5 Skills Engineering Employers Are Looking For

Engineering is a diverse field with a lot of specialist skills required for each individual industry. However there are some skills that are universally beneficial for any engineering project.

In this video, Adam Dilibero, NES Business Development Manager for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain takes you through five skills that every engineering employer is seeking.

Up to date technical knowledge

Whatever your role, the workplace is changing at a faster rate than ever before. When it comes to engineering, keeping up with the latest technical and safety knowledge is essential.

Stay on top of the latest best practices by reading industry guides, blogs and articles online; or seek out short training courses you can do at home. Make suggestions in your current workplace of the best techniques or technologies being used on similar projects. 

When it comes to new employers, you want to be able to demonstrate that you are certified or trained in the latest technologies and that you have implemented best practices in the past. Show them that you’re already on top of the latest industry developments so they know they won’t have to spend time teaching you.

Communication

One of the most vital elements of any job is one that is usually learned after you graduate. Communication with clients and co-workers is key in any industry. Without being able to communicate clearly and concisely, any project you’re working on is likely to stall.

Be aware of who you’re talking to. Not everyone will have the same technical background and skills as you so avoid overusing jargon when explaining your ideas to a client. Conversely, don’t over-explain the details of a project to someone with just as much experience in the same job.

When writing your CV, look at how you’re communicating your skills and experiences. By finding ways to get that information across concisely, you’re already demonstrating this skill to a potential employer.

Management & leadership

Taking that next step in your career means developing more skills beyond the ability to do your job. Moving upwards depends on being able to demonstrate that you can manage others, strategise and make decisions.

Postgraduate engineering management courses are the most effective way of demonstrating that you understand everything required to move upwards in the industry, but there are other ways to learn these skills. Volunteer to lead an upcoming project, or engage your current managers with questions or suggestions to show that you are eager and capable to move upwards.

Interpersonal

Few major engineering tasks are pulled off by a single person, so having the interpersonal skills to work collaboratively is invaluable to employers.

Being able to bring others together and encouraging trust in a team leads to better problem solving and more efficient working.

Work on your verbal communication and body language in the workplace to open yourself up to others. When talking to new employers, be sure to mention occasions when you have worked within a team and the steps you have taken to ensure that the team work together well.

Critical and creative thinking

For an engineer, critical and creative thinking is a massive part of the job, and an ability you should already have.

Technical projects often require thinking of new ideas very quickly to overcome an unforeseen problem.

Whether you’re designing a new application for the market, or overcoming an issue by adapting your workflow, creative solutions abound in the engineering world.

The best way to get better at this is to develop your technical abilities as much as you can, through courses or on-the-job training, until you can be confident enough in your skills to stop following instructions and start adapting your workflow in new ways.

Show employers that you’re able to critically analyse a problem and develop the most effective, creative way to deal with it and you’ll easily secure your next role.

Once you’ve mastered these skills, NES Fircroft will help find your next job.

Support from NES Fircroft

NES covers recruitment across many sectors meaning we have supported clients and candidates across several industries for the last 50 years in good and challenging times. If you’re looking for your next role,browse our job vacancies today.

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