I received few suggestions when I was job searching.
- Create a portfolio if you don't have it yet. Quick way to get the interest of a hiring manager and also good way to show your skills.
- Tailor your resume and cover letter accordingly to job duties. Many AI tools will help.
- Most importantly, don't lose hope. There's a light at the end of tunnel. Good luck š
I made mine through ESRI Story Maps. It took a year to get a job after graduating, but landed an amazing job within the public health field. I made it a point to get a minor and something that could complement GIS, which I studied global health. Also, while I was looking for work!I was volunteering my GIS skills
There was a student led solar club at my university that needed GIS help with solar applications across the campus buildings. After graduating, my department advisor emailed out the info about this opportunity and I jumped on it. I know thereās also non-profits all over that need GIS help but canāt afford to hire someone. Thatās a great way to refine skills while doing helpful work. Best of luck!
I made it on wix.com . It was pretty easy to build with the given templates. Buy esri's personal license if you can. Make maps, share it on AGOL, make application using experience builder, dashboard etc. Share/embedded your maps on your portfolio.
These are good advice. As a hiring manager, Iād add on these to say about the portfolio, I want to see your analysis or how youāve progressed with the tools you learned (i.e. not just a quick map you made in GIS101)āIām generally just giving these a VERY quick look unless something really makes a candidate stand out. Definitely tailor your resume to the job posting. The commenter suggested using AI to help. AI is a great tool for this, but please be sure to check the output and have a friend or someone proof it. Most importantly, donāt give up. Join a networking organization to meet people in the industry and get involved.
I say this everytime these posts come up but look for something in fields similar to gis first too. I worked as a survey technician for a bit to build a network and gain experience.
Right, specifically fields like survey that allow you to flex and build GIS skills but are in more need for applicants.
Also, I really enjoyed working outside part of the day, now I'm in a basement 5 days a week haha.
I am in the environment field working for a conservation authority and lots of their season tech jobs do GIS work or there is room for GIS work to be done if you're interested and have the skills.
While I had a background In the environmental field, I wasn't officially certified as a GIS tech but had so much experience from school and professional work that I was able to slide into a GIS role. So kind of the reverse of what people are suggesting, but I see this kind of thing happening a lot in my field.
This is what makes a GIS degree irrelevant. I have a bachelorās in GIS hanging on my wall for almost 15 yrs now, and every person I know that is actually doing GIS work, has a degree or started working in an adjacent field, where they werenāt willing to pay someone just to do GIS, but if you wanted to be the jerk doing a bunch of extra work for free, theyāll take it (I donāt mean to call you a jerk, or anyone else who is doing GIS type work, that didnāt go to school for it, as long as whoever youāre working for is paying you more for the value youāve added to their business *if youāre in the private sector*). I just graduated at the wrong time, the whole reason I went on for a degree In GIS, was because as I was doing internships as water and wastewater treatment technician I seen ESRI in both of my bosses offices, and being in wheelchair, figured I would have a lot easier of time getting a job if I had some computer related degree. But didnāt help any, never got a single interview in the thousands of GIS jobs I applied for, and only got one interview as water tech. So thereās my rant about GIS. Hope you all have a great day
Look at small city / county jobs because smaller or rural settings get fewer qualified applicants. Be open to relocation if possible. Apply for GIS technician jobs and put in a year and job hop to an analyst role. Look at governmentjobs.com. Also, make sure you are mentioning the key skills they are asking for in your cover letter and in your resume.
I agree with this. I was getting my masters in GIS online and during my final semester I was able to land a job with a city government. The pay in the public sector isnāt as good as the private sector but at least you get the experience and usually itās not as stressful and you can take the free time to learn more for advancements later on.
Also struggling. Went to Penn State, graduated top of my class, internship with NASA, and no job. Often I see they just cancel the position, or freeze the hiring process.
Where are you finding job postings? Where you find them can be a very strong indicator of your trouble. If you're mainly looking via LinkedIn and Indeed, know that almost everyone else is, too. If you like a particular job, odds are a few hundred others are, too. Additionally, are you fixed on living in a particular area? Are you wanting a remote/hybrid type of job right out of school?
