Your company wants to hire the best engineers possible. This doesn’t take rocket science to figure out. But outside of technical skills, how can you know what you should be looking for in engineering candidates? Turns out many of the skills that engineers have relate to other aspects of their job, such as project management, customer relationship building, and peer collaboration. There is more to the surface to explore.
As you evaluate the resumes of some of the engineers that come across your desk, be sure you are looking for these top-five skills to build your engineering team of the future.
Product knowledge.
Engineers today have to be subject matter experts. Therefore, when you are looking at engineering candidates, make sure you are considering those who have at least two-to-five years of direct product knowledge. This is important because your engineers will be explaining how products work and the value they bring to your clients. If they don’t understand things themselves, they won’t be able to effectively sell them to your clients.
Industry passion.
Saying the words ‘engineering’ and ‘passion’ in the same sentence seems pretty foreign, however the best engineers are extremely passionate about the work that they do. This includes the clients that they work with. Look for candidates who expressed this passion during the interview process. You want a mix of personality and skill in your engineers.
Career progression.
When evaluating engineering candidates for your company you want to look for those who have steadily progressed in their career. It’s easy to want to hire the new graduate fresh out of college, but it is more important to hire an engineer who has a few years under their belt. Look for engineers who have moved up the ladder by taking on increasingly difficult projects and whom have managed tough areas on their own.
Peer acknowledgment.
Engineers who are worth their salt have been endorsed by their peers. Visit the social media profiles of your engineering candidates and take a look at what some of their colleagues have said about their work. Ask your engineers for at least one or two additional professional references before considering them for a job.
Ongoing learning.
The best engineers know that the only way they will ever stay ahead of the curve is by being lifelong learners. Make sure you that you are hiring engineers who value learning and are willing to try new things. Provide valuable learning and work experiences at your company in order to create loyal employees. Look for engineers who have at least a bachelor’s degree and have gone after at least one or more engineering certifications.
