Hello all, I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. Am I not looking in the right places? Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not responding back to me. It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking up a normal Software Engineering job. Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. Thanks, --Shafik Amin
Anyone else having a hard time getting hired?
Started by ●May 1, 2007
Reply by ●May 1, 20072007-05-01
On May 1, 5:39 pm, Shafik <shafi...@gmail.com> wrote:> Hello all, > > I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places? > > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me. > > It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job. > > Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > --Shafik AminMany jobs that don't have "DSP" spelled out in the title still have a lot to do with signal processing. Or writing software for DSP processors. The problem is that most of the times, the job postings are made too generic, or people in human resources don't do a good job translating from job requirements to job postings, and from resumes to potential positions. Maybe I misunderstood what you wrote, but did you say that you found only one job that you are interested in? What is it that you think you want to do? Julius
Reply by ●May 1, 20072007-05-01
Shafik <shafik23@gmail.com> writes:> Hello all, > > I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places? > > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me. > > It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job. > > Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated.Hi Shafik, If you don't mind being hounded a bit and are willing to do part-time, out-of-town contract work, try contacting the standard headhunteer agencies - Aerotek, Oxford International, etc. -- % Randy Yates % "She's sweet on Wagner-I think she'd die for Beethoven. %% Fuquay-Varina, NC % She love the way Puccini lays down a tune, and %%% 919-577-9882 % Verdi's always creepin' from her room." %%%% <yates@ieee.org> % "Rockaria", *A New World Record*, ELO http://home.earthlink.net/~yatescr
Reply by ●May 1, 20072007-05-01
Shafik <shafik23@gmail.com> wrote in news:1178059189.021261.17890 @n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:> Hello all, > > I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places? > > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me. > > It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job. > > Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > --Shafik Amin >Do up your resume to make DSP look like ONE of the tools in your toolbox, not the whole box. If you're an EE, look for EE positions; ditto for CS. If you deal with embedded systems, consider marketing yourself that way. -- Scott Reverse name to reply
Reply by ●May 1, 20072007-05-01
Scott Seidman wrote:> Shafik <shafik23@gmail.com> wrote in news:1178059189.021261.17890 > @n59g2000hsh.googlegroups.com: > >> Hello all, >> >> I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't >> seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. >> Am I not looking in the right places? >> >> Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that >> seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not >> responding back to me. >> >> It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking >> up a normal Software Engineering job. >> >> Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. >> >> Thanks, >> --Shafik Amin >> > > Do up your resume to make DSP look like ONE of the tools in your toolbox, > not the whole box. If you're an EE, look for EE positions; ditto for CS. > If you deal with embedded systems, consider marketing yourself that way. >And if you're a new grad, stress anything that you've done that's real. Managers have lots of bad experiences with people who are just grand with the mathematics but completely fall apart when faced with a problem that requires some real-world know-how. Showing that you've made something that has generated value for someone -- even if it was welding up gates at a hog farm -- can be a big plus. You should also accept that not every new grad gets to do just what he wants to. My first job with my shiny new master's degree was wrenching on PC's for a brother of a friend; I didn't get to do my core competencies until I changed jobs a year later. -- Tim Wescott Wescott Design Services http://www.wescottdesign.com Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/ Do you need to implement control loops in software? "Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" gives you just what it says. See details at http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html
Reply by ●May 2, 20072007-05-02
Tim Wescott <tim@seemywebsite.com> wrote in news:0tGdncrTbomPYKrbnZ2dnUVZ_riknZ2d@web-ster.com:> And if you're a new grad, stress anything that you've done that's real.Excellent advice, but along the same lines, don't exaggerate. If you drove one part of a big project, for example, don't give yourself credit for the whole of it. If you can't speak intelligently about a resume skill if somebody tries to hold more than a cursory conversation about it, it probably doesn't belong on your resume. -- Scott Reverse name to reply
Reply by ●May 2, 20072007-05-02
Shafik wrote:> I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places? > > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me.DSP is quite narrow and specific niche. Applying for the DSP job usually implies a great deal of knowledge and experience.> It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job.:))))) You are the freshman. The fact is that you just can't have any worthy experience, especially with DSP. It will be years and years before you can call yourself a DSP engineer. Thus you should not be too choosy. Besides, what makes you thinking that the DSP job is right for you? Vladimir Vassilevsky DSP and Mixed Signal Design Consultant http://www.abvolt.com
Reply by ●May 2, 20072007-05-02
On May 1, 3:39 pm, Shafik <shafi...@gmail.com> wrote:> Hello all, > > I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places? > > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me. > > It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job. > > Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. > > Thanks, > --Shafik AminYou might consider looking for jobs in other parts of the country besides Phoenix. I had to move outside of my preferred region for a few years for my first job. But it was well worth it because the work experience I gained eventually qualified me for a better position back in the area I wanted to live in.