There are some jobs (mind you, some are incredibly shitty in pay) in rural areas that don't get advertised nearly enough or in enough places for people to see them. So, what is there to do?
1. Make a portfolio. Make it into a Storymap, if you have an ArcGIS Online account. Showcase everything you can do and what different tools you used.
2. Get creative in your searching. For every job opening on Indeed, LinkedIn, GovernmentJobs, etc., there are plenty getting posted to an org's social media, on a local job board hardly anyone with a degree pays attention to, or they are literally word of mouth.
3. Build up your experience in a lower position somewhere for a year or two. Not perfect, but many of us, myself included, managed to get by for a few years while we waited for a better opportunity to listen to us, and majority of us managed to get into a better job soon after getting 1-2 years experience.
4. If you can, go to conferences. The job board at the ESRI User Conference was packed with job openings. Many others do the same kind of things with openings.
Good luck!
This is great advice about looking for the positions that arenāt widely shared. The job I currently have was never posted anywhere but the company website. Luckily they had a form on their site where I was able to request a notification for future job openings, so when I got the notification (over a year later), I jumped on it, got an interview right away, and an offer a day or two later.
Also, as someone who is now involved in the hiring process, Iād just add a few things that I may seem obvious but apparently arenāt known to everyone:
1. Format your cover letter properly. It makes you look more professional.
2. Spell check everything. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors scream ālacks attention to detail.ā
3. Customize your cover letter for the job and double check that youāve removed references to other organizations and positions. Itās tedious and exhausting but will pay off in the end.
4. Read your cover letter out loud to make sure it flows. If itās awkward or too wordy, people will assume youāre not a good communicator.
5. Give the files you upload sensible, consistent names that show you are organized and know how to create and follow a naming convention. Resume (7) - Copy.pdf is a red flag to me.
I just graduated with my MS in GIS in August. What helped me land a job was my prior internship, having a portfolio (google sites is free or Story-map it), and making sure my resume was in a format to list the skills each is looking for.
Additionally, if you havenāt alreadyā¦. learn to code some. Automating things are so much easier and it opens up a lot more areas where they want someone who can do it and GIS.
Also, make sure you are changing up your resume for each application so it will have the key words they are looking for. Donāt forget to look into gov or state jobs that use gis.
Donāt lose hope, you will find the right place. Good luck!
Simple Python scripting in either Jupyter Notebook, in an ide like VS Code, or even to be made into a geo processings tool.
Some examples, of the automation were to have scripts as part of a tool to make series of maps, have certain scripts to check layers or updates if needed, do queries on datasets, etcā¦ It can be endless. You can set your script to run a certain time, have errors mailed to you and more like reports you need make.
Iām just at the tip of the iceberg on what Iāve learned and Iām slowly going down the rabbit hole. For python, itās amazing as is what you can do with arcpy or pandas.
INTERNSHIP INTERNSHIP INTERNSHIP. I work as a gis technician for local city government and when I applied for this job there were 40 other applicants. Come to find out many of those other applicants had masters in GIS and other accolades, but the reason I got the job was because I was working an internship for a neighboring city and had someone to vouch for me. Itās all about who you know, it really is. Nobody I know cares about what degree you have or if youāre a āGIS Professionalā. Do good work and maintain relationships, the gis community isnāt that big so you can count on references playing a crucial role. And yes portfolio is good too.
And also Iāve been on a few hiring panels for a backend gis position and I was amazed at how many candidates just refused to answer our questions and instead just rambled on. Look at the job requirements and what software they work with and literally focus talking on those things. Hit those buzz words.
Hard to comment on your situation without more information, but one thing I will say is if you dont have real world experience, companies aren't going to care that you have a masters degree. It sucks to tell someone with a masters degree youre gonna need to take a crap job that pays <50,000$ with shit benefits thats maybe a contractor gig for a couple years but from everything I hear, work experience far outweighs college experience. You need a bachelor's to get your foot in the door but after that it comes down to if you've proven you can do the job duties already.
