstanding applicant for this position because as an all-rounder, I will bring the following traits to the consultancy firm

I noted above that some people didn't like the "outstanding applicant" part. I think words to this effect are fine, however different wording could generally be used in this sentence. Firstly you don't know if you are an "outstanding applicant", secondly the tense changes during the sentence from present ("I am") to future ("I will bring") which gives it a really awkward feeling.

I gave some thought about how to amend this section including the above sentence and the dot points. I decided that it's best to remove it in its entirety, as you say every point within it again later in the letter, and you explain it better. Don't be worried if the cover letter looks "short", you'll be doing the HR guys a favour by giving them less to read and not repeating yourself.

So we now have the opening line which states why you really want to work for the company. Then we skip to the second (or currently third) paragraph which explain why you really want this position. You state:

This Civil/Structural engineering position appeals to me because I will have the opportunity to rotate through
various project types – civil, infrastructure projects, construction, structural and building services. These are subjects I enjoyed at university and scored highly in. I have developed interpersonal skills through the teamwork oriented nature of the university course. I led my final year project team to score first class honours for our report and presentation. I look forward to working with technical leaders, project managers, senior engineers, stakeholders and the general public. Working under my senior colleagues will enable me to become a better engineer and advance in my engineering career.

This is a really messy paragraph mate. It's too long and it covers too many subjects. You jump from telling me what the position does, to what you enjoyed at uni, to your personality skills and back to the job again.

If this seems like I'm being harsh, I apologise. However I am having a lot of fun tearing this apart.

This paragraph should be describing why you want this specific job. I don't get that feeling from this paragraph. If we instead wrote something like:

Through my studies at [HOPEFULLY PRESTIGIOUS UNIVERSITY] I discovered my passion for civil, infrastructure projects, construction, structural and building service projects. What I enjoy the most about these areas is [SOMETHING THAT YOU'LL EXPAND TO MAKE RELEVANT]. I enjoyed [AREA] so much that I received First Class Honours for my thesis on [SOME IMPRESSIVE SUBJECT THAT YOU MAY HAVE MODIFIED TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE JOB]

and then you link it back to the job (same paragraph)

What I am most drawn to about this particular position is the opportunity to expose myself to these areas and apply my strong theoretical skills in a real world environment whilst working alongside some of the industry's leaders.

Please note that I am not an engineer, and if this does not make any sense in engineering world, adjust it accordingly.

Now you talk about what you currently do. You say:

I have developed my leadership potential when I was selected to be the captain of my soccer team and group
leader of the final year project at university. As a team we won the grand final for our division in soccer. My
innovative side is shown when I worked at McAllister’s Fitness as I actively market the company through social
media. My service-oriented attitude towards clients would be useful in a consultancy environment. I have also
done design work while working as a cabinet maker during my university holidays.

Another messy paragraph. Jumps all over the place mate. Talk about your work experience here. Say something like:

I am currently an Information Technology Consultant for McAllister’s Fitness. I [DESCRIBE CURRENT JOB DUTIES AND SELL YOURSELF]. Previous to this role I worked as a cabinet maker for Cabinet Express, where I used my engineering skills to design plans for clients in AutoCAD and then physically assembled my projects. Through these roles I learnt X, Y and Z.

When drafting this I noticed that in your original paragraph you said "I worked at McAllister's fitness" but your CV informs me that you're still there? Either (a) you're lying or (b) your grammar is poor. Your CV actually informs me that you're currently unemployed.

And finally you have the quick qualifications paragraph.

In terms of my qualifications I currently possess a Bachelor of Civil Engineering (Honours) degree from the University of Melbourne. I also have experience with creating engineering things in [RELEVANT ENGINEERING PROGRAMS]. I am also a keen athlete, captain of the soccer team.

^^^ I'm rushing the wording, but you get the idea.

Then wrap it up.

Thank you for considering my application. I hope to hear from you soon.

I noticed you sign off with just "Sincerely"? Why? The usual sign off is "Yours sincerely".

Someone mentioned above that you don't need to repeat the email or mobile after your name. I agree. Just end it with your name.

Ok I hope that helps.
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 21:29
  
  +1
  
  Hi AlanHB,
  
  Thanks for your advice and post. Found it pretty harsh but 100% Correct. Thanks for the constructive criticism. I have made changes to the Cover Letter.
  
  As for working at McAllister's Fitness, it's an on and off thing. I made a mistake.
  
  You wrote a lot of good points. Thank you AlanHB.
  - AlanHB on 29/04/2014 - 23:46
    
    No worries - I figured it was just a mistake. If possible avoid telling people in the CV that it's a casual job. It doesn't look that great that you've only had casual employment for the last 10 months.
Rocket on 29/04/2014 - 21:25

+2

I have a few mates in the building/construction industry in Melbourne and have asked if there is any work going. I will DM you if something positive comes up.

