2w ago

unemployed for months

I graduated from college in December 2024 with a bachelor's in computer engineering and I'm lost on what I'm supposed to be doing at this point. It's been 8 months now and I'm still unemployed. I have been applying non-stop since I graduated and I can't catch a break, I get to first-round interviews about once a month (twice if I'm lucky) but every single time I've gotten past the first round I am rejected for someone who was recommended internally/someone with job experience. how am I supposed to get the experience I need if every opportunity is sniped from me?

I've been applying mostly on career pages of most companies and for any job that has software developer in the title or description, I'm willing to relocate to anywhere in the US I'm not sure how I can cast a bigger net without just leaving the CE industry that I spent so long studying for.

My resume has been reviewed countless times and okayed by technical professionals. I didn't get an internship in college so I know that's holding me back, but my college had a senior project where i worked on a technical project and I try to push that as much as I can. Is there any advice on finding entry-level jobs willing to hire fresh graduates with no work experience?

16 comments

Hi! I'm a dev with > 10 years of experience and I've been laid off twice in the past few years. Both times I've spent more than 5 months without a job. It's not just you, hang in there. The current market conditions are tough with lots of layoffs in the industry and resume writing and reading getting automated.
I'd say keep your friends close - make sure they know you're looking, frequently, as you've noticed an internal referral can speed things up; and keep busy - working on maybe some personal projects, or contributing to things that are out there can help keep you sharp, motivated and doesn't hurt to have on that resume.
You can start looking at job aggregator sites, not just career pages. there's indeed, builtin, etc etc etc. I personally also am a big fan of the hacker news monthly who's hiring thread. It's frequently a good way of getting in touch with folks who are hiring directly.

Do you have any personal projects? Even something small can help you stand out. Find something fun or contribute to another project if you can.
- Contributing to open source is a big one. Purely personal projects are good, but I've found way more people are interested in open source work because it's 'more real' and it shows you can work as part of an organization.

Welcome to professional adulthood.
I wish i had some more comforting advice but the best i can do is wish you good luck. You will need it.
Just know that no matter how long it takes it is saying nothing of you value! You are a valid and valuable person.

Open up search to Tech Support or QA roles to get your foot in the door. Target companies with a software side that you’d be able to pivot into for development.
- This. The company I work at has had a few devs that transitioned from full-time QA to frontend dev. If you can write Cypress tests, there are companies that need it, and you’ll get to learn a codebase while you’re at it.

Did you talk to a lot of people in school? Have you stayed in touch with them? Nepotism and cronyism are your best bets for finding a good job. Why take a risk hiring someone they don’t know anything about. Vs someone who already is working there is vouching for.
If you didn’t talk to anyone you could try a recruiter I guess. They usually have connections, but they’re by no means perfect.

You have education, skills, and presumably a clean criminal record. Get out of the USA now!! Before you can’t anymore.

Side projects and hobbies are your best friend when it comes to resumes. Proof of concept, essentially.
Trade companies are always looking for people in the tech field, as machines and rigs are becoming more and more complex. IT support will definitely get you something in those fields.

Look abroad. The US is about to enter a recession so the last ones hired will likely be the first ones fired. Get out while you can.

I'm an old computer scientist, so my days of being a fresh out of college unemployed graduate long long ago, these days I have some input into the recruitment process and we do occasionally take new grads on .
The kinds of grads we like are not necessarily the ones who got the best scores from there University, but the ones who use their time productively. if you've been using this time, while you're not profitably employed to create new wonders and invent things, there's a chance that some of the technologies that you are investigating might be the kinds of things we need. It's also possible that your continued study will open new doors and inform potential employment that you were not previously prepared for.
in other words, you need to get out and do stuff. create a portfolio of work and when you are ready for your next interview. dazzle people with your creativity.

I’m in a nearly identical position, I don’t have any advice except stay strong and know you’re not alone. It’s rough out here right now. Even temp agencies for IT work are a dead end, they want me to relocate for 30 days of employment lmao. I’m just doing gig work while I wait but the hiring market for this field is fucked right now

Try applying to NOCs and SOCs

Have you considered graduate school? (Enrollment goes up when economy sucks.)
It can be easier to get a job with a masters degree or PhD.
Bonus points for being societally acceptable.

every single time I’ve gotten past the first round I am rejected for someone who was recommended internally/someone with job experience
Sounds like unfortunate timing. Unfortunately, there's no way to know how far along in the hiring process other people might be, so sometimes you're interviewing for a job that's right about to be filled by someone else. My only advice on that side would be to make sure to be responsive to recruiters and try and get your interviews scheduled quickly.
Getting to first-round interviews is a good sign, especially with so much of the interview process being sloppified by AI tools. Your resume is catching eyes and someone thinks you're worth talking to. Give yourself some credit then: you've set yourself up for success. The beginner career market is always going to have tough competition, so getting your resume on the desk of a real human is very important.
My only other advice would be to focus on getting past those first interviews, and that might require you to examine your shortcomings on that stage. Are you failing the coding challenge? Find opportunities to practice and improve. Are you failing technical questions? There are github repos with common interview questions (eg "Tell me the difference between private and protected keywords in C++"). If you're failing while talking about your technical/school experience, find some time to refine your thoughts and practice selling your strengths.
The more times you get past introductory interviews, the more chances you have to be the first candidate who "checks all the boxes". Sometimes that's all it takes.

If you're in the U.S of A I believe usajobs or government have recent Grad opportunities.
Try to see if your uni has a job portal, I've found good success
Are you applying to internships or junior positions, it could be you're not experienced enough
Keep trying I guess, maybe ask friends around, even profs

16 comments