r/ChemicalEngineering • u/Rare-Lime313 • 24d ago
Job Search Recent graduate looking for advice in this tough market
Hello everyone,
I graduated this past may 2025 in chemical engineering and so far I have had no luck with my job searches. This is especially frustrating because I tried to do all the "right" things that would make me standout and have a better chance to land a job when I graduate. On the summer after my 2nd year I got a research student position, then after my 3rd year I got a 16-month internship (which is the longest allowed by my school), and finally coming back on my 4th year (October 2024) I was working part-time on another research position while leading 2 student groups.
Since September of 2024 I have been looking for a job, I lost track of how many applications I sent, but I was only able to hear back from about 4-5 companies and they have ended in rejection. I have tried to remain hopeful since graduating and always thought a job would come in the following weeks or so. This led me to not apply to other non-engineering jobs so that I wouldn't be in a position of leaving after 1 week and looking bad.
Now its August 2025, my last job (the research position) finished at the end of December 2024, and I'm worried about this gap in my CV. So yesterday I started applying to lab tech or lab assistant positions and hoping they don't find me to be too overqualified and someone that wouldn't stick around for awhile.
But I need advice on what else to do. I'm feeling extremely lost right now, and not gonna lie, I feel like I'm failing.
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u/hysys_whisperer 24d ago
How many chemical plants and oil refineries have you applied to be an operator at?
The places out in far west Texas and eastern New Mexico typically will take anyone with a pulse willing to work on site.
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24d ago
[deleted]
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u/Rare-Lime313 24d ago
I am in Canada. Honestly I would welcome a shitty contract job and I'm willing to relocate anywhere to get that first few years of experience. I just haven't seen one or don't know where to start looking for one. I mostly use LinkedIN, Company websites, and the ocassional indeed for my job search
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u/ProfHeisenBurger 24d ago
Where are you located in Canada? I moved specifically to Alberta to study here because there are way more ChemE opportunities.
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u/hysys_whisperer 24d ago edited 24d ago
🎶 I often take these night shift walks When the foreman's not around
I turn my back on the cooling stacks And make for open ground
Far out beyond the tank-farm fence Where the gas flare makes no sound
I forget the stink and I always think Back to that Eastern town 🎶
-Stan Rogers
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u/Rare-Lime313 23d ago
Saskatchewan. And I've applied to those oil refineries multiple times but I always get filtered and never make it to the interview stage probably because my experience is in metallurgy and mining
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u/carpenterfeller Food Processing/1 YoE 22d ago
There are mining companies in Saskatchewan that I was looking at recently. I'd look to have someone look at your resume and then apply to some of those.
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u/Sea_Outcome_6605 24d ago
First, congratulations on your recent graduation! And second, try to relax. You graduated in May 2025 and it’s August 2025. That’s 2ish months. That’s nothing tbh. Also that gap you mentioned no one will bat an eye at since during that time you were in school still. All that matters is that you had those internships/that job experience. That all said, my advice for this has always been reach out to your network. You mentioned a lot of involvement during your time in school. Reach out and see if there are any opportunities or if they know of any elsewhere. Not just your past supervisors but old colleagues and really anyone you interacted with often or even just vibed with even if you didn’t work with them directly or much. My next piece of advice is do what you can to reach out to the hiring manager(s)/HR representative of the job you’re looking for. Of course, some companies don’t allow this and will just want an application submitted if you’re interested and that’s that. But if they have a number to call, call. If they have an email or something you can reach out on, do that. The job market is extremely competitive as you know and what will separate you is who you know and/or how you present yourself. Reaching out and being professional is how you get to the top of the candidate pile. Introduce yourself, express your interest, ask questions about the role, and thank them for their time. This seriously is the best way to go about this. If you’re more on the introverted side, go practice with a friend or family member. Because you’ll quickly learn, if you haven’t already, that your communication skills are just as if not more important than your technical skills, regardless of what industry you get into. Lastly, make sure your resume is squared away. There’s a plethora of resources on this already but in general you shouldn’t have a word doc, arial 12-font type resume. Make it look clean and precise so that it stands out. You can do this on word probably but there’s tons of websites you can use that have great templates. You can tweak as needed and use that. Again, I wont go into details on resume building but I’d recommend looking up a great resume vs a good resume vs a bad resume and go from there. You have a very solid track record, now it’s about selling yourself. And that means more than just applying to a bunch of applications. You have to go the extra mile to put yourself as a top competitor in a job pool. Feel free to pm if you have any questions. Always glad to help out a fellow ChemE. Best of luck!!