Engineering talent is a valuable investment for your firm. Whether you’re looking for a specialist to work with computers, automobiles, or mechanical systems, you want someone with well-honed skills and deep experience.
It’s a great time to be an engineer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are expected to be nearly 140,000 new engineering jobs between 2016 and 2026. Unfortunately, this increasing demand makes it harder for companies, who must work hard to compete in wooing qualified engineers.
By creating a smart strategy, you can distinguish yourself from your competitors and attract top talent. These steps are an important part of that strategy.
1. Develop an Engaging Brand
Branding isn’t just a technique used to attract customers; it can also make you more appealing as an employer. Just like a consumer brand, your employer brand is a culmination of all the factors that make your business unique from an employee’s perspective.
Think about the kind of atmosphere you create for your team members. Do you have a company culture that champions communication and creativity? Let your candidates know by sharing information about the specific practices that make your company unique—whether it be brainstorming sessions, team building activities, incentives, opportunities for continuing education, etc.
Engineers will be looking for employers that demonstrate a strong level of trust and respect for employees. No one likes to be micromanaged, so show candidates how they’ll be given the freedom to do their work their way.
Remember, your employer brand stands out in more than just your job descriptions. You can add employees’ stories to your website where candidates can learn what it’s like to work with you or post pictures of employee activities or awards on your social media accounts. You can also showcase your engineering opportunities through local industry events.
2. Give Talent a Purpose
Engineers are critical thinkers with a creative flair. These professionals love challenging themselves to tackle new projects and overcome common problems. However, they also want to know that the work they’re putting in has benefits in the long term.
Employees in the modern world aren’t just looking for great salaries and benefits. They’re also on the hunt for a purpose. With that in mind, show them what they’re going to be doing at your company and why. In your job description, write about the kind of challenges your engineers have solved in the past and the impact they have had—not just on your bottom line but on the world around you.
3. Think of Benefits Beyond Salary
A competitive salary is a must-have if you want to attract the best engineering talent, but it’s not the only concern you’ll need to think about.
When you’re trying to connect with employees that do well in a fast-paced and challenging environment, you need to consider the benefits you can offer beyond cash. For instance, could you give your employees the opportunity to work alongside leading mentors in their field, so they can eventually be promoted to a higher position?
If you’re a forward-thinking company, you might be able to offer your new engineers training and educational benefits. This gives them a chance to expand their skills and accomplish new things in their career while they’re still working with you.
Offering training and education is a great way to set your company apart from the competition when reaching new talent. However, it’s also a good investment in the future abilities of your team. The more skills your employees have, the better.
4. Be Flexible
Since engineers are in high demand, you’ll need to think out of the box for engineer recruitment. With that in mind, it’s important to be realistic about what you can expect to accomplish with your hiring goals.
If you find an engineer who has 80% of the skills you want and shares your business’s values and expectations, it may be worth hiring now rather than waiting for a 100% skill match. You can always provide additional training to help them achieve that missing 20%. Being hyper-focused on finding the perfect candidate can mean you end up wasting time searching for something that’s not available.
Once you’ve found a potential engineer for your role, make sure that you close the hire as quickly as you can. Remember that competing companies are looking for the same talent as you are. The last thing you need is for someone to hire your candidate before you can.
5. Work with a Specialized Recruiter
Regardless of what kind of engineering professional you’re looking for, a leading engineering recruiter like PrincePerelson can help. We have deep networks in Utah’s tech industries and can find the right engineer for your unique business culture, even connecting you with candidates who can’t be found through traditional channels.
Our group of specialized recruiters knows the engineering landscape intimately and can fill positions in various industries – including oil and gas, renewable resources, food manufacturing, software, construction, mining, manufacturing, aerospace and defense, and medical devices.
Top engineers can transform your business. Don’t make the mistake of losing the best candidates to the competition.
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Finding the right engineer for your company is challenging. The demand for engineering talent is high, so is the competition. If you want to join the crowd and woo qualified engineers, you need smart strategies that will aid you in attracting top talent. Take a look at these valuable steps that you should take.
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