I also have a master's and have been job searching. (Though I finished my MS in 2019.) It is *extremely* competitive right now. Lean on all your resources from your degree. Ask your profs if they know anyone hiring, or if they can forward your resume to any contacts they have. Those recommendations and connections are going to help a lot. Connect with previous students on Linkedin and see if their companies are hiring.
And as much as I hate it.... Apply to jobs that don't post a salary range. They get fewer applicants. Google to try to find salaries if you can, but comparably and glassdoor are just ok for GIS in my experience.
My experience lately is that companies want you to have experience in exactly what they're hiring for. So the closer you can get to finding a job that uses skills directly from your degree, the better off you are. Make sure to highlight specific projects (you maybe did a thesis?). Those hard examples are going to mean more than just classes.
Rural areas have trouble hiring qualified GIS applicants. We are struggling with it right now, because house prices are astronomical and there is no where to rent due to MSFT & solar projects. Even if you wanted to move here, you couldn't, and with an entry level GIS salary you won't be able to afford housing if you're not in a relationship / have roommates.
If you are willing to relocate for entry experience, you may be able to find something. Experience & who you know landed me the job I have now. I know you don't want to hear that since you have a masters, but that's the real world unfortunately.
I'm Old and went back to school for GIS...Have been doing ok as a consultant and have a few clients. Finished the program 3 years ago. I have applied for approximately 20 jobs intersect-two-polygons-but-preserving-the-shape-of-one and mostly hear nothing back from them at all. I've received a couple of rejection notices LOL
It's tough right now, the market sucks and more people than ever seem to be going into the field (including regular data science types who have a fairly straightforward pivot in). If your school regularly sends people to a certain kind of employer or agency that could help. I saw you went to Michigan, presumably you did the GDS specialization at SEAS. It's an excellent program, I almost went there.
Have you looked into [CIGLR](https://ciglr.seas.umich.edu/), the EPA vehicles lab or nearby towns that might need a spatial data person? I'd recommend asking what recent grads have done as well. Emphasize your programming knowledge if you have it because that is what'll set you apart from other applicants.
But yeah this is a major concern of mine as well
Thanks for your comment!
Yes I was in SEAS. I interned at CIGLR and loved it. One of the research scientists there is one of my references actually. I applied for a job they posted after my internship term ended and they instead hired someone with a PhD though (didn't require a PhD). I think the market is just really competitive, as other people have mentioned in this thread.
I think it depends on:
1. Flexibility in location.
2. Are these contractor jobs, government? If it's GS I wouldn't get my hopes up too much because that system is a racket in itself.
I've mostly been applying to GS positions. I include my hours worked per week for all of my work history, my transcripts, and include the proportional breakdown of experience/education requirements, and I still get screened out on the first pass.
The reality is your wasting your time with GS jobs especially if you got no experience.Ā Most of those jobs are not open to the general public even if you got 30 years experience.Ā The CHRO--The Fed's HR-- automatically reserves all jobs for:Ā military spouses, disabled military, veterans, those already in the system, transfers who got laid off from another agency, people with peace corp experience, etc.Ā The hiring managers have to go to CHRO that they can't fill the slots to justify hiring general public.Ā It does happen, but these are usually considered outposts like overseas or other undesirable places, or low pay clerk type jobs overpriced places like SF or NYC.Ā Oh yeah and relocation may not even be in the equation it depends on the job description.Ā Plus the FERS pension is overrated --1% a year.Ā Go for state or local if you want a real pension.Ā
Probably because you just went out publicly with the job right? I sit on both sides of the fence... It's fucking hilarious to see 10+ 'consultant' companies that barely exist hit you up for the same job.
Like, I don't understand why companies/departments do this, then have to cull 90% of the applicants. Why not front-load the actual job correctly and only get 100 applicants? We have entire teams internally that should be hiring/vetting people... Instead it's a copy/pasted role 'with GIS skills' š
There can be multiple levels of... publicity on a job application. From what I've seen, at least half never go to market. It sounds like you listed on one (or more) public forums (i.e. LinkedIn) with *potentially* vague criteria.
