Recruitment in the Engineering Sector
In today’s blog, we’ll look at recruitment in the engineering sector.
While manufacturing in particular employs 2.7 million people in the UK, 36% of vacancies are proving hard to fill, with one in ten taking over 12 months to find the right person for the job.
So, whether you’re looking to recruit for your vacant role, or are currently looking for the next step in your career- read on to find out how you can get the competitive advantage.
Engineering Overview
When you’re looking to fill a vacant position, your main priority is finding the right person for the job.
This might be straightforward for a simple industry or employer; however, this becomes more complex in a world which experiences rapid advancement and evolution.
That’s why recruitment in the engineering sector can be such a challenge.
Engineering and manufacturing cover a wide array of fields such as artificial intelligence (AI), biomedicals, renewables, and cybersecurity (to name just a few); while varied they share common challenges when recruiting.
The issues surrounding effective recruitment cover aspects such as the aging workforce within the sector, meaning many potential candidates are looking to reduce their hours or indeed retire entirely.
Conversely the younger generations, inspired by the glamour of high-tech industry, may also be deterred from applying for roles that they perceive may be low skilled, or low paid, and involving repetitive tasks or extensive use of machinery.
Challenges for those looking for jobs in the engineering sector are clearly going to be different.
While it’s a candidate-driven market, it’s not necessarily straightforward: with a rapidly evolving industry, required skillsets can change, causing the expertise of candidates to become outdated.
There’s also the fact that many roles require a level of experience which new graduates in particular won’t have.
So, what can you do to attract the best candidates for your vacant roles?
How can you be a leader of recruitment in the engineering sector?
And as someone looking for your next role, how can you rise above the other candidates?
Let’s find out.
Recruitment in the Engineering Sector - Top Tips
For Candidates
You need to put yourself above your competition; indeed, many people may have the same graduate qualifications as you.
So, what else can you do?
- Learn how to problem-solve. You need to be able to analyse complex problems and break them down into manageable chunks – then develop appropriate solutions.
- Crunch the data. Engineering is already data-driven and is set to become more so over time. You need to be able to extract meaningful insights from your data and use it to make informed decisions.
- Communicate! Engineering is technical, and while you may understand what you’re talking about, others may not. The ability to clearly and concisely express technical concepts to a variety of audiences is essential.
- Teamwork and Leadership: Engineering projects rarely involve working in your own silo. You need to be able to work as a team. As your role progresses, it’s possible that you may be asked to oversee projects – so leadership skills can also be a valuable asset.
- In an evolving industry such as engineering, you need to be able to demonstrate that you can not only adapt to change, but be open, willing and receptive to this change too.
- Attention to detail: as an engineering candidate you’ll know how accuracy and precision are crucial. You need to demonstrate a strong attention to detail and take responsibility for ensuring quality work.
For Employers
As an employer looking for new talent in the engineering sector, you want to find the best people before your competition does.
Here’s how you can get the edge.
Invest in your workforce
There is an obvious solution to the problem of finding eager and appropriate candidates.
Offer to pay them more – while there is indeed a greater value placed upon quality of life and the working environment, money still talks, and unfortunately life continues to revolve around it.
If you can’t offer a greater remuneration package, consider alternative financial rewards such as retention bonuses or other benefits.
Other opportunities include investing in workforce training and development, thus facilitating employees’ personal and professional growth and advancement within your company and the industry.
You also consider offering benefits such as flexible working hours, or hybrid or remote working.
Showcase your employment culture.
In a candidate-driven market such as engineering, you’ve got to show how your potential workplace is better than everyone else’s.
You can do this by…
- Sharing insights into the team environment, company events, etc
- Describing the company values and mission; explain what it’s like to work with you.
- Include testimonials from employees who can add a tangible detail to your promotional work.
Highlight the positives.
Engineers are passionate about solving problems – so show how their work can make a difference and highlight the real-world impact of the projects you’re working on.
This will drive enthusiasm for the role itself as well as the employer.
Leverage your socials.
Who would we be if we didn’t mention social media in this blog?
As a recruiter, look to use a professional platform like LinkedIn to target specific engineering candidates who have the skills you need.
You can also engage with the wider community using your corporate brand.
Engaging in relevant discussions and sharing insights will establish you as an industry leader, making you more desirable to work for.
Celebrate the wins.
Promote the achievements of your engineering teams on social media.
This will showcase the company’s commitment to employee growth, as well as demonstrate your value of effective employees, both of which help to attract top talent.
The Role of AI In Recruitment
Recruitment in the engineering sector may be challenging, however, it can be made easier.
Utilising AI for example, is one such strategy.
The world of AI is growing at an incredibly fast pace, with new software becoming available to automate the boring, time-consuming or difficult tasks that we do every day.
Leveraging these AI tools can free those carrying out recruitment in the engineering sector to focus on other tasks at hand…or just take a break!
Examples of AI tools include:
- Resume screening, which scan through resumes and CV’s, extract the relevant skills and experience, and rank the candidates according to pre-defined criteria. This allows recruiters to focus on the best possible candidates.
- Similarly, AI software can compare job descriptions and candidate profiles, in order to identify relevant skills and experience and, therefore, finding and recommending the best matches between the two.
- AI can identify potential candidates via social media platforms such as LinkedIn. By searching for keywords, skills or experience, recruiters can find hidden talent – who may not even be actively looking for a new role.
Conclusion
The field of engineering is an exciting place to be – with such a wide range of disciplines and constantly evolving technology, recruitment in the engineering sector can be as engaging as it is challenging.
While it’s a candidate-driven market, job seekers shouldn’t become complacent – it’s crucial that they learn or gain skills and characteristics that put them above their competition.
Likewise, those engaging in recruitment in the engineering sector need to be aware of how the industry is changing and developing, so that they can identify the top talent before their competition does.
