Companies don't seem to want to hire new grads as interns...

I graduated in Spring 2013 and during that time I had a DoD contract through my school. So I pretty much worked all the way to October 2013. But since, I've been having an extremely hard time getting a job.. Honestly, the internships I've had, they started out seemingly worth it, but as time goes on, they always end up with doing research, minor code changes, minor configurations, etc. Basically doesn't result in a lot of experience gathered..

So, because of that, I've been trying to get internships, but companies don't want to hire people who've already graduated. Anyone have any advice? I have a B.S in MIS and have been trying to get entry level jobs. But even for the entry level ones I've seen, they want at least 3+ years.. Another problem is most of my internship ended up with me doing programming. It's something I ended up liking, but was too late into my academic career to want to change to CS and spend another 3+ years in school. Honestly, now, I wish I had changed and stayed... it feels very disheartening to not get called back when applying or after interviews.

Any advice?

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Comments

Danielm7

I'm sure most people here will say the same thing, apply to the jobs anyway. It sounds like you are, but just keep going. Maybe post your resume for review by some of the folks here.

As for the degree, I'm just going on the programmers that I know, but according to them CS vs CIS doesn't matter all that much especially once you get some experience if you can actually write code. Any coding projects you can work on while you have the time that you can use to showcase your knowledge and maybe make yourself stand out more vs. other new grads?

proph21

Apply to the internships anyways. I talked to a hiring manager about internships once because I was curious. He said that even though they say in the requirements that you "must have at least 1 semester remaining", they still will/have allowed recent graduates in the internship program. Of course, this is just one company and some may not operate the same way.

Akaricloud

You've already had multiple internships and a degree, if I were a hiring manager I wouldn't give you another internship either.

Where are you getting rejected for entry level jobs? If you're not getting many callbacks your resume or cover letter may be the problem, otherwise the way you interview would be suspect. Post your resume up for us to see and we'll be able to help more.

Fidelity

Why are you applying for internships after graduation? I find that a bit odd.

With a BS degree I would not be applying to entry level jobs. Go up a level or two. Aim for Tier 2 Helpdesk or a Helpdesk Lead. The jobs you are applying for you are most likely overqualified for and that's why you're not getting any calls.

Ignore when they say 3 years experience. It is a WISH LIST. My friend just recently got hired as a network administrator where they asked for 5 years experience and stated a BS degree was mandatory. He has 2 years experience and NO degree at all!

stryder144

You mentioned that you worked on DoD contracts. Does that mean that you have a clearance? If so, you might want to look into clearance jobs. Alternatively, you might look into joining the military for a few years, as that should help to build up the experience that might be keeping you from some jobs.

As mentioned, if you aren't getting interviews, it might be your resume/cover letter. If you get interviews but no offers, it might be that you need to brush up on your interviewing skills. Analyse what goes good and bad with each so that you can grow and develop into the type of person that a hiring manager wants to hire.

Cheers

jjwooyoung

Maybe it is my resume? I've mostly had phone interviews and a few in person ones. The in person ones I felt I did fine, I was personable and passed the technical coding tests. I probably should work on doing a better job describing my school projects..

Anyways, my resume is below. As you can obviously see, I don't have much experience with network (despite being an IS major). Like I said, my internships usually ended with me doing programming and data analysis. So I've been applying to jobs related to that (e.g software engineer, data analyst, qa analyst, cyber security analyst, etc)

devils_haircut

My current job required 2-3 years of experience doing desktop support. I had 5 months of experience fixing computers in a "geek squad" type environment (not Best Buy), and I still got hired.

Many job postings are 50% B.S. and fluff, and some of them are so vague that you don't even know what you're applying to. If you meet half the requirements, apply for it anyway. Sometimes companies don't even know what they're looking for until they talk to you in an interview.

MSP-IT

I think you're in the right place. First off, on a side note, what's your thought process on your semicolon use? I find it distracting.

What do you want to do? What field of IT do you want to head towards? What are your plans for certifications? Why are you still looking at internships?

If I were to tweak your resume, I'd switch out the semicolons for commas, use your Secret Clearance as some type of designation, and move employment above your technical experience. What does your formatting look like in a PDF?

N2IT

I found that internships are really only valuable if you intend on working for the company you are interning for. For instance if you get an internship as a developer for company XYZ and then follow that up your second summer as a senior, then hopefully they like your work and you enough to offer you a position after graduation. I would say since you didn't get any traction from the internship programs you may have to start on the desk or some other contract analyst position.

jjwooyoung

The reason I'm still looking for internships is because of my lack of experience. As for certification, I'm planning on getting the security+ soon.
Also what about companies like saic, leidos, booz allen, etc. Would those companies be a good place for a recent graduate - do they provide some sort of training for contract positions?

ptilsen

Just apply to everything you think you could possibly do based on the job description. Many "requirements" get ignored when it comes to actually interviewing. There are still shortages in this field, and companies realistically often can't get the candidate they want. The experience requirement has been a catch-22 in this industry since I started applying to jobs in 2005. You need a good resume, cover letter (when required), and interview skills. Certifications help. Don't be hung up on internships, specifically. Apply to the paid ones, for sure, but realistically it's just another way of saying "entry-level jobs."

Where are you looking for jobs? You should be on Indeed, and possibly Monster and Dice. LinkedIn is also good. Applying directly to some companies you want to target is fine, but the bulk of jobs get found on job boards, in my experience.

networker050184

ptilsen wrote: »

Just apply to everything you think you could possibly do based on the job description.

Great advice as always. You will miss out on 100% of the jobs you don't apply for. Even if you miss out 99% of the ones you do apply for it only takes that one. The job description is usually a wish list more than a hard set of requirements anyway.