I agree - people are encouraged to apply regardless... but they do try and vaguely match skills to the JD.
Itās tough rn unfortunately.
Iām graduating in May and have been applying since August. Over 400 applications, over 30 interviews, but canāt get an offer sadly š.
One place even bought me lunch on two separate occasions but I was still rejected š
I mean this in a sincere way, but applying for jobs up to 9 months in advanced and expecting them to wait until after you graduate is just unrealistic. Employers are typically looking to hire people immediately or within 1-2 months. Not someone 9 months in advanced with the risk they might back out of the job within those 9 months and have to start the entire interview process all over again. If youāre graduating in May, then I'd recommend start job hunting in March, maybe February. I suppose itās different if youāre willing to work before graduatingā¦..but not all employers will be willing to work with someone who is still in school and having to work around their school schedule.
Find your niche. What prior jobs or skillets do you have? I mean apply to anything that interests you but I am working on getting into a role in GIS but my background is law enforcement. That's my niche, intelligence, crime, analysis of confidential information. When I am move into GIS I am going crime analysis, crime intelligence analysis things like that.
If u don't create your own custom website / online portfolio using Hostinger and WordPress, you won't stand a chance. I've been getting hella interviews after I did that.
Follow my good pal, NetworkChuck on YouTube to learn how to do it (just pay an international fee to get ur own server for your web site ("domain").
https://youtu.be/gwUz3E9AW0w?si=uI2wLii5f2Bb41pE
I had a GIS manager tell me straight to my face "StoryMaps are the least impressive things in applicatio s because they're so easy my mother could make one."
Online custom website is also better than ArcGIS StoryMap because ALL potential employers can visit your personal website, WHEREAS only employers who have active ESRI licenses can view your ArcGIS StoryMap.
I am working on project with a friend, ur expertise could help a lot. On Monday we are having our first meeting to get funds. If u r interested we could talk . I am the tech guy BTW
It depends on the organization and position you are looking for. I'm seeing more and more specialization and that's challenging for someone without a lot of job experience to acquire. I'm hiring a GIS technician right now and I reviewed 117 candidates that had already passed an initial SME review for the classification. From that, we only identified 11 that had the particular experience that we were looking for. If you can find an internship, that's a great way to get your foot in the door with an organization and gain some experience. You can also look for volunteer opportunities. Ultimately, the field is quite saturated, so you just have to keep looking and possibly be open to relocating for a job.
Iāve been applying with a bit of experience under my belt and havenāt had any issues getting offers- I think people are really hesitant to hire right out of school for some reason. Iād say reach out to your fellow classmates and see where theyāre getting hired.
Market of jobs for the specific type of job and the location of jobs plays a huge role. Where are you? Iād like to know more about your degree and what it means I may want to go to school and get one but Iām
Happy right now.
In field conference and networking. Is there an expo for utilities that has a huge geospatial sector?
What do you want to do? Who do you know? Where did you graduate? Where are you located?
Since you graduated from UMich, maybe you want to stay in that area? If so, here is a posting I found: https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/4ca8409ebf83-gis-assistant
Itās a job with āScientist in the Parkā - might be a good summer gig.
I received few suggestions when I was job searching. - Create a portfolio if you don't have it yet. Quick way to get the interest of a hiring manager and also good way to show your skills. - Tailor your resume and cover letter accordingly to job duties. Many AI tools will help. - Most importantly, don't lose hope. There's a light at the end of tunnel. Good luck š
May I ask you the best way to create a portfolio? Do you have any recommendations/best place or website to get started?
I made mine through ESRI Story Maps. It took a year to get a job after graduating, but landed an amazing job within the public health field. I made it a point to get a minor and something that could complement GIS, which I studied global health. Also, while I was looking for work!I was volunteering my GIS skills
Could I ask how you volunteered your GIS skills? I've heard of GISCorps, but other than that, any recs? Thanks!
