How to Get Hired at a World-Class Engineering Firm

I have to get this off my chest; I don't want it to come off mean, but I hope this becomes a resource for engineering students or graduates who need help understanding the "mysteries" behind the doors of an engineering firm.

My engineering and tech firm, Engineering Express, is (in my opinion) one of the best and brightest in the industry. Obviously we didn't become that in a day, but we have worked tirelessly to get it there.

It all boils down to people. People are like the gears and equipment that keep a car moving; if you've got just a tire and a steering wheel you don't have a car that will go anywhere. But if you can get the other pieces and parts and put it all together, you can everything move--the people make it all happen. In regards to our own people at EX, we want and expect certain qualities. We need job skills, work attitudes, and personalities that will help us continue our vision and carry on our legend.

Job Skills

Job applicants to an engineering and design firm like Engineering Express should really analyze their skills and compare them to those required for the job. Do your research on the company interviewing you; look at their website, Facebook, Twitter, or other pages. Take an interest in what they do before you even get to their office. If you feel like you can't find an interest, you're probably at the wrong office. Also, your previous jobs, even if very different, may have given you skills that prove helpful. For example, a person with experience as a contractor may have the ability to be a great value-engineer or an inspector. Make note of these qualifications in your job interview, and relate some ideas on how you would utilize those skills to make your future employers profitable.

Problem-Solving Skills

Being able to solve problems is probably the most important skill an engineer will ever have, period. Don't be intimidated by problems--they're really opportunities. When you begin to formulate your own theories they will take on a life of their own and you can find a passion for finding the best solution. Think of your own experience in terms of how you solved problems. Then, relate those problem-solving skills to the engineering design job that you want.

Communication Skills

Any efficient design, engineering, and technology firm needs effective communications to run smoothly. It's a very simple thought, but one that can present the biggest downfall for engineering firms due to the complexity and real-time changes that occur every day in every active construction project they have on the books. The "Engineer Version 2.0" must streamline the data stream from each project, determine the next plan of action, and continually process and manage project information thereafter. His life literally depends on it. My firm does a great job of tracking projects and continuously synchronizing all the information that goes along with the 50,000+ every year. On the interview side, we can see whether the applicant can communicate effectively in their letter of introduction, cover letter, resume, and of course the interview. Successful applicants use these tools to show how their skills and qualifications will carry over into our firm.

Teamwork

Teamwork is just the ability to get along well with the people you have to work with every day; not just your co-workers, but also your current or prospective clients. You have to be able to put your team's needs above your own at times, and then take direction and criticism if needed. You can only get better if you know you're not good enough, and an employee who is skilled, but too argumentative or too sensitive, can stand in the way of his own and the company's success.

Dedication

Any design and engineering firm needs workers who are willing to put in the extra effort it takes to satisfy a customer, get training if needed, and essentially just be honest and dependable.

Personality and Life Skills

I love having co-workers that know themselves, can express their personality, and are comfortable with change. I also feel that my current colleagues manage their lives well enough that their personal problems don't interfere with our work. It's not that I expect them to have perfect situations – life sucks sometimes with finances or personal challenges – but it's that they handle it before it affects their work performance.

Attitude

I can't say enough about how important it is for me to work with people that have a positive work attitude. We all put extra effort into our jobs and focus on the good in pretty much any situation.

Employability Skills

To sum it all up, I would call the most important skills "employability skills" where you can:

• Adapt to changing demands of a job
  
• Be accurate
  
• Be creative and innovative
  
• Be flexible
  
• Concentrate on several parts of a job at once
  
• Not prevent me from finishing my own tasks
  
• Plan and organize work
  
• Stick with a task and keep busy

My firm generally looks for all of the above, with consideration to the fact we’re all human so it’s not fair to completely preclude someone for anything. We take a look at as many prospective hires as we can, and try to use a benchmark for particular positions to judge how an applicant would handle the work (something that generally includes a typical drawing and some calculations) . Once we agree on a good benchmark for the new prospects we then apply a uniform standard to certain capabilities and make a well-informed decision.

Long story short: my perfect job applicant needs to come to an interview ON TIME with at least a minimal grasp of what we’re doing, perform a job himself even if it takes all day, and ideally I would repeat the process with several applicants. At least in this economy, time is on the employer's side and nobody ever wants to settle. We all work better through personal synergy, and it shouldn't be at risk for just any hire. The market is in an employer's favor anyway, so they will always hold out for the best they can get that will still be here alongside them in the years to come.