Recruiting Engineering Staff Best Practices- Our 5 Tips

In the past ten years, technology and compliance, have significantly changed the recruitment process. Additionally, skilled candidates’ desire for change is being further fuelled by the uncertainties brought on by recent events. Such as the Covid 19 pandemic, Brexit and the current inflation crisis. Economists are calling this the great resignation. People are taking stock of their life, and leaving their current positions for better roles that suit their lifestyle needs. All this added together has made the process for recruiting engineering staff difficult.

According to Engineers Ireland, 79% of engineering firms in Ireland planned to grow in 2021–2022. Here at STEM Recruitment Partners, we agree with these numbers based on job orders from our clientele; there hasn’t been a slowdown quite the opposite!

However, one of the biggest barriers companies report when scaling their business is finding and recruiting suitable qualified engineers. Ranging from Graduate to Senior Engineering management level. According to Ibec, there is evidence of a skills gap with 83% of engineering organisations experiencing a shortage of critical skills.

Recruiting Engineering Staff How to Hire the Best Engineers: 5 Steps

Build An Employer Brand

The main focus of branding is how you present your business to prospective employees. Branding encompasses every touchpoint across all channels that a potential candidate may come into contact with. Not just a logo, colour scheme, or even a website. Your brand image is communicated by the deliberate self-promotional tactics you use, such as press releases and digital campaigns. The uncontrollable external conversation, like the reviews and criticism you encounter on indeed or Glass Door and how you handle it.

Companies will need to make a strong argument for why prospects should work for them in 2022 when recruiting for available positions. Building your employer brand entails communicating your philosophies and beliefs in a consistent, sincere manner. While also adjusting your message to meet the preferences and requirements of each type of applicant you hope to attract.

When looking to add millennials and Generation Z to your organisation what they value are social gatherings and nights out as business perks, they place a higher value on autonomy, the chance to be creative, and the ability to enjoy what they do.

Organizations that value employees as unique individuals with wants and needs, actively support diversity and inclusion, and have open and transparent processes appeal to younger prospects. Determine how your business fits into the contemporary working environment when recruiting engineering staff. Highlight the positive elements that go with it, and make sure these elements are successfully communicated.

Employers can enhance their brand perception by prominently highlighting employee case studies and benefits in recruiting ads. By focusing on each prospective audience segment on the channels where they are most likely to be found.

For instance, do your prospects participate in particular social media platforms, read particular trade journals or publications related to their business. Do they belong to particular networking organizations, or attend particular tradeshows or events?

Asking current employees for their opinions on the company’s culture and workplace dynamics can give managers insight into the perceptions that prospective employees may have of the company and suggest improvements that could be made to the employer brand.

Engage With Diverse Talent Pools When Recruiting Engineering Staff

Women make up only 12% of the engineering and life science work force in Ireland  one of the lowest in Europe and according to the Higher Education of Ireland only 23% of graduates from an engineering major are female. In comparison with India one in three engineering students are women.

According to a recent McKinsey study, businesses with high ratings for ethnic diversity outperform their competitors financially by 35%, while businesses with high ratings for gender diversity outperform them by 15%.

Companies that are inclusive and diverse are more successful at attracting and retaining talent from a variety of backgrounds, and they are better able to comprehend and engage their global client base.

Engineering enterprises must find methods to diversify for the sector to innovate, expand, and succeed in the future. A good place to start is by encouraging more young people from varied backgrounds to pursue careers in engineering.

Invest in Apprenticeships When Recruiting Engineering Staff

A growing number of students are choosing to be an apprentice after graduation because of rising education costs and increased competition in the labour market. Engineering is a particularly appropriate career choice because trainees can pick up practical knowledge and methods while working and can later specialize in particular fields after earning their degrees.

Potential engineers can be trained to the employer’s standards and have their talents exactly polished to the goals and objectives of the firm by participating in apprenticeships at the start of their careers.

Apprenticeships are essential for discovering the next generation of engineers as well as keeping them to continue adding value to the company’s operations for years to come. Investing in employee training and development has overwhelmingly strong correlations with worker retention.

Businesses might collaborate with nearby universities and schools to hire apprentices as early as possible. To increase awareness of the amazing variety of Engineering occupations that are accessible but that are typically not promoted in the educational system.

it is best to get in touch with young people before they even start to think about career options, ideally before the Leaving Cert cycle. Campaigns to recruit apprentices in schools could be coordinated with occasions in the outside world, such as International Women in Engineering Day, or Science Week to increase support from educational institutions and reach a wider range of young people.

Widen The Search to Include Other Sectors

The majority of technical career paths involve transferable skills that can be used in other industries that are similar. For instance, aircraft mechanics can upgrade their skills to become proficient in building wind turbines.

Highly skilled engineers will enjoy the same benefits across the technical sectors of aerospace, aviation, motorsport, automotive, and marine, including flexible working and shift patterns, the chance to travel, and career advancement. Thanks to online aviation training programs and government investments in the sector, it may be easier to pick up new skills and get certified.

Work with a Specialist Recruitment Company

Working with a recruitment firm that specializes in your sector can give you insight into the preferences, requirements, and circumstances of the talent you’re trying to acquire. Specialist recruitment consultants can help develop a vision of what would truly entice competent applicants into the organization. They can also develop a custom strategy to reach talent pools at different career stages.

Our Solutions

At STEM Recruitment Partners we specialise in Life Science & Engineering Recruitment. Our team have extensive experience (67 years combined) recruiting in the Irish Market. Reach out to the team here in STEM Recruitment Partners for the best advice and support in building your engineering teams contact us today.