Ask HN: How do I find companies that are hiring new grads?

[swe_eats_world]

I have just finished my masters in CS from a top 20 school and it seems it has become particularly hard to find companies willing to hire fresh grads. Is there no better way than to just keep going from one company website to another to find who are OK with fresh graduates? And in my case, I honestly feel I am fairly strong on algorithms/data structures/coding but I don't have many internships (just 1; not at Google/Facebook/etc). Is there any resource that you can point me to find companies?

[ryanmb]

I graduated (undergrad) in Dec. from a strong non-engineering university in CS w/ no internship. I got interviews and eventually a job by making a list of companies that i'd want to work at (based on my background, passion, etc), then finding contacts at those companies to inquire about them hiring jr engineers. A good place to start is the monthly 'whos hiring' post, because a lot of times those comments have contacts attached to them. Unless the post explicitly states "no new grads" and you like the company, add it to your list. if there are companies on your list with no contact, use LinkedIn to find engineers there, then search for their personal sites/blogs for an email address.

Once you have your companies and contacts, start sending cold emails. Give them links to relevant projects and see if their company is open to hiring jr engineers/post-grad interns (a lot of people will appreciate your humility here) and if they'd be willing to get coffee with you (if you have the chance to get there physically). I would group a bunch of these meetings together then buy a flight to a city for 48hrs and just bounce from meeting to meeting getting to know engineers and seeing if they are the type of people I could work well with. If you jibe well with them, your first round interview is already done.

Although engineers will remain in high demand, finding a job is all sales and a lot of work. People in this industry are some of the kindest around, but they are busy. make it as easy as possible for them to help you out and they will. Afterwards, regardless of the outcome with the company, thank them and stay in touch. Once you do find a job, let everyone who was willing to help you out along the way know. They'll remember you in the future when they're looking to fill experience-unlimited roles or for when you're ready to move on.

Also, if you are ever in LA let me know!

[tabeth]

When I went through this process a while ago I found that large companies are very receptive to hiring new grads. In addition to that I'd try the "standard" advice:

1. Check the monthly hiring threads here.

2. Try the standard job searching sites.

3. Ask your network about opportunities.

Perhaps most importantly, ask your school. They almost certainly have resources you can use. At the very least, your alumni network might be of some use.

Good luck!

[RNeff]

Most big companies have specific recruiting for new college hires,f calling them something like NCG or emerging talent. Typically company recruiters will visit university campuses during the school year and interview students. Intel: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/jobs/locations/unite... Google: https://careers.google.com/students/ Apple: https://www.apple.com/jobs/us/students.html Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/careers/university/ Microsoft: https://careers.microsoft.com/students

Or use any job search site with "NCG" or "new Grad", etc.

Your university probably has a Career Center office that helps students find jobs. At Stanford: https://beam.stanford.edu/

[vfulco]

I run a Shanghai based firm creating English resumes, doing interview coaching, LinkedIn Profiles, and school picking/academic documents editing, for both Chinese and foreigners. I typically charge 200 RMB (~32 USD) for a general resume review.

Send me your resume and I will give you a brief review for free (swe_eats_world only) so you can DIY it better. My email is vfulco[@]weisisheng.cn. Give me 2-3 days as I have a full client roster the upcoming week.

Vince Fulco, CFA, CAIA

[boulos]

The new Google Jobs Search might help. There doesn't appear to be an explicit filter by experience, but searching for "new college grad" found some things.

I can't tell how to share just the right part of the link, so sadly search for "Google job search" to bring up the right mode. Then filter and search based on your interests.

Disclosure: I work at Google, but clearly not on this...

[kc10]

1. On-campus hiring events, but most employers say 'NO' to international students because of the immigration costs and complexity of the laws. And some have a policy of hiring only citizens or permanent residents.

2. You can still apply via LinkedIn or company website, but the recruiters usually receive a huge volume of applications for fresh grad positions. So unless you are lucky the hiring manager may not even see your impressive resume from the lot.

3. Internal referrals - If you know someone working in a company and if they are hiring, they can get you an interview. From my personal experience, if someone in our team recommends a person for the team, we will definitely talk to that person.

4. Finally, if you know the email address of a hiring manager (may be your friend who was rejected for a position might have it) it doesn't hurt sending an email. If your resume is impressive, you might get a call. But don't spam. Or you can also msg the recruiters on LinkedIn.

[calcsam]

Here's a hint as to why you might be having trouble:

http://blog.alinelerner.com/how-different-is-a-b-s-in-comput...

[swe_eats_world → calcsam]

Well, that might be true overall. But I am not sure if it makes sense for hiring managers to rely on blanket statements like that.

However, with that being said, I want to be pragmatic. How do I overcome this bias? Also, I am willing to put in the work required to apply to the companies, etc. It'd be great to just find out which companies are even hiring junior engineers?

[madengr → calcsam]

Well in EE, I won't hire anyone without an MS.

[asdq]

>> I honestly feel I am fairly strong on algorithms/data structures/coding

http://www.techiedelight.com/list-of-problems/

How many of these problems can you solve? Just saying, over-confidence might kill you.. good luck!