Am I going about applying for Project Engineer jobs the wrong way?

[u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418]

I’m graduating in December and looking for a Project Engineer or APM position with a larger GC ($300M+ annual volume), preferably in OKC.
I’ve been told by several people in other Reddit discussions that I have a strong resume for an entry-level position.
I’ve applied to around 10–15 companies, mostly through their websites, and followed up with recruiters when possible. I’ve gotten a couple of interviews, but I’m wondering if there’s a better approach.
Should I keep applying directly through company websites, reach out to hiring managers, or start using recruiting firms like GPAC?
Just curious what’s worked best for others in the industry.

[u/lama_del_jay]

Need contacts to company or experience. Anyone with 1 year gc or internship experience can get entry level job jn construction gc easily. But this is for bigger cities. Unsure about okc. Ability to move will also help get foot in the door and get experience.

[u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418 → u/lama_del_jay]

Yeah my resume has 2 internships on it, around 9 months total of internship. 1 full time and 1 20 hours a week. Do you think it would be productive to call about the process from companies that I haven’t heard rejections or anything back from?

[u/generalcontractorla]

Are you going to school in OKC? If you are, I would look up the local industry affiliations and attend some events to network. You will find someone who works at a company that is hiring.

Some of those groups also have a specific young professionals group which is also a good group to connect with.

And are you getting a construction management company or civil degree? Alumni groups are also a great group to tap into.

[u/1rishChicken]

Do local OKC GC's not recruit directly from your school with the school arranging interview days on campus?

[u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418 → u/1rishChicken]

I’m not at a school that offers CM, I am getting that degree from an online school while getting business degree. I’m also not in the okc area, I plan on relocating upon graduation.

[u/TaborSpartan95 → u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418]

Oklahoma State has a great CM program, you need to go to their job fair and make connections there.

[u/TaborSpartan95]

I have a CM degree but went Active Duty Army for 7 years before entering the civilian job market so I can only tell you what worked for me then and since.

1. Most

external

1. recruiters don’t mess with new grads, there’s no money in that market. Recruiters are great for experienced job seekers and I’ve had success with GPAC and others.
2. You are limiting yourself by looking at OKC, it’s not a huge market and small to mid size GC’s either don’t hire new grads or if they do don’t have great training programs.

3. Most large GC’s now have internal recruiters so they don’t have to pay the fees of recruiters like GPAC. Get onto LinkedIn, find those internal recruiters and start engaging with them directly. They will still probably ask you to apply through their hiring portal but will be able to grab you out of the stack and put you in front of a hiring manager directly.

4. Ultimately it’s about timing and opportunity. You are looking and now you need to find a GC who has a need that matches up. Big projects are the key here because most GC’s, even the biggest, need external new hires to staff new large scale projects.

Be happy to answer any other questions you might have.

[u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418 → u/TaborSpartan95]

Thank you I appreciate that, I have had a linked in but haven’t used it for this process, I’ve had my applications pending for about 2 1/2 weeks now, I was going to reach out via phone call. Do you think that’s a smart thing to do?

[u/TaborSpartan95 → u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418]

Okay, two and a half weeks is not a lot of time and they may be busy trying to fill more critical positions. Find the internal recruiters for those companies on LinkedIn, connect with them and start engaging via messaging. Or email them directly if you have those. They can pull your file out of the digital pile and put it in front of the hiring managers.

[u/Acrobatic_Ant_1418 → u/TaborSpartan95]

Okay perfect thank you for that advice. I definitely understand 2 1/2 weeks not being a lot through my internships but it feels like it’s been months to me just cause it’s crucial for my future plans. Also thank you for your service.

[u/KeyAerie6369]

Fifteen companies is a small sample for OKC GCs. My PE search stalled until I messaged superintendents directly. Widen the career-site list, and Simple Apply sorts each Gc posting by match.

Then put the saved evenings into asking those supers for coffee