So many people on Reddit try to pretend being humble and say anyone can get an engineering degree if you work hard enough. Maybe you can graduate with high grades with enough work, but it won’t land you a job.

I was literally a student who had average intelligence and had to put in insane hours studying. I didn’t have enough time for engineering clubs and internships, and employers can clearly tell I wasn’t smart. Employers don’t want to hire people who can’t solve problems quickly. You need to be pretty smart to make it through a degree AND get a job

4 months out of uni with a 3.4 very average student but i sure do work hard. I keep applying everywhere. The best i can get is an interview IF I pass an assessment and no response from employers. Give me hard truths. Does this career only take the cream of the crop or is it just a time thing cause im just lost

I graduated as a Chemical Engineer in May 2024, and I have been applying for jobs since August of 2023 during my senior year of college and I have yet to get my 1st full time job offer. I am unsure of what I am doing wrong, weather it is my interview skills, the market, or my experiences are lacking. The times I do get interviews and believe I did well, I often get ghosted or told that I lack experience for the entry level role I have applied for. Just wondering if anyone can give advice or maybe a miracle happens if I post this on here and someone knows of any opens at companies that hire ChemEs.

Thank you

Hey y’all, I’m a ChemE major going into my junior year and haven’t been able to land an internship the past two summers. I know I don’t have a ton of experience yet, but I’ve applied to a bunch of places and either get ghosted or rejected. I’ve also had a couple of interviews but never got chosen.

Could someone take a look at my resumee or give tips on what I could do better? Also, any recs and a list of companies that are open to students with limited experience would help a lot.

I really want to make next summer count. Appreciate any advice!

For the past few weeks I've been in the interviewing process with this company. First I got a call from their HR, then I had a video call with one of their engineers, and now they had me fly out and do an in person interview. It was a panel style interview, there were 3 interviewers there.

I dressed professionally, I was wearing a shirt, khakis, and dress shoes. Two of the other interviewers were also dressed professionally. But one of them showed up wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with very unprofessional text on it (if you're curious the t-shirt said "Don't Bully Me, I'll Cum"). Also, that guy had horrible breath, like he didn't even brush his teeth. I was distracted by him and his shirt the whole time. I wanted to say something but I didn't know what. I ended up not being as confident as I usually am and I worry that because of that I ended up fumbling some of the questions.

Do you think it would be worth it to say something about this incident?

Just looking around - looked on the Shell careers site.

They list 8 jobs - FOR THE ENTIRE UK. Similar story on the BP site.

And none of them are for engineering (closest is a control room operator, the rest are IT/finance roles). What is going on? Do they all hire by word of mouth now?

I graduated in 2021 with a degree in Chemical Engineering, and ever since then, I've been applying for jobs non-stop. Unfortunately, I’ve never received a single response. Part of the problem seems to be how misunderstood ChemE is in my country. Around 80% of industries here don’t grasp what the field entails, often confusing chemical engineers with chemists. You’d think this confusion might at least open doors for positions in chemistry, but nope, nothing. It’s baffling because we’re a third-world country, and you’d expect more opportunities in fields like manufacturing or industrial processing. Despite the challenges, universities here still offer the course. Yet, there are barely any job postings for graduates like me. What makes this even more painful is that I genuinely loved studying Chemical Engineering. I was passionate about it, only to spend the past three years in an endless cycle of job applications and rejections. Even applying abroad hasn’t helped. Looking back, I wish I had researched the job market better before committing to this degree. If I’d known how bleak the opportunities were in my region, I might have chosen a different path like Civil or Mechanical. It's sad I can't even afford the option to pursue a different career path in this shitty country. Even now I'm still on the Job hunt. If there is anyone out there with an advice, I am so open minded right now.

To any young people considering this course, please, do your homework. Research the market in your area before you invest your time and energy. Passion alone won’t pay the bills. If the prospects look as grim as what I’ve faced, consider pursuing something else. Don’t let love for a subject blind you to the reality of job opportunities. Thank you.

Hey everyone. I’m currently a rising Sophomore. Exxonmobil is visiting sometime late September during the career fair and confirmed they’ll be taking applicants the day of and interviewing only a select few the day after.

