Questions about the job hunt and hiring process

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1. Is it better to custom-tailor a resume for a specific job, or produce a single resume that shows your strengths?

2. I'll be getting a master's degree soon, but I have very little work experience. Briefly, what does this mean to employers, what kind of starting salary should I request (I'm a Computer Science major), and is it better to look for a job in my area of interest (security) that are difficult to find, or "springboard" off a more easily found job (such as software test/developer)?

3. Who should I send my resume into? I've been using monstertrak, but I've heard that a lot of employers don't advertise their "new college graduate"-type jobs.

4. How long after sending in a resume do interested employers usually respond?

5. If the potential employer is located in another city/state, what kind of distance interviews are performed?

6. If the potential employer is located in another city/state, whose responsibility is it to pay for transportation to get to the on-site interview?

7. What can I expect from the interviews?

8. After the interview, how quickly do employers respond?

9. How is relocation handled?

Hi - I manage a group of people at work (High tech company that makes medical equipment).
So here are the answers based on what I've been involved with.

1) Tailor the resume to different types of jobs. The characteristics we look for in an R&D programmer are different from those that work well in managing databse infrastructure.

2) First run do not walk to your college placement office. See what job offers people with similar experience/ type of job got last year. Remember job experience can also be volunteer related or related to thesis research. My newest hire did an internship that basically got him the job. To get experience in a pinch, call up united way or a similar group and ask for a volunteer job in your area.

3a) Send an e-mail cover letter and tailored resume to every employer who will be recruiting on your campus for Comp Sci masters (the job placement office will have a list with contacts). Tell them you'd like to speak to their recruiter on campus

3b) Network ask professors, people who graduated last year who to contact. Go to the local society for human computer interaction meetings if they exist on your campus. Somebody will know someboy.

3c) while networking your goal is to talk to people who do work that facinates you. THis is one case where aspi obscession actually helps. For example I'd rather design control loops than eat or even play and my collegues are the same way so for fun we talk about control loops and anyone who is not obscessed with controls will not get along

4) If you send a resume about a campus recruiter, expect a reply about 2-3 weeks before the scheduled recruiting trip. If it is a general resume send in - 3 weeks to collect resumes, 1 week to pick and choose so 4-5 weeks until interview.

5) Distance interviewa. In campus interviews the interviewer comes to the school Otherwise there is a phone interview. Then if you are considered, you are invited to interview (c0ompany pays travel via cash advance or just making and paying for all arrangements)

6) Basically the interviewer in the first interview will want to learn what motivates you, are you self motivated, iniative level, creativity, independant thinking, leadership skills (which we aspies actuallly have). The second interview is more technical generally wioth the people you would be working with.

7) The rule is about 2 weeks after the interview you may hear something. This year though it took four weeks to make a final choice because several people had family emergencies (dead parents, injured children)

relocation isdepends on what you need. Typically for a college graduate comming to town they get a month in a motel, time to find an apartment, a security payment grant, and some living expenses.

More questions feel free to pm or ask. Tell me what campus you are at and I'll check to see if we recruit there

Generally agree with what julieme says. Here are some of my thoughts:

1. Abso-freaking-lutely have different versions of your resume that emphasize your skills and qualifications most relevant to the jobs you are applying for. The closer you match up with what the employer is looking for, the more likely you are to “make the cut” for an interview. Right now I have six resume versions: Java programmer, .NET programmer, QA/acceptance tester/deployment, DBA/data migration, system analyst, and a general ‘broadcast’ resume.

2. I’m not sure what the market for a master’s degree is these days. Do some homework and get a good idea of what average starting salaries in the area- as Julieme said, check your college’s career office. Chambers of commerce are also good sources of this kind of information. Then when the salary question comes up in the interview, say something like “The average starting salaries in this area are between x and y, so I’m anticipating something in this range.”

3. Everywhere and anywhere.

4. Hard to say. Every company is different. I’ve had interviews the day after I submitted my resume. I also had a company call me to schedule an interview more than a year later and I had completely forgotten what I had applied for. I generally wait about a month, and then send a follow up letter and another copy of my resume.

5, 6, 9. Can’t really speak to any of these. I stayed in Austin after getting my BS here. Don’t forget to factor in cost of living when mulling over job offers. E.g. $65,000/year is worth a lot more in, say, Huntsville, Alabama than San Francisco.

7. Again, every company is different and could throw just about anything at you. I would suggest Googling “sample interview questions” to get an idea of what you may be asked.

8. At the end of the interview they usually tell you what the hiring timeframe is going to be. If not, be sure to ask (politely of course). Also, I generally send the interviewer a thank you letter or email a day or two afterwards.


Good luck with the job hunt!!

All this would probably work for very highly functioning Aspies but I don't think I am highly functioning enough to be able to do all that stuff (thank God I don't have to anyway).

I would recommend having a basic resume and generic application listing your strengths but then tailoring them (particularly the application) for specific positions. Consciseness and white space is often seen highly by prospective employers (provided you include enough substance for them to assess you favourably)

Sadly, a lot of employers never reply to letters or e-mails. I suppose you could say to yourself if they didn't have the courtesy to reply then they would be rude to work for. It could just be a case that they are very busy but then they should employ someone to do up replies. Some of them put a generic ad in the papers saying thanks to all the applicants.

Many jobs are not advertised and the ones that are, are sometimes done for the sake of form rather than because there is a true vacancy. The employer could already have decided that someone they already have on their books will get the job but legislative requirements dictate that they have to advertise externally too.

I had serious issues with calling up people I didn't know (and still do) so would have found networking virtually impossible.

For most jobs that I know of here, there is a starting salary already set. Maybe it is different in the professions.

Watch out for ambiguously worded selection criteria and interview questions. That kind of thing is especially difficult for us Aspies as we tend to take things literally and the literal meaning might not be what the employer is looking for. I would argue that it is a kind of discrimination but often is not specifically intended that way.