The Top Job Search Strategies for Engineers 

Use Your Network

When starting your job search, your first step should be reaching out to your network. Contacting members of your professional network is a great way to get referrals and find out about unposted jobs. Using this approach, you already have a “foot in the door” with a prospective employer due to an existing relationship with one of their employees. Many engineering professionals find jobs through their professional and personal connections.

Attend Conferences

For an engineer, conferences can be a great way to gain knowledge and possibly find their next job. By attending conferences, engineers not only meet peers but also prospective employers. Many engineering companies either sponsor or attend industry conferences. Make sure that if you do meet contacts at conferences to always follow-up with them by either email or LinkedIn.

Use Social Media

Today, social media is a driving force in the business world. Many employers and recruiters are present on social media, whether they are sharing company news or posting job openings. Come up with a list of several employers and recruiters that you are aware of and follow them on social media. The moment you see a job posting that interests you, reach out and make contact. When making contact, make sure that you have some posts on your social media account that show your industry knowledge or background.

Join Professional Associations

Within the engineering industry, there are many professional organizations that are very active. They host monthly meetings, hold happy hours, and lectures. Not only do these events provide networking opportunities, but many organizations also provide members with access to a directory of members and supporting businesses. These directories can be a great way to start making contacts to fuel your job search.

Reach Out to a Professional Recruiter

For an engineer, a relationship with a professional recruiter can be a significant advantage in their job search. When looking for a recruiter, make sure that they specialize in engineering roles. By doing this, you are assured to get an expert in your market who has the right connections and knowledge to help you find the perfect job.

Moving Forward

For engineers about to embark on a job search, it’s best to have some simple strategies on hand to help ensure success. Strategies that range from reaching out to your network to attending conferences can aid in your search. For additional help, consult a professional recruiter. At Open Systems, we are experts in the placement of engineering professionals. We have the relationships and market knowledge to help our engineering candidates find success. Contact us today to learn more!

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Moving Forward: Keep Learning and Growing

IT professionals should be utilizing a blend of training, certifications, and mentorship to reach their goals. While these actions require work, they are an investment in the future.

Training

Training is arguably more critical in the IT field than any other field given the pace at which technology changes. IT training can stem from both online and in-person training programs. It’s best to look for programs that will not only strengthen current skills but also broaden skill sets for future applications.  Additionally, learning new programming languages or hardware types is crucial. Technical training is not cheap. When deciding on which training to take, it’s best to think about the future and look at the skills that people in your desired job possess. Also, looking to trends is vital. For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a considerable force in IT so one should consider brushing up on data mining and analytics which are at the heart of AI.

Certifications

Depending on the role, certifications may be essential for some IT professionals. For example, for IT security professionals the CISSP and CISM are practically required for most positions. If an IT professional seeks a management position within the IT world a PMP (Program Management Professional) may be a worthwhile certification to obtain. While certifications are time-consuming and expensive, they can pay out in the long run. However, it’s important to note that preparing for certification exams is like any other test and people should stick with the method that works best for them and this can include lesser expensive tools such as books, podcasts, and YouTube videos.

Seek Out a Mentor

Professionals who seek out mentors do better than those who don’t. When looking for a mentor, it’s best to look for someone who occupies your desired future role. This formula allows for career modeling. Having a mentor also provides a professional with a great industry resource, one with whom they can confer on difficult situations. When looking for a mentor, keep in mind that many companies have in-place mentoring programs that will make a match and introduction among employees.

Keeping Up to Date on Industry Practices

In order to advance in IT, one must possess the most up-to-date industry knowledge possible. Attending industry conferences is a great way to stay connected to the latest developments in the industry and is also a great networking opportunity. In addition to industry conferences, spending some time reading publications and blogs can help sharpen any professional’s skills and keep them abreast of future trends.

Career Assessment – A Look Toward the Future

IT professionals must always know where they want to go in the future. Where do they see themselves in the next 5, 10, 15 years? In addition to regular promotions, consider lateral moves and possible industry transitions (going from retail to financial) in the future to maximize your possibilities.

Planning Ahead

When in doubt about outlining the path ahead, it’s a great idea to consult a professional recruiter.  Industry-specialized recruiters are well-positioned to see the future of your practice area. By sharing your career goals and objectives, recruiters can take your career path plan and set you on the right course for long-term success.

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Before starting to circulate the resume and hit the job boards, it’s best to do a self-inventory on strengths and weakness not only with your resume but your overall career and profile.

