How to Recruit Top Talent for Your Engineering Department
Recruiting in general is difficult, but recruiting top talent in your engineering department can prove to be even more challenging. Currently, the unemployment rate for engineers is low, and the number of job openings is high, which is resulting in a talent shortage. Hiring the best possible engineers is critical for growth and maintaining the success of your organization. Here are just some ways to recruit top talent for your engineering department.
Determine the Qualities of Your Ideal Candidate
Before you start recruiting, it is important to define the qualities that are most important to the role. You will need to clearly define what skills and experience you are looking for. Think about your company’s culture and industry and how you would want someone to fit into that. What soft skills are you looking for? Technical skills can be taught, but what are the things that you are looking for that can’t? 89% of new hires who fail within 18 months have difficulties integrating into the workplace. Remember, good engineering talent is hard to find. So, establishing what you really want up front can reduce the number of headaches in the future if the expectation is set up front.
Sell the Job
Hiring engineers can be tough because there are not a lot of them currently looking for new positions. Your job description must be good enough to catch their attention. A bland list of qualifications is not going to cut it. Engineers tend to have skillsets that are unique to them. Think about the skillsets that you need and really focus on making your job description appealing. 59% of people leaving their current job want to work for a company that better fits their values. Highlight the exciting opportunities and benefits that your organization offers. Make sure your job description stands out amongst every other company that is looking for the same type of candidate. Establish what sets your organization apart from others and roll with it.
Employee Referrals
Who better than your current employees knows what it takes to succeed at your company? They have likely witnessed what it takes to thrive in your company’s environment and what qualities will not work. If you haven’t already, start an employee referral program. Encourage your current employees to refer top talent and give them an incentive to do so. This allows you to take advantage of the talent that your employees see or may know that you don’t have access to. 73% of candidates are passive job seekers. Especially with engineers, they may not be actively looking for a new opportunity, but, if they hear about it from a past colleague or friend, it might make it more appealing. You could offer a referral bonus if the candidate is successful, and then maybe an additional bonus if the referred employee stays longer.
Leverage Your Brand
The labor market today is extremely competitive, especially with engineers. They are more than likely shopping around and looking for the opportunity that is most likely to benefit them. If your brand has a good reputation, you are more likely to attract a qualified engineer to your organization. Being able to clearly distinguish your brand from other similar ones is important. Highlight your organization’s culture, mission, and vision. Really focus on what sets you apart from other similar companies. You can utilize tools like social media, your company website, events, and other networking sites to engage with potential candidates and raise brand awareness.
Recruiting Top Talent for Your Engineering Department
Recruiting the best possible talent for your engineering department is of the utmost importance. These are the people who are improving and developing crucial products or services for your organization. By investing time in these processes, you can guide your company in the right direction in securing the top engineering candidates that will assist in making your organization thrive.
When recruiting top talent for your engineering department, you must be proactive and strategic. If you determine the qualities of your ideal candidate, sell the job description, create an employee referral program, and leverage your brand awareness, you can set your open engineering roles up for success. And as always, YM Careers Network can help you recruit the right candidates, efficiently, taking the pressure off of you and yielding great results.