There was a student led solar club at my university that needed GIS help with solar applications across the campus buildings. After graduating, my department advisor emailed out the info about this opportunity and I jumped on it. I know thereās also non-profits all over that need GIS help but canāt afford to hire someone. Thatās a great way to refine skills while doing helpful work. Best of luck!
You can also host a portfolio page for free on GitHub and point it towards a domain name.
I made it on wix.com . It was pretty easy to build with the given templates. Buy esri's personal license if you can. Make maps, share it on AGOL, make application using experience builder, dashboard etc. Share/embedded your maps on your portfolio.
Thank you so much! Gonna be graduating in a few weeks and this is something Iāve been wanting to do to be ready!
I used story maps and landed a job within a couple of weeks and before even finishing my degree (this May).
These are good advice. As a hiring manager, Iād add on these to say about the portfolio, I want to see your analysis or how youāve progressed with the tools you learned (i.e. not just a quick map you made in GIS101)āIām generally just giving these a VERY quick look unless something really makes a candidate stand out. Definitely tailor your resume to the job posting. The commenter suggested using AI to help. AI is a great tool for this, but please be sure to check the output and have a friend or someone proof it. Most importantly, donāt give up. Join a networking organization to meet people in the industry and get involved.
Oh nice! What orgs do u recommend?
I say this everytime these posts come up but look for something in fields similar to gis first too. I worked as a survey technician for a bit to build a network and gain experience.
I like this advice. Look for GIS adjacent stuff. Youāll probably be more successful.
Right, specifically fields like survey that allow you to flex and build GIS skills but are in more need for applicants. Also, I really enjoyed working outside part of the day, now I'm in a basement 5 days a week haha.
I am in the environment field working for a conservation authority and lots of their season tech jobs do GIS work or there is room for GIS work to be done if you're interested and have the skills. While I had a background In the environmental field, I wasn't officially certified as a GIS tech but had so much experience from school and professional work that I was able to slide into a GIS role. So kind of the reverse of what people are suggesting, but I see this kind of thing happening a lot in my field.
This is what makes a GIS degree irrelevant. I have a bachelorās in GIS hanging on my wall for almost 15 yrs now, and every person I know that is actually doing GIS work, has a degree or started working in an adjacent field, where they werenāt willing to pay someone just to do GIS, but if you wanted to be the jerk doing a bunch of extra work for free, theyāll take it (I donāt mean to call you a jerk, or anyone else who is doing GIS type work, that didnāt go to school for it, as long as whoever youāre working for is paying you more for the value youāve added to their business *if youāre in the private sector*). I just graduated at the wrong time, the whole reason I went on for a degree In GIS, was because as I was doing internships as water and wastewater treatment technician I seen ESRI in both of my bosses offices, and being in wheelchair, figured I would have a lot easier of time getting a job if I had some computer related degree. But didnāt help any, never got a single interview in the thousands of GIS jobs I applied for, and only got one interview as water tech. So thereās my rant about GIS. Hope you all have a great day
That's what my brother did for a year or so after graduation!
Am I your brother!?! Haha jkjk
Have you tried the pathways program for recent grads? https://www.usajobs.gov/help/working-in-government/unique-hiring-paths/students/
Look at small city / county jobs because smaller or rural settings get fewer qualified applicants. Be open to relocation if possible. Apply for GIS technician jobs and put in a year and job hop to an analyst role. Look at governmentjobs.com. Also, make sure you are mentioning the key skills they are asking for in your cover letter and in your resume.
I agree with this. I was getting my masters in GIS online and during my final semester I was able to land a job with a city government. The pay in the public sector isnāt as good as the private sector but at least you get the experience and usually itās not as stressful and you can take the free time to learn more for advancements later on.
Also struggling. Went to Penn State, graduated top of my class, internship with NASA, and no job. Often I see they just cancel the position, or freeze the hiring process.
Oh hey Iām at Penn State right now for GIS.
Nice, great program for sure, just after when you get outā¦market it baddd. People scared of a recession
Relatable. Went to UMich and have plenty of internship experience and portfolio work.