Networking

Like it or not, networking is critical in professional development. Activities can include attending seminars and conferences. Also, social functions, such as happy hours and mixers, can also be valuable. If a job seeker isn’t a natural at networking, there are several books available to help an introvert job seeker tap their full networking potential.

Adding Certifications to Your Resume

While adding certifications to your resume isn’t easy or inexpensive it can add significantly to a resume. Look at job openings in your field to get a better idea of required versus preferred certifications for your next role. This research will go a long way when looking at the time and financial investment that certifications require.

Establishing Your Online Brand and Cleaning-up Your Online Profile

LinkedIn, whether you love it or loathe it, is a tool widely used in business today. Ensuring your profile puts your best foot forward is crucial when navigating the waters of social media. First, invest in a professional headshot. Your profile photo is one of the first things recruiters see and leaves a lasting impression. Also, spend some time cleaning up your profile and ensure that it is free of typos or grammatical errors. Finally, doing a quick google search of yourself isn’t a bad idea either. Make sure that your social media identity doesn’t contain anything that can be offensive or polarizing. Remember, if you can find it, so can employers and recruiters!

Using LinkedIn to Make a Competition Comparison

Another great way to use LinkedIn is to compare your resume with peers and with people in the jobs that you aspire to. Spend some time researching profiles and getting a good idea how people in your industry mapped their own careers. Use their experience as inspiration for your own career path.

Volunteering Your Time to the Greater Good (and improving skills too!)

In today’s business world, there is an emphasis on giving back to the greater good. If a candidate has existing volunteer experience, this is a huge plus. This is especially true since many corporations encourage their employees to volunteer their time and have well-established programs to ensure this. Also, if this volunteer work expands a candidate’s skill set all the better!

Brush Up on Skills and Read Industry Journals to Stay Current

Self-study is inexpensive and can be done around your daily life. If you are a programmer, take some time to improve your existing language skills or learn others. Stay on top of current developments in your field by using your daily commute to listen to podcasts or read blogs or other trusted online publications if your commute allows it. Not only will this serve as a valuable resource in your current role, but it is excellent preparation for future job interviews.

Establish a Relationship with a Professional Recruiter

For every professional in today’s business world, it’s best to establish a relationship with a professional recruiter. Even if a job search isn’t in the plan in the near term, a recruiter can help prepare a future candidate for when the time comes to consider new opportunities. It’s best to reach out to a recruiter who has experience in your industry and/or job role.

Moving Forward

Staying ahead of other candidates can feel like a full-time job. Spending a little time each day to brush up on skills or stay current with industry news can be a huge help. Also,  teaming up with a professional recruiter can be one of the best strategies for staying ahead of the pack.

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1: Skills Enhancement and Development of New Skills

Temporary assignments can expose job seekers to new skills and help enhance their existing skills. For example, if a job seeker is pursuing an IT certification (CISM, CISSP, etc.) and doesn’t meet some of the requirements such as time in a certain role or specific skills a temporary assignment can offer such exposure.

2: Networking

Like it or not, networking is a vital activity for a job seeker at any stage of their career. A temporary assignment can provide a job seeker with greater access to new connections that can then broaden their reach. This is especially true when talking about forming “loose” connections with other peers. Studies show that in most cases, it’s these loose connections that lead people to their next jobs.

3: Moving to a Different Practice Area

If a job seeker is looking to transition to another role but doesn’t have the necessary experience to catch the eye of a recruiter for a full-time position, temporary assignments may be to their benefit.

An example of this type of transition would be a data administrator who is looking to transition to information security taking on a temp position in a Security Operations Center. A temporary placement like this allows the job seeker to expand their skill set and get exposed to the industry while getting paid at the same time!

4: Business Specific Experience

In some cases, job seekers wish to make lateral movements within different industries. For example, an information security professional decides to go from a retail organization to a financial institution. While there are some similarities in these verticals, there are also huge differences. For example, in retail, aspects around ERP and supply chain management vary greatly from a financial institution. In a financial institution, there are many government banking regulations and rules that a very specific and don’t apply to other environments.

5: Experience with A New Technology

Finally, temporary assignments offer the ability to work for various companies all doing things in different ways utilizing different tools. Temporary placements allow a job seeker to gain exposure to new technology and tools that might not have been possible by having pursued a more traditional role.

