In today’s economy, many engineering companies are taking a hard look at their budgets, activities, and personnel. While they need to keep their expenditures in line with their reduced revenues, they must retain qualified engineers to remain competitive in their industry. Because of the surplus of engineers either out of work or looking for work, employers have the luxury of being extremely selective when looking for new personnel.
This “buyer’s market” means engineers who are looking for a new position have to put more effort into proving to employers that they not just qualified for the job, but that they are the best person for the job out of a wide field of potential applicants.
The Engineering Job Search Project
Engineers have to take a different approach to their job search in this current market than in previous years. In is no longer enough to simply send out resumes in response to ads found in the newspapers. Engineers need to approach the job search process in the same way they do an engineering project: by setting goals, laying out a work plan, and evaluating progress throughout the search process.
By creating a job search process that is analogous to the engineering project process, engineers can be comfortable in their job search and do what needs to be done to find the right job at the right company for them.
Defining the Engineering Job Search Tasks
By approaching the job search process using the same methodologies as an engineering project, engineers can draw on their unique strengths to succeed and finding the right job at the right company. The engineering job search process consists of the following tasks:
- Define the Project Objectives - What is the overall goal or end result of the project? Of course part of the engineering job search objective is to find employment, but an optimal job will have other requirements in terms of location, salary, job description, etc.
- Create a Project Schedule - Every project needs a schedule so that the engineer can ensure that the project moves along at a reasonable rate towards the eventual project objectives.
- Conduct Preliminary Research - An engineer needs to understand the background of a problem, related research, existing technology, and so on, in order to present an innovative solution to a problem. During this task, the engineer will gain an understanding of the industry he's looking to enter, individual companies that he is interested in, and specific requirements or skills that these companies may be looking for in potential candidates.
- Review Qualifications - An engineering team needs to have the right qualifications to approach a design problem. By creating a targeted resume, the engineer can highlight his particular skills and how they apply to each individual company that he is reviewing.
- Networking - Networking may not be something that many engineers enjoy or look forward to. However, it's an absolutely crucial portion of the today's job search process. However, there are technology tools available that engineers may find more palatable than traditional networking activities.
- Interviewing - As with any engineering project, an engineer has to communicate his ideas and solutions effectively in order to move the project forward. The interview is where the engineer can truly show how he can be a solution to a company.
- Iterate and Follow Up - By reviewing the success of each of the previous tasks, each of the processes can be optimized by the engineer to increase the probability of success during the next iteration.
Engineers who may be intimidated by the job search process can gain a degree of confidence by envisioning the process as they would any other project they would tackle.
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