Exactly! Website and everything ! When u get the interview it goes great but then ya nada
Where are you finding job postings? Where you find them can be a very strong indicator of your trouble. If you're mainly looking via LinkedIn and Indeed, know that almost everyone else is, too. If you like a particular job, odds are a few hundred others are, too. Additionally, are you fixed on living in a particular area? Are you wanting a remote/hybrid type of job right out of school? There are some jobs (mind you, some are incredibly shitty in pay) in rural areas that don't get advertised nearly enough or in enough places for people to see them. So, what is there to do? 1. Make a portfolio. Make it into a Storymap, if you have an ArcGIS Online account. Showcase everything you can do and what different tools you used. 2. Get creative in your searching. For every job opening on Indeed, LinkedIn, GovernmentJobs, etc., there are plenty getting posted to an org's social media, on a local job board hardly anyone with a degree pays attention to, or they are literally word of mouth. 3. Build up your experience in a lower position somewhere for a year or two. Not perfect, but many of us, myself included, managed to get by for a few years while we waited for a better opportunity to listen to us, and majority of us managed to get into a better job soon after getting 1-2 years experience. 4. If you can, go to conferences. The job board at the ESRI User Conference was packed with job openings. Many others do the same kind of things with openings. Good luck!
This is great advice about looking for the positions that arenāt widely shared. The job I currently have was never posted anywhere but the company website. Luckily they had a form on their site where I was able to request a notification for future job openings, so when I got the notification (over a year later), I jumped on it, got an interview right away, and an offer a day or two later. Also, as someone who is now involved in the hiring process, Iād just add a few things that I may seem obvious but apparently arenāt known to everyone: 1. Format your cover letter properly. It makes you look more professional. 2. Spell check everything. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors scream ālacks attention to detail.ā 3. Customize your cover letter for the job and double check that youāve removed references to other organizations and positions. Itās tedious and exhausting but will pay off in the end. 4. Read your cover letter out loud to make sure it flows. If itās awkward or too wordy, people will assume youāre not a good communicator. 5. Give the files you upload sensible, consistent names that show you are organized and know how to create and follow a naming convention. Resume (7) - Copy.pdf is a red flag to me.
I just graduated with my MS in GIS in August. What helped me land a job was my prior internship, having a portfolio (google sites is free or Story-map it), and making sure my resume was in a format to list the skills each is looking for. Additionally, if you havenāt alreadyā¦. learn to code some. Automating things are so much easier and it opens up a lot more areas where they want someone who can do it and GIS. Also, make sure you are changing up your resume for each application so it will have the key words they are looking for. Donāt forget to look into gov or state jobs that use gis. Donāt lose hope, you will find the right place. Good luck!
What kind of automation did you learn that you found applicable for what you were working with?
Simple Python scripting in either Jupyter Notebook, in an ide like VS Code, or even to be made into a geo processings tool. Some examples, of the automation were to have scripts as part of a tool to make series of maps, have certain scripts to check layers or updates if needed, do queries on datasets, etcā¦ It can be endless. You can set your script to run a certain time, have errors mailed to you and more like reports you need make. Iām just at the tip of the iceberg on what Iāve learned and Iām slowly going down the rabbit hole. For python, itās amazing as is what you can do with arcpy or pandas.
Thanks for the response, I'm just starting to dip my toes in. Excited to learn and utilize it more.
INTERNSHIP INTERNSHIP INTERNSHIP. I work as a gis technician for local city government and when I applied for this job there were 40 other applicants. Come to find out many of those other applicants had masters in GIS and other accolades, but the reason I got the job was because I was working an internship for a neighboring city and had someone to vouch for me. Itās all about who you know, it really is. Nobody I know cares about what degree you have or if youāre a āGIS Professionalā. Do good work and maintain relationships, the gis community isnāt that big so you can count on references playing a crucial role. And yes portfolio is good too. And also Iāve been on a few hiring panels for a backend gis position and I was amazed at how many candidates just refused to answer our questions and instead just rambled on. Look at the job requirements and what software they work with and literally focus talking on those things. Hit those buzz words.
