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Engineering is a competitive market for those looking to make good-quality hires, and design managers do not always have the time and resources to dedicate to a long and detailed recruitment process alongside their myriad other responsibilities. However, by adjusting your recruitment efforts to the specific needs of the engineering jobs market and the expectations of talented candidates, you can make the most efficient use of the resources you have and improve the overall quality and retention rates of the people you hire.
Because of how rapidly the labour market shifts and changes, tailoring your recruitment effectively must be an ongoing process. Thankfully, once the process is targeted properly it becomes much simpler to adapt and stay current, without the need to implement complete overhauls to follow the latest trends. Here, the engineering recruitment experts at Employment Solutions explain how they approach hiring in this competitive sector, and the lessons in-house recruiters can take from their success.
Think about your ideal candidate
At the earliest stages of the hiring process, you can tailor your recruitment for the engineering jobs market by targeting your job listings effectively. In part, this means making sure everyone involved in the recruitment process fully understands the scope of the role you are hiring for. The scope of engineering, the variety of disciplines it involves and the varying needs of different projects can mean that, while two opportunities might sound similar on paper, they might require engineers with vastly different combinations of skills to fulfil the duties of the role effectively.
It should go without saying that you should make sure you are targeting engineers with the right skills, but while a design manager or other technical expert might find this relatively straightforward, those without industry-specific knowledge - such as HR representatives or others involved in the recruitment process - might need to be brought up to speed. Creating a specific and detailed profile of your ideal candidate can help you to align stakeholders throughout the recruitment process, and to target your advertising for the role more precisely.
Target job listings
Once you understand what your ideal candidate needs, think about what they might be looking for in a new role, and consider how you can demonstrate that your business is best placed to provide for their needs.
One of the most important skills an engineer should have is problem-solving, and talented engineers are attracted to opportunities where they will be encouraged to stretch themselves, test their skills and bring creative solutions. If you advertise the role you need to fill not only in terms of the general responsibilities and duties, but in terms of the specific kinds of engineering challenges a new hire will face, this can be a valuable way to get candidates who fit your ideal profile interested in applying.
If you have the time, you can also research the offerings other businesses at your level are making, in terms of salary, benefits, and any sign-on bonuses. In some cases, engineers may be willing to take a lower offer because they share your company’s values, or in exchange for better career opportunities that you are offering, but on the other hand, if your starting salary offer is as competitive as possible within your sector, it goes without saying that you will improve your chances of hiring the most talented candidates.
Work with a recruiter
If you are working with a recruiter, they may be able to help you create this type of candidate profile and maintain clear goals for your new hires. Wherever possible, you should try to work with recruiters with industry expertise and knowledge. Not only can this make it easier to communicate your needs, but a sector recruiter will have much more knowledge of the specifics when it comes to hiring in your industry, from the types of job listings that are drawing in the best candidates to the kinds of benefits or salary you might need to offer to make your dream hire.
Employment Solutions is a specialist engineering sector recruitment firm, which means that we have significant experience in targeting engineers and an existing talent pool that can help us to match applicants to jobs more quickly and efficiently. We understand the specific challenges of the engineering sector and can therefore identify talented candidates who match your criteria quickly and easily.
Call our team on 0161 839 5353, or complete the contact form on this page to request a callback.