Reply by ●May 2, 20072007-05-02
julius <juliusk@gmail.com> wrote in news:1178059864.727022.35210 @p77g2000hsh.googlegroups.com:> On May 1, 5:39 pm, Shafik <shafi...@gmail.com> wrote: >> Hello all, >> >> I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't >> seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. >> Am I not looking in the right places? >> >> Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that >> seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not >> responding back to me. >> >> It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking >> up a normal Software Engineering job. >> >> Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated. >> >> Thanks, >> --Shafik Amin >Some of this has already been mentioned but it bears repeating. 1. Emphasize skills that you may have that your peers do not. For example, can you solder? Do you write Windows applications competently, Can you write well? etc..... 2. From your name, I would wonder if you have resident status. This can be very important for hiring. For example, do you need an H-1B visa? If yes, you are probably in trouble since there are none available this year. If no, its something you might want to volunteer. 3. Newly minted graduates are like first year quarterbacks. They are full of potential but not ready to start. The most important thing for a new graduate is to find a place that will continue your training. A good mentor is more important than money and maybe even the specific tasks you will be doing. You have some academic skills which are certainly important, but you haven't learned the other half of engineering. I always find it interesting to have this conversation with a young engineer after he/she has worked in industry for about 3 years. 4, If you have examples of successful projects, by all means bring them. Its a lot easier to hire someone you believe is capable of contributing quickly than an unknown. 5. Phoenix is nice, Lots of places are nice. I hired a fellow with a similar situation who went to school in So CA. He never thought he would want to live in a cold climate (Minnesota). He's still here (and doing well, BTW I have had the Item 3 discussion with him and it was true). -- Al Clark Danville Signal Processing, Inc. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Purveyors of Fine DSP Hardware and other Cool Stuff Available at http://www.danvillesignal.com
Reply by ●May 3, 20072007-05-03
On May 1, 6:39 pm, Shafik <shafi...@gmail.com> wrote:> Hello all, > > I am looking for a DSP-based job in the Phoenix Area and I just can't > seem to find one. I have a Masters in DSP emphasis and still, nothing. > Am I not looking in the right places?I guess you must have have already looked at this, but if you haven't, then here it is (a very useful site): http://www.dsprelated.com/employers.php> > Right now I use Dice.com, CareerBuilder, etc. The only opening that > seemed really interesting was a position with Garmin, but they are not > responding back to me.On a slightly off-topic note, I found this behavior of HR personnel very bothersome when I was searching for jobs. How difficult is it to at least send a boiler-plate e-mail stating that they are not interested in proceeding further ? After all the effort that is put into sending one job application (preparing the resume to highlight the most relevant skills and experiences, taking time to prepare a well-written cover letter etc.,), receiving nothing back from the employer is just simply frustrating. The same thing also applies to letting an employee know the result of an interview. Ok, I understand supply and demand, but what about some basic courtesy ? ... I will stop ranting now.> It'd be a shame to have all that DSP experience go to waste by picking > up a normal Software Engineering job.Relax dude ! It takes time to become an accomplished DSP engineer. A DSP engineer's job is requires a unique mix of several skills that will take some time to develop (most of which would normally be learnt *after* you leave college). My point is that you must not consider a "normal software engineering job" as anything to be ashamed of.
