There are over 1.6 million engineers in the United States alone.
That’s a lot of people to consider when you need to hire engineers for your company or even just a short-term project.
So, how do you go about finding the perfect engineer for the job? Fortunately, it’s easier than you think by following a few simple steps.
Keep reading to find out exactly how to hire an engineer.
Know What You Need
Before you can jump into hiring an engineer, you need to know what you need. After all, not every engineer is going to be an ideal fit for the position you’re trying to fill.
Here are a few things to consider before looking for engineers to hire:
Type of Engineer
There are six basic types of engineers:
- Aerospace Engineering
- Civil Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Electrical Engineering
- Mechanical Engineering
- Petroleum Engineering
Within these, there are numerous other specialties to consider. As you can imagine, hiring a chemical engineer for an electrical issue probably wouldn’t be the best move.
Length of Position
Whether the position is a full-time, permanent position or a part-time, temporary position will make a difference when hiring engineers. You need to make sure your needs are made clear to candidates so there’s no confusion later in the hiring process.
Environmental Concerns
As with all corporations, yours has a responsibility to do what it can to protect the environment. Every person you bring into the company should be aware of what your environmental policies are so they can withhold them.
This is particularly true if you’re bringing in an engineer to help with any project that could impact the environment. You want to know for sure they’re prepared to help your company with your responsibility.
Fits Your Brand
Your brand has a unique identity that goes with the overall environment of your company. When hiring an engineer – especially for a permanent position – you need to make sure they fit with your brand.
Hiring someone that has a personality or beliefs that don’t match your brand could make the time you spend working with them extremely difficult. For that reason, you should have some ideas in mind before hiring as to what type of person you want to fill the open position.
Locate Candidates
Once you have everything in mind, you can start going out and locating candidates. Although you could certainly place an ad in the classifieds if you wanted, there are more opportunities to hire people online today.
In addition to job search websites, there are also sites like this company that specializes in engineers. You can put in details about your project or job position and you’ll get quotes from engineers who are looking for work.
It’s a quick and painless way to ensure that every person that sees your listing is an engineer. This can also give you a better pool of people to choose from right from the beginning.
Attracting Engineers to Your Company
As you’re reaching out to potential engineers, you want your company to stand out. After all, you’re probably not the only option they have.
Here are a few ways you can make your business more attractive to engineers:
Tell Your Story
Every company has a story. You started somewhere and have grown from there. Engineers want to know that story and are apart of it.
Many engineers are introverted. One thing introverts love is being part of something important. So, when an introverted engineer sees that they can be a part of your company story, this is attractive to them.
Have a Competitive Salary
This should go without saying, but if you want to hire an engineer, you need to make sure you have a competitive salary. There’s no reason to pay twice what everybody else is paying, but offering slightly more than average will help you draw in higher-level engineers that are worth the investment.
Offer Benefits
In addition to salary, what else are you offering an engineer? Things like paid vacations, great insurance plans, and opportunities to advance are all things that can make your opening the best to a job-seeking engineer.
Hire Engineers
The final step in the process is to actually hire the engineers that you need for your project or company. If you’ve followed everything closely, then this should be the easiest part of the process for you.
By knowing what you need from an engineer, you’ll be able to narrow down candidates before they even enter into the interview process. Many that don’t qualify may not even apply so you’ll save time going through resumes.
When you set your company up to be an attractive place to work, you’ll have better options for hiring. High-quality engineers are eager to work for a company that clearly offers what they’re looking for.
Here is a quick look at what the hiring process should look like:
Place an Ad
As we mentioned before, you need to include as much information in your ad as possible to attract the right person for your position. At the same time, you want to avoid it being so long that people don’t read it.
Screen Applicants
Once you start getting applicants, you can screen them based on their resume. If you’re not interested in hiring someone, politely let them know so they can continue searching for a job.
Interview Potential Hires
Those that appear great on paper can then be interviewed. This is your chance to get to know potential hires better and feel out if they’re right for the position.
Make Final Decision
After you’ve interviewed as many engineers as you’d like, you can make your final decision. While your personal opinion of the applicant should be considered, your professional opinion is the most important in this situation.
Want Green Business Tips?
Now you know how to hire engineers for your business. Whether or not it’s for a green project, we hope your business works hard as leaving as little of a carbon footprint as possible.
If you want to learn more about how to limit your company’s impact on the environment, you can check out our blog. There, you’ll find plenty of information to help you make your business greener.
