I'm a new-grad hardware engineer. How do I find a job?
Hi,
Lately a few newly graduated engineers have asked me, "How can I find a job?" So that the answer reaches more people, I've collected my humble suggestions in this post. If you have advice of your own on this, please add it.
First of all, not finding a job may not be 100% about you, and that's worth assessing honestly. The industry is going through a financial squeeze right now: even experienced people are either struggling to find work or staying on in low-paid roles. Companies don't want to take on hardware work, because the quality of engineers in hardware design has declined and because of the customs and cost problems behind that. At this point, the following steps can help.
1. Learn software
In Turkey, knowing only hardware means your job search starts out aimed at large corporations. But if the goal is to find a job, we can't stop there. Adding at least C/C++ gives us an advantage: we can find a role at a start-up that fits a real need. You'll run into the harder parts of software there, but keep working without giving up. Learning is relatively easier now, especially with AI tools. Software is a bottomless well, but it's our responsibility to train ourselves at least to the level of a "candidate engineer".
2. Build a strong portfolio
The message we want to leave in the employer's mind is:
"This is what I managed to build with what I had. I'll do much more at your company. Trust me!"
But it matters a great deal that this has a foundation behind it. "Sure, I can do that" on its own won't cut it. When you go to an interview, if the setting allows, present your portfolio document. In it, explain which engineering decisions you made and why. The quality of your documentation will also make you look far more professional.
3. Don't draw the same boards again and again
Take one more step forward every time. For example, when building a PCB portfolio, never use ready-made modules. If you're going to use an MPU6050, integrate it directly into your board. You can even desolder it from a ready-made module and solder it onto your own board. But never attach the module with a 2.54 mm header; it doesn't make a good impression.
Following on from that: if you're working on a portfolio, don't keep redrawing the same ESP32 or STM32 board with different sensors. Work on high-speed data lanes instead. Do PCB designs with high-speed differential pairs such as MIPI CSI, DSI and Ethernet, and learn the theory behind these and similar protocols properly.
For example, when someone asks you to explain CAN bus, don't stop at "There's a transceiver, I know that". Know the recessive and dominant states, the voltage levels the bus works at, and why the line impedance is 120 ohms. You should be able to defend what you know with confidence.
4. Approach the job search like an engineer
Looking for a job can be demoralising, especially when money is tight. But being engineers gives us these responsibilities:
- identify the problem
- produce a solution
Take the question "Why is nobody viewing my CV?" Today there are AI-powered CV screening bots, so we should prepare our CV to suit them: it should contain the right keywords.
Or if we're saying "My portfolio is too weak", we should find the money and try to design new boards. For a cheap start, for example, we can build an ESP32 board. Then, instead of using a ready-made ESP32 module, we can design the module ourselves and learn techniques such as castellated holes.
In short, this and many other problems can be stripped of emotion and turned into steps whose output is measurable and which bring a concrete benefit once done.
5. Develop an open-source project
The aim here is to:
- show that we've mastered version control
- prove that we know engineering culture
Most employers use tools such as Git and Jira, and knowing them well makes us look good. Build an open-source board with a clean Git structure, including a changelog and a README, and share it.
But don't stop there. When you use Git, you should also understand why branches exist and what the difference between rebase and merge is.
6. Study lots of circuits
Electronic design is largely about understanding patterns. Study in detail which ICs were used in schematics, PCB layouts and power designs, and why.
For example, plenty of notebook, phone and server schematics have leaked onto the internet. Compare your own schematics with those of the engineers who designed them, and adopt their strengths. You'll discover a few new ICs along the way.
"Hmm, the inputs are on the left and the harness designs on the right. Mine are scattered everywhere. I should fix that!"
7. Don't take the easy way out
Using Atollic, Keil or CubeIDE just because they're convenient limits your growth in build automation and software. As an alternative:
- Download the ARM compiler yourself.
- Write a Makefile for the STM32.
- Then learn CMake to automate it.
Even if you go back to CubeIDE after these steps, you'll know how it works underneath.
8. Use Linux
You don't have to use Linux all the time, but it's worth at least setting up a virtual machine and learning Bash and shell commands. With steps like these, we try to shape our career like a "T": the deep stem of the T is our hardware knowledge, and the horizontal bar is our breadth in software topics like these.
9. Aim for quality
- When you need PCBs made, don't fiddle with acetate or coated paper at home: work with the professional Chinese manufacturers that are now around every corner.
- Where possible, source your parts from abroad, from their original manufacturers.
- Don't limit yourself to what's sold in Turkey. For example, don't still reach for an AMS1117 in 2025; there are far more efficient LDOs.
- On the software side, read a lot of code and write a lot of code to develop your own style.
- Put your code under version control from the very beginning.
- Make regular, high-quality work a habit. Even if you work alone, hold yourself to professional standards as an engineer.
- Even as a student, try to do work that's close to professional.
- If you aren't sending boards to production periodically, ask yourself why.
10. Solder it yourself! Learn rework, and invest in your craft
- When you bring up the first sample boards, there may be mistakes; that's the nature of the design process. Sometimes you'll need to cut traces, add a missing connection with enamelled wire, or hook an oscilloscope to an MCU pin that has no test point.
- You're the one who'll be doing this until the board works with all its features. Having this hands-on skill sets you apart from ordinary engineers.
- By running into the design problems that could show up in serial production ahead of time, you can solve them early. For example: "I barely managed to solder this connector with my 70 W iron. I'd better add thermal relief here."
- If you try and still can't make good joints, your technique or your station is probably wrong. Researching this and buying a suitable iron for your lab, and a microscope for small parts, is an investment in your work.
- This equipment will pay for itself quickly, so don't think of it as an unnecessary expense. As the Turkish saying goes, "the tool does the work, the hand takes the credit."
11. Be proactive
I'm not saying pester people with messages, but every engineer I've ever asked a technical question or for advice has taken the time to help. Discover this culture, and don't hesitate to reach out and ask questions within the bounds of courtesy.
Your network matters a great deal, and a mentor who can guide you may be just an email away. Holding back from asking only works against you.
Once you've found a job and your career moves on, help others in turn! Everyone should have someone to show them the way, and nobody who wants to know and learn should be left in the dark. That's the only way we move forward together.
If we do these things, we can at least improve our chances of finding a job.
Good luck, everyone! 🚀