Thinking Ahead

In conclusion, temporary assignments may not be ideal for everyone, but they can benefit a job seeker in numerous ways. They can provide many advantages such as networking and development of new skills. If a job seeker is interested in learning more about temporary assignments, its best to consult a professional recruiter. A recruiter can assist a job seeker in developing a career plan and find the best temporary assignment for them and their career.

 

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It’s All About Planning Ahead

Managers should start the vacation conversation with employee’s months to weeks in advance. Managers should ask employees what, if any, vacation they plan on taking over the holiday season. Once Managers have an idea of the days and duration of employees requested vacation they can start planning a fair leave schedule.

Even with prior planning, there can still be challenges. It’s best to come up with alternative work arrangements or incentives to aid in this stressful time. Work arrangements such as temporary supplemental staffing, telecommuting, and other creative ideas can ensure productivity remains stable through the weeks of festive celebration. Here are the top 5 Holiday Staffing Strategies:

Holiday Staffing Strategy #1: Temporary Supplemental Staffing

Even with the best planning, it can be necessary to add temporary staff to an organization’s roster. Adding temporary staff will allow permanent employees flexibility in the time they can take off. This will also prevent conflicts between employees on the same teams. It’s best to reach out to a professional recruiter well in advance to ensure that your organization can obtain highly qualified candidates.

Holiday Staffing Strategy # 2: Telecommuting

Telecommuting can be an attractive option for both employers and employees. Allowing employees to telework their full work day or even half day can prevent work from going unfinished. Telework also provides employees with much-needed flexibility as they deal with family holiday obligations.

Holiday Staffing Strategy # 3: Changing Work Hours  

Allowing employees to start their workday earlier or work later in the day can make sure productivity stays consistent.

Holiday Staffing Strategy # 4: Offering Holiday Work Incentives

Offering employees added pay or other perks (free lunches or dinners) can keep your staff numbers high even during the busiest times of the season. Gift cards to restaurants, retail establishments (help with holiday gift giving!), and movie theaters are also greatly appreciated by employees.

Holiday Staffing Strategy # 5: Deferring Vacation Till After the Holiday

Provide employees with the option to defer their vacation to another time of year. This strategy is especially appreciated by employees who may value other times of the year to celebrate with family and friends.

Ensuring Happy Holidays for All!

In closing, staffing during the holidays will always be challenging. The key to success during the holiday season is good planning and flexibility which will make the situation easier for everyone. If supplemental staffing is required, it’s best to reach out to a professional recruiter to ensure access to vetted, qualified candidates. Following these strategies will ensure a happy holiday season for all!

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With this in mind, Computerworld surveyed IT professionals who planned on adding to their headcounts in 2017 and these were the top 6 skills they were looking for among prospective new hires.

1. Programming

Languages and fluency are key here. As much as knowing multiple languages is great, it’s best to have a quality over quantity approach.

2. Help Desk/ Tech Support

Companies will always need tech support. Time is money and humans are error-prone; as a result, tech support personnel are critical to any organization. In particular, candidates who are familiar with multiple types of hardware and software are highly sought after.

3. Security/Compliance/Governance

It’s all about security these days!  In this area, skills can be proven by holding highly sought-after certifications such as the CISSP or CISM.

4. Cloud/SaaS

Cloud has taken over the world by storm. Owning and maintaining racks of hardware is expensive and time-consuming. As a result, companies are shifting the responsibility of services to off-network providers. For this reason, there is now a wide array of technologies in the cloud category such as Office 365, AWS, and Azure. Experience in even one cloud technology can give a candidate an edge.

5. Business Intelligence/Analytics

Data, data, data! Business is driven by data, and it’s this data that allows trends and buying patterns to be discovered. Thus, potential employees must have the skills to mine, analyze and, understand data and turn it into results.

6. Web Development

As more and more services are moving to the web/SaaS model, the need for skilled web developers with experience across the entire stack is great. Additionally, given the pace of change today, experience with DevOps and Agile development methodologies is a huge plus!

Making a Skills Assessment

Before embarking on a new job search, a candidate should do a self-inventory and determine their strengths and weaknesses. With an inventory in hand and the list of top sought-after skills above, they should come up with a plan to enhance and enrich their skill set. Skillset improvement can come in the form of classes, certifications, or even self-study.

Conclusion

When in doubt about the best approach to make you and your skill set more marketable, it’s best to consult a professional recruiter to get the best advice for your development.  They will be able to assess your resume and experience and guide you in the best ways to make sure your skills are serving you and your job search. Contact Open Systems Inc today!

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