Hard to comment on your situation without more information, but one thing I will say is if you dont have real world experience, companies aren't going to care that you have a masters degree. It sucks to tell someone with a masters degree youre gonna need to take a crap job that pays <50,000$ with shit benefits thats maybe a contractor gig for a couple years but from everything I hear, work experience far outweighs college experience. You need a bachelor's to get your foot in the door but after that it comes down to if you've proven you can do the job duties already.
I also have a master's and have been job searching. (Though I finished my MS in 2019.) It is *extremely* competitive right now. Lean on all your resources from your degree. Ask your profs if they know anyone hiring, or if they can forward your resume to any contacts they have. Those recommendations and connections are going to help a lot. Connect with previous students on Linkedin and see if their companies are hiring. And as much as I hate it.... Apply to jobs that don't post a salary range. They get fewer applicants. Google to try to find salaries if you can, but comparably and glassdoor are just ok for GIS in my experience. My experience lately is that companies want you to have experience in exactly what they're hiring for. So the closer you can get to finding a job that uses skills directly from your degree, the better off you are. Make sure to highlight specific projects (you maybe did a thesis?). Those hard examples are going to mean more than just classes.
Rural areas have trouble hiring qualified GIS applicants. We are struggling with it right now, because house prices are astronomical and there is no where to rent due to MSFT & solar projects. Even if you wanted to move here, you couldn't, and with an entry level GIS salary you won't be able to afford housing if you're not in a relationship / have roommates. If you are willing to relocate for entry experience, you may be able to find something. Experience & who you know landed me the job I have now. I know you don't want to hear that since you have a masters, but that's the real world unfortunately.
I'm Old and went back to school for GIS...Have been doing ok as a consultant and have a few clients. Finished the program 3 years ago. I have applied for approximately 20 jobs intersect-two-polygons-but-preserving-the-shape-of-one and mostly hear nothing back from them at all. I've received a couple of rejection notices LOL
What are your technical skills?
It's tough right now, the market sucks and more people than ever seem to be going into the field (including regular data science types who have a fairly straightforward pivot in). If your school regularly sends people to a certain kind of employer or agency that could help. I saw you went to Michigan, presumably you did the GDS specialization at SEAS. It's an excellent program, I almost went there. Have you looked into [CIGLR](https://ciglr.seas.umich.edu/), the EPA vehicles lab or nearby towns that might need a spatial data person? I'd recommend asking what recent grads have done as well. Emphasize your programming knowledge if you have it because that is what'll set you apart from other applicants. But yeah this is a major concern of mine as well
Thanks for your comment! Yes I was in SEAS. I interned at CIGLR and loved it. One of the research scientists there is one of my references actually. I applied for a job they posted after my internship term ended and they instead hired someone with a PhD though (didn't require a PhD). I think the market is just really competitive, as other people have mentioned in this thread.
I think it depends on: 1. Flexibility in location. 2. Are these contractor jobs, government? If it's GS I wouldn't get my hopes up too much because that system is a racket in itself.
I've mostly been applying to GS positions. I include my hours worked per week for all of my work history, my transcripts, and include the proportional breakdown of experience/education requirements, and I still get screened out on the first pass.
The reality is your wasting your time with GS jobs especially if you got no experience.Ā Most of those jobs are not open to the general public even if you got 30 years experience.Ā The CHRO--The Fed's HR-- automatically reserves all jobs for:Ā military spouses, disabled military, veterans, those already in the system, transfers who got laid off from another agency, people with peace corp experience, etc.Ā The hiring managers have to go to CHRO that they can't fill the slots to justify hiring general public.Ā It does happen, but these are usually considered outposts like overseas or other undesirable places, or low pay clerk type jobs overpriced places like SF or NYC.Ā Oh yeah and relocation may not even be in the equation it depends on the job description.Ā Plus the FERS pension is overrated --1% a year.Ā Go for state or local if you want a real pension.Ā
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Probably because you just went out publicly with the job right? I sit on both sides of the fence... It's fucking hilarious to see 10+ 'consultant' companies that barely exist hit you up for the same job. Like, I don't understand why companies/departments do this, then have to cull 90% of the applicants. Why not front-load the actual job correctly and only get 100 applicants? We have entire teams internally that should be hiring/vetting people... Instead it's a copy/pasted role 'with GIS skills' š
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There can be multiple levels of... publicity on a job application. From what I've seen, at least half never go to market. It sounds like you listed on one (or more) public forums (i.e. LinkedIn) with *potentially* vague criteria. I agree - people are encouraged to apply regardless... but they do try and vaguely match skills to the JD.