Anything I can do to stand out? How should I approach them? Any and all advice would be extremely helpful.

I have an okay CV, just a few technical projects and community service. I also have a 4.0 GPA.

Male, fresh out of college, and I have an interview and tour of the plant in a few days. I’m located on the Gulf coast, so it’s already hot. Was told long sleeves and PPE (if possible). I’m leaning towards a suit for the interview portion, then taking off the coat and tie and putting on my steel toes for the tour. I just don’t want to leave the impression that I didn’t know what I was getting into by wearing a suit to the plant. Kinda seeking validation or am I going overkill with a suit to this interview. Any input? What did you wear to get your first job?

Chem Es in the Houston area: can you share any companies that are good to work for, whether from your personal experience or through the grapevine? Also, are there any companies to avoid? I have 5 years of plant experience, and I’m starting to explore opportunities for the next chapter in my career.

Hi everyone, similar situations like many other chemical engineers. I'm struggling to land an entry level process/manufacturing/production engineer job in the U.S so I'm very grateful to hear any advice you guys have for me.

I have about 2 yrs of experience in pharma industry as an engineer and technician. I lost my job in May 2025. Hoping to land into pharma/biotech industry around CA area but I'm open to other places as well. I'm learning Green Belt Six Sigma to boost my knowledge right now. If you know any company is hiring or if you're open to referral, pls drop a comment and I'll reach out! Thank you so much and good luck to my fellow job seekers.

I really want an ExxonMobil internship. I'm going to be a junior, and I have a 3.94 GPA, was a TA for chem 1 and 2, and had prior work experience in project management. I am doing research in fluid dynamics and electrokinetics, although I am trying to pursue other research opportunities because I don't like it, and I am going to be an officer for AIChE at my school (American Institute of Chemical Engineers). How likely am I to get an internship, and what do I need to do to get one?

is the market good or bad in your area?

Soo it feels like I’m going through a mid-life crisis at 21. Which is insane.

I graduated last summer from a UK university with a 2.1 (which is sort of similar to a 3.6 GPA in US i think). I have applied to just over 100 jobs since then, and still haven’t been able to get one. It’s honestly so draining.

I’ll admit, at the start I had no idea what to specifically apply to, I just go on good engineering companies website, check their careers list and apply to an open role I think sounds ok. I still feel lost in the job application process, like it feels like I’m doing something wrong.

Graduate jobs/ 2025 graduate schemes opened up in August 2024 so that was my main focus. Finding available ones to apply to, not just entry level listed roles. For graduate schemes/jobs they have a process [different stages] like 1. application, 2. psychometric assessments, 3. video interviews & tests, 4. assessment centre days. So for a few of the companies (PwC, Unilever, GSK, etc) I actually got all the way up to stage 3 but didn’t progress to stage 4.

I can’t believe I’m still unemployed & it’s so frustrating. It’s not so much about the pressure I put on myself anymore, cos I sort of understand it’s difficult nowadays to get a job & I’m tired of stressing tbh. But it’s my PARENTS and other external pressure tbh and the thought of being at home ‘doing nothing’ for much longer. It’s so draining and exhausting.

Now I’m practically being pushed to look for masters courses to apply to for August/September entry, UK or US. That was NOT my plan or my idea, I feel like i suffered enough in undergrad so idkk if I can handle a masters degree- plus idk what I’d do it in.

Honestly idk where to go from here. I need a job asap so that I don’t have to jump into masters as an assurance. I’m literally open to working in UK, US, anywhere idk. Idk where else to apply, or what specific roles to apply to, if I should apply for a masters just incase, idk. Advice?

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.

This is the CV I've been using, is it too dense? Clearly what I have isn't working, what should I change? Any tips are appreciated!

A long time ago, I interviewed at BP (fuck BP). I was the top candidate but they really wanted to hire a woman for that position (I heard this back from someone who was on the interview committee. I met him later at a conference) so I was rejected. Even at my current job at ExxonMobil, I felt I am not making too much progress ($160k salary after 8 years of BS). I also read that the previous rounds of layoffs at Chevron in ~2020 targeted white and Asian males, and other chemical companies such as Dow, DuPont, etc that minority with no good qualifications are being promoted since they want to meet the quota. Any thoughts on being skipped for promotion or job offers due to you being the majority?

