▲ 2 r/ECE
Hello Everyone,
I've recently completed my BS in Electrical Engineering (minor in mathethmatics) and I’ve been having some trouble landing my first full time role. I’m mainly targeting roles in:
- Consumer electronics
- Medical devices
- Defense / embedded systems
- Semiconductors (if aligned to my experience)
- General hardware/electronics engineering
My Background (kept somewhat anonymous):
- Four internships total:
- 2x consumer electronics (returned, worked from summer through fall semester)
- 1x medical
- 1x architecture/engineering firm (Revit, electrical layouts) (worked during the school year)
- Senior design project (two-man team): embedded system (ESP32-based, hardware + firmware + system integration) (did have to go the route of demonstrating our developed and working prototype which was Arduino based but final version was almost completed)
- Graduate-level biomedical simulation project (EMG/ECG type work using MATLAB/LTspice)
- Strong focus on hardware (PCB design, analog/digital circuits, validation/testing etc. etc.)
- Some coding experience (C/C++, Python, MATLAB), but not software-heavy (would love to improve here)
- Also in the Midwest (open for relocation) and my university was good/decent (not too sure how to rank it but I guess that's not really a good indicator lol)
Additional:
- 2 solid references (possibly a 3rd soon)
- Hands on experience with PCB design, debugging, test validation, and embedded systems
Issue:
- I’ve been applying consistently but not getting any offers (possibly in past 1000's at this point from Handshake LinkedIn, YC Startup Directory, Recruiters :(, and applying to companies I can think of on their website
- A few interviews even some big ones, but nothing converting yet
- Some companies didn’t have openings even after internships
- I've have gone through a few iterations of my resume I feel confident in what I have and how I represented myself and in my latest iteration I've added that references are available upon request.
- I feel like the interviews I did get were not entry level or at least not truly.
What I’m wondering:
- What's wrong with my background
- Am I targeting the wrong roles or industries?
- Is this likely a resume issue, interview issue, or just the current job market?
- What skills or projects would make me stand out more for hardware/embedded roles? (that also wouldn't be too expensive)
I can share an anonymized resume if that helps.
Appreciate any honest feedback.
And I'm sorry for the long post I don't really have anyone close I can converse with about this.
edit: fixed (many to any) sorry for the confusion
edit2:
u/IamtheRealzero_mars — 11 days ago