Good luck!!
- Rizzy on 29/04/2014 - 21:30
  
  Hi Rocket.
  
  WOW! That is great. Thank you very much!
- InfraRed on 30/04/2014 - 09:25
  
  +1
  
  Could I get in on this as well? I'm almost in the same exact position as Rizzy (Same uni and no experience). Is overseas work a possibility?
elf888 on 30/04/2014 - 10:42

Hi,
I'm from Accounting, but some advice may be your interview skills? I change job every year in the first 5 years, I've been send over 100 resumes each time, but interview chance are limited. However I've been always got the new job within 3 interviews.
You may practice on more at interview side to show more confidence and stand out to more than fit(but not too over) the job that you applying!
Read though the requirement for the job and be prepare how to answer to fit the requirement. Show how you be an asset to the company and not a cost.
Good luck!
JetLi on 30/04/2014 - 17:01

What are your grades like? If they aren't great you'll probably have to work in a remote location to land a job.
- SavatteDodo on 30/04/2014 - 17:19
  
  Do you put your grades in your RESUME?
  - JetLi on 02/05/2014 - 12:25
    
    Well from memory when you apply for grad positions, you need to upload your academic transcript so grades play a big part for graduate positions and if your grades up to scratch, you won't get a look in at any of the big players.
- AlanHB on 30/04/2014 - 18:43
  
  He was accepted into an Honours year, and got first class in that, so his grades couldn't be too shabby yeah?
  
  I'm so relieved I am at a point in my career that I can refer to my work experience rather than my academic transcript. My grades were really quite average, and I felt upon graduation that it was a real impediment to landing a job.
  
  I later found out that it's really about previous job experience instead.
  - JetLi on 02/05/2014 - 12:27
    
    Well if his grades aren't the issue, I don't understand why he hasn't gotten more interviews, especially during grad recruiting roadshows.
    - Rizzy on 02/05/2014 - 23:06
      
      I am looking for immediate start. Grad programs all start in 2015.
yeezuspls on 02/05/2014 - 00:00

ugh same problem with me mate. Currently studying at QUT (Brisbane) on my last year of civil engineering - environmental and i'm struggling to get work experience. Anyone here from Brisbane and know if there's any work experience regarding civil engineering at all? (paid/volunteer) sigh.
- Rizzy on 02/05/2014 - 23:07
  
  Hi Yeezuspls,
  
  At least you live in QLD. QLD has heaps of opportunities. Far more than Vic.
  
  Good Luck!
  - Boomeraang on 11/01/2016 - 20:37
    
    Hey Rizzy!
    
    How'd the job search go? Would be awesome if you gave us an update! I'm unfortunately in the same position as you were in this post. This thread has been really helpful to me.
    - Rizzy on 11/01/2016 - 21:09
      
      +1
      
      Hey Boomeraang!
      
      Apologies for not updating anyone on the progress. I thought this thread was goneskies!
      
      Update i had no luck for a few months. I decided to instead of sitting at home and doing nothing I'd go back to uni and do a masters degree. Might as well since I had no commitments. So I did a 3 subjects first semester, 3 second and 2 on my last ( I took it easy, chilled - had my social life and enjoyed it). I ended up getting an offer to work for work experience and I took it with both hands. After having an initial trial period of no pay for one week - it became 2 weeks and then 4 and then paid full time work.
      
      So right at the moment - I have a full time job as a Structural Engineer and qualifications are B.Eng(Hons) and M.Eng(Structural). I have gained a total of 1year and 3 months exp :)
      
      Everything is looking alright. But I had to sacrifice seeing my family and friends - I moved permanently to Sydney.
      
      My 2 cents: Keep trying and trying. Work Experience is key. Work for free and try to impress everyone and anyone. Don't try too hard. When it's time to relax and chill do that with the colleagues. When it's time to joke with colleagues do that. BUT when it's time to work, YOU WORK HARD. HEAD DOWN and work.
      
      It isn't all about being a good worker or knowing your stuff. You need to know the work dynamics and know your work too. It is 50/50. My team is bloody great. I will not be moving anywhere even if I was offered somewhere else. I want to learn from everyone. Learn the idea and broaden my knowledge. It is NOT about the wealth in your bank account. It is about the wealth in your mind that is most important.
      
      Apply as much as you can. Keep applying. I know it's tough. But keep trying. Try cold calling as well. I highly recommend you to take 6months to a year off (if you have not found work) and then start your masters degree.
      
      If you want any help or advice I am happy to give it. You can PM me or message here.
      
      I hope this helps.
      
      P.S. Apologies for grammar and spelling mistakes. On the train/bus and watching the BBL :)

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