Engineers are highly skilled and highly sought-after professionals. They’re responsible for everything from infrastructure to car manufacturing, making the planes in the sky and the phone in your pocket. But in an ever-more competitive job market and AI and machine learning encroaching on entry-level jobs, what is the best way of becoming an engineer, or advancing your career by getting your next engineer job?
Engineers should consider brushing up on some skills that will help you remain employable, and increase your likelihood of getting a new job in the future. VHR outlines 5 ways to make yourself more employable as an engineer.
How to Get A Job as An Engineer
1. Have A Strong CV
First and foremost, your CV must be strong if you want to be hired as an engineer. Your most up-to-date roles and projects will show what you’re capable of and whether you’re suitable for the role. Your level of education is also important, as well as when you were educated.
Engineering innovations are being developed all the time, so demonstrating you’ve kept up with the industry and learnt new skills is vital to getting an engineering job. A good CV will highlight why you’re perfect for the role and is the first step to landing your dream engineering job.
2. Smart Dress
Next, when you do have an interview, give the best impression of yourself that you can. This usually translates to dressing smartly. You might believe your qualifications speak for themselves, that your projects are impressive and that your skills align perfectly with what your interviewer is looking for. You might be right.
But if you’re not dressed smartly, and someone else comes in looking more professional than you, it will significantly damage your chances of getting the job – first impressions are instant and hard to change. Whilst in your current engineering job you might wear work uniforms or more casual clothing, investing in appropriate interview clothing will go a long way towards helping you get a job as an engineer.
3. Design Skills
Depending on what type of engineering you work in, and what degree or training you received, you may not be as confident a designer as you could be. Maybe you’ve never done any design work. However, you can always learn and improve.
Design doesn’t require you to be a great artist, or to reinvent the wheel. Just taking some time to think about what you’re working on and whether it could be improved either mechanically or aesthetically can lead to huge improvements. This kind of proactive thinking will set you apart from your colleagues and is worth including on your CV and mentioning in interviews.
4. Writing
Next on the list of how to get a job as an engineer is your writing skills. Communication is one of the top soft skills you can have as a candidate. Written communication especially is becoming more prevalent, as all businesses seek to get their content on the web. Writing can help you with reports and presentations, and on your CV it will help you communicate the complexities of your skills and experience in a simple way.
5. Coding
Many engineers will know code to some degree. Some will be fluent in most languages and others will only know simple commands. Whatever your knowledge of coding, it is becoming increasingly important in engineering, as the Internet of Things progresses and everyday items becoming connected to larger and larger networks. As apps that control our TVs, speakers and even heating systems become more prevalent, engineers may be expected to code as well as build. Even if you don’t need to code at your current position, it’s worth brushing up on your skills, and maybe taking an online course so you aren’t left behind.
6. Maintaining a Good LinkedIn Profile
LinkedIn has revolutionised the way we look for jobs. Maintaining a good profile, with an image, a large amount of connections and sharing relevant and interesting content will really help you stand apart from other candidates. Your potential employers will definitely look at your profile, so invest some time into cleaning it up and writing about what you do. You can also use LinkedIn to look for new engineering jobs.
7. Using a Recruitment Agency
Last on the list of how to get a job as an engineer is using an engineering recruitment agency. Above all, if you’re serious about getting a job as an engineer and moving up the career ladder, consider using a technical recruitment specialist.
Engineering and technical recruiters will have the most exclusive jobs and insider insight into how the industry works and how you can capitalise on your skills and experience. Engineering recruitment consultants know your industry as well as you do and will want to deliver the very best results for you. A good contact at a technical recruitment agency could set you up for all future positions and is a valuable relationship to build.
Read this if you’re not sure if you should quit your job, read this to learn what to include in your CV to make you more employable, and then click here to see our top engineering jobs.
