Job hunting round two

My research is rolling and graduation is rapidly approaching, so it is time for me to apply for jobs.

If I said I was confident about job searching I would be lying. Don't get me wrong, I know I am a very qualified applicant, and I believe I will find an excellent position. I am, however, very anxious due to my previous experience.

A little over three years ago, I was job hunting after completing my Bachelor's degree. I applied for probably 30 or 40 different positions, most of which I never heard back from.

They say "looking for a job is a full time job," and it is no joke. I tweaked my résumé and wrote a new cover letter for each position. Looking back I think I sent my word documents instead of PDFs, but that wouldn't send my application straight to the trash, would it? I would frequently follow up, but at the end of my search I think I only got two interviews.

When I was offered a research assistant position to study for my PhD I was relieved. It offered me an escape from the constant anxiety of not being good enough. That was a big part of what made me take the job.

So I'm back at it again, in a higher pay grade with less of a market to apply for. I would love to hear any advice, comments or questions you may have.

I will try to keep you posted. Stay positive my friends.

-Guthrie 

My blog needs a new title..

Injection molding my future? I don't know what I was thinking last February. That's corny, even by my standards..

I stopped posting because I was certain that no one was reading my blog. Posting to a blog that no one reads is very similar to talking to yourself, and I'm not that crazy, yet. But it has been brought to my attention that if you Google "plastics qualifying exam," this blog is the first thing that comes up.

So this means, twice a year, a handful of plastics engineering PhD students from UMass Lowell stumble across my blog. Of that handful, one or two of them actually read it. This has inspired me to revisit this blog.

So if you are preparing for the qualifying exam at the end of  summer break, I have 3 tips for you:

1. Study your ass off! I studied everyday for a month like it was my full-time job, and I barely passed. I have spoke to others who barely studied and passed, but I wouldn't risk it. Do your homework..
2. Talk to every Professor asking a question. Ask for a review session. We got a review session from most of the professors, the rest would at least give some helpful insight.
3. Bring a plastics dictionary and a stopwatch.

• The plastics dictionary is important. It can save you if you don't know one of the words in a question, but it can also help you answer questions you're unsure of.
• The stopwatch was very helpful to me. You get 30 minutes per question. Don't blow 90 minutes on one question and run out of time for the rest. If you haven't answered the question fully in 30 minutes, write that you ran out of time, and that you will come back to it if you can.

I'll try to post some more tips over the summer as soon as I think of a better title for my blog. Please leave some questions or comments below, that way I know I am not talking to myself.

Thanks for reading!

-Guthrie