As the title says, just need help with my resumé.

Hi all,
I’m a chemical engineering student and applied for the ExxonMobil Summer 2025 internship back in December 2024. I haven’t received any communication yet. Has anyone else heard back or know when they typically respond?

Any advice on follow-up or how to stand out would be greatly appreciated!

I graduated with my BS in May and have been looking since last November, and so far I’ve gotten 4 interviews and tons of rejections. I’m ideally looking for anything R&D in cosmetics, personal care, or food industries, and my previous internship experience was assisting a local brewmaster with brewing, measurements, formula keeping, so it’s not as though the skills aren’t transferrable. Also, I applied to a job last November at a large North American consumer products company and didn’t get an interview. Last week, I decided to check their website again for anything else that happened to open up, and I see the same job (title and description identical) saying it was posted 2 weeks ago, and when I go to apply, the system says I cannot because I “have already applied to this job” from when I did in November.

Just saying I’m a little frustrated at: 1) colleges making it seem like a guarantee that you’ll have a job lined up immediately after graduation 2) companies seeming like they’re accepting applications but not seeming to fill them and making you waste time tweaking a resumé just for an AI to read it before a human does

Took the advice I got from my last post and attempted to improve upon my document. I attempted to make things more concise and fixed the format to help with that. I also made the skill section more noticeable, and I added a relevant coursework section. In the SC there is a summary section right above the cutoff, but I will be updating that depending on what job I apply to. There might be some small errors that I still need to look through but would like some general opinions and if it improved on the last one I posted.

I also tried looking for the thread to properly put this message into, but I was unable to find it. If anyone can let be know if that is still active or even where to find it that be great. Thank you!

Hi, I am going to be a Recent Graduate in ChemE, I would like to hear your suggestions on what I should change, add or subtract form my current CV. Thank you

Hi everyone, I am a rising sophomore from a T20 ChemE school applying for an R&D internship for the upcoming summer. I am also open to process engineering/controls. Please be highly critical of my re$ume. I went to the career fairs during my freshman year and had decent networking. Any tips for interviews and applications are appreciated.

*If anyone is hiring, please let me know where to apply!

Hello everyone, I graduated this past May with a degree in Chemical Engineering. So far, I have only gotten 1 callback, which led to a digital interview, and then I got ghosted.

I have had 1 previous internship at a Fortune 50 company doing supply chain management. I enjoyed my time there, but I didn't get any return offer. I do realize I have 0 experience in Specialty Chemicals or O&G, which is what I want to go full-time in.

I have seen posts of recent ChemE grads doing process tech roles and then moving into production engineering roles, but I have also seen posts of grads getting stuck in the same roles and never really moving into engineering roles, which does scare me.

I would like to add electronics do interest me, and I have also thought about trying at-home projects with Raspberry Pi's and controls, which can maybe help with a controls engineer role.

Any input or advice on my CV or trying-out process tech -> engineer path is greatly appreciated. (If any fellow Ags have any leads or advice as well, thank you)

Hey everyone,

I wanted to share my recent experience and get some insight from others in the field. I applied for a Process Control Engineering Intern position at Cleveland-Cliffs and was excited when I got accepted. I signed the offer, agreed to the terms, and received an email to schedule a medical exam for pre-employment screening.

However, before I had the chance to respond to the medical exam email (I waited about a day), I received another email from the company saying:

That was it. No explanation, no indication that this was due to anything I did, just that the position was gone.

I initially worried that I lost the role because I didn’t respond to the medical screening fast enough. But after seeing news about Cleveland-Cliffs’ layoffs (~1,200 employees) I’m starting to think this was more about company-wide decisions rather than me personally.

Still, it’s sad to have an opportunity taken away. Has anyone else experienced something like this? How do you handle situations where an internship or job gets pulled at the last minute?

Any advice or shared experiences would be greatly appreciated!