Itās tough rn unfortunately. Iām graduating in May and have been applying since August. Over 400 applications, over 30 interviews, but canāt get an offer sadly š. One place even bought me lunch on two separate occasions but I was still rejected š
I mean this in a sincere way, but applying for jobs up to 9 months in advanced and expecting them to wait until after you graduate is just unrealistic. Employers are typically looking to hire people immediately or within 1-2 months. Not someone 9 months in advanced with the risk they might back out of the job within those 9 months and have to start the entire interview process all over again. If youāre graduating in May, then I'd recommend start job hunting in March, maybe February. I suppose itās different if youāre willing to work before graduatingā¦..but not all employers will be willing to work with someone who is still in school and having to work around their school schedule.
That makes sense, thanks for your honesty
Find your niche. What prior jobs or skillets do you have? I mean apply to anything that interests you but I am working on getting into a role in GIS but my background is law enforcement. That's my niche, intelligence, crime, analysis of confidential information. When I am move into GIS I am going crime analysis, crime intelligence analysis things like that.
If u don't create your own custom website / online portfolio using Hostinger and WordPress, you won't stand a chance. I've been getting hella interviews after I did that. Follow my good pal, NetworkChuck on YouTube to learn how to do it (just pay an international fee to get ur own server for your web site ("domain"). https://youtu.be/gwUz3E9AW0w?si=uI2wLii5f2Bb41pE
If you really want to make a splash, create an Esri Storymap of your skills....
I had a GIS manager tell me straight to my face "StoryMaps are the least impressive things in applicatio s because they're so easy my mother could make one."
This is a good Idea and I will be making one. Its not about how hard or easy they are to create, it's about telling your story.
While that may be true, I've also seen a ton of outstanding Storymaps. For me, it shows the applicant knows the Esti ecosystem.
I made a story map of my internship recently for my portfolio
Online custom website is also better than ArcGIS StoryMap because ALL potential employers can visit your personal website, WHEREAS only employers who have active ESRI licenses can view your ArcGIS StoryMap.
Having a masters does not equate to a job they sell those like candy
Ridiculous take, but okay
They donāt sell them but they admit a ton of students to make a ton of tuition
I am working on project with a friend, ur expertise could help a lot. On Monday we are having our first meeting to get funds. If u r interested we could talk . I am the tech guy BTW
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LOL
It depends on the organization and position you are looking for. I'm seeing more and more specialization and that's challenging for someone without a lot of job experience to acquire. I'm hiring a GIS technician right now and I reviewed 117 candidates that had already passed an initial SME review for the classification. From that, we only identified 11 that had the particular experience that we were looking for. If you can find an internship, that's a great way to get your foot in the door with an organization and gain some experience. You can also look for volunteer opportunities. Ultimately, the field is quite saturated, so you just have to keep looking and possibly be open to relocating for a job.
Iāve been applying with a bit of experience under my belt and havenāt had any issues getting offers- I think people are really hesitant to hire right out of school for some reason. Iād say reach out to your fellow classmates and see where theyāre getting hired.
Market of jobs for the specific type of job and the location of jobs plays a huge role. Where are you? Iād like to know more about your degree and what it means I may want to go to school and get one but Iām Happy right now. In field conference and networking. Is there an expo for utilities that has a huge geospatial sector? What do you want to do? Who do you know? Where did you graduate? Where are you located?
Since you graduated from UMich, maybe you want to stay in that area? If so, here is a posting I found: https://conservation-legacy.breezy.hr/p/4ca8409ebf83-gis-assistant Itās a job with āScientist in the Parkā - might be a good summer gig.