Why I Love Working with Engineers
I’ve been recruiting Engineers around the world for a few years now, and so I think I have a fairly good understanding of how engineers perceive their careers and the type of decisions that underpin their choices when moving forward in their careers.
I work with Mechanical Engineers, highly skilled and trained who work with rotating machinery (pumps, compressors, turbines and others) in Oil & Gas, Power and Water markets.
I have great respect for an engineering mind and enjoy working to support their career growth. I have come to recognise similar traits within the industry that define decisions in career development.
Granted, I’m making some general statements as not everyone is the same. But there are definitely recognised similarities – enough for me to talk about today.
9 things I’ve learnt about Engineers and how these relate to recruitment process:
- You know how to get the job done and, most importantly, you care about what you do. It’s not just a job to you. Of course there are those who are in it for the money, but usually most are motivated by new challenges, new learning experiences and increased responsibilities.
So our first question in the recruitment process is generally not about the money. It will be about the name of the company and the future career growth options. After discussions about the role you’ll ask about the salary package to ensure that it’s relative to what you currently earn.
- You are driven to succeed, but not at a cost of the standard of product.
Being driven to succeed makes you a good passive candidate. You’re generally open to discussing new opportunities, but a lengthy process may follow to convert to placement.
- You generally don’t overstate your knowledge or experience. If you haven’t the necessary experience for the role, you’ll generally say so. You’re not one who enlarges on your capacity to handle something that you can’t.
This makes you a good candidate because there is an openness to our discussion. There is a level of trust developed between us. When a candidate presents a CV with omissions or discrepancies, I am on alert and ready to stop the process.
- You are particular about your job applications, wanting to dot all I’s and cross every t’s.
Generally you’re willing to reconfigure your CV to suit the application because you want everything to be correct. Sometimes there is relevant additional experience that you’ve omitted and needs adding.
- Your application process is similar to your approach to life – thorough and methodical.
This means that you’re generally not interested in hurrying an application process. If you can’t make a meeting this week then in a weeks time after you’ve completed your traveling commitments is OK.
- You are practical and goal oriented – driven by wanting to improve something or create something to solve a problem.
So there is a great need for the role to be challenging and to lead on to something better. You’re not interested in side steps unless it’s to a company you definitely want to be part of.
- You’re not generally interested in moving out of your comfort zone.
You prefer to remain in a familiar role than take a risk transferring skills somewhere else in the same industry.
- You’re a committed person and won’t necessarily sway from your plan – even if you have a great offer.
So it is essential in the recruitment process to ensure that the role is enticing to you right from the beginning of the process. If not, it will save time to pass on it and wait for the ‘right’ role for you.
- If offered a role that provides options for increased learning – you’re interested.
Underpinning your career goals and aspirations is a genuine desire to achieve more experience in your chosen industry.
Is there anything else that I have forgotten? Do you agree?
Let me hear your thoughts.
