Engineering Staffing – Quick Tips for HR Professionals

Quality engineers are difficult to source but essential for success, causing more than a few HR professionals to pull out more than a few strands of their hair. Finding the right engineer is tough, and nobody knows that more than we do at Expect Technical Staffing. Finding great engineering talent is a big part of our job

When filling engineering positions, it is important to look beyond the folder of resumes stored in a desk drawer or on a network drive somewhere to find the perfect candidate.

Today, to help HR departments across the country, we’re going to look at some of the best ways to end your firm’s engineering staffing woes.

Look Everywhere

The perfect candidate isn’t always easy to find…and when they are easy to find, they are often in high demand. It’s important to look outside of typical candidate search channels to find engineers with the right skill set for your firm.

• Check industry organizations
• Attend MeetUps and society meetings frequented by engineers
• Peruse industry chat boards and job boards
• Ask engineers within the company for referrals and offer a finder’s fee

Social Media

Social media is often a distraction for employers and employees alike, but when used correctly, it is a great way to brand your company and build a following that includes potential employees. Tweet a job opening with hashtags (for example #engineeringjobs, #ITjobs, #recruiting) and you can reach engineers actively looking for a position and those passively keeping an eye out for the next step in their career.

Not all social media is created equal, however. LinkedIn is an excellent resource for finding active and passive candidates. HR professionals can join relevant discussion groups and post job notices, while also publishing links, blog posts and articles to gain a wider following and establish your company’s authority.

If you’re evaluating a potential candidate for an important role, consider looking at their LinkedIn and Twitter profiles. Do they have a strong following? What are they discussing? Who/what are they following?

…More Social Media (and Blog Posts)

In addition to recruiting employees, social media can be useful for building your brand and reputation. Consider using the blog on your careers page to establish your company’s authority and that tell a positive story about your company’s culture and mission. Be sure to use someone that’s familiar with the format and is both enthusiastic and professional. Dedicated LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and blogging accounts can be used to broadcast all sorts of great information to potential hires.

Know the Job and Company

Before bringing the first candidate through the door, take the time to study the job. Learn the technology the position will use as well as any special skills required. Understand the position as it relates to the company as a whole and how it affects the bottom line. Many top candidates want to feel the work they are doing is vital to the company and its success.

If HR professionals can communicate how the company’s culture serves the needs of engineers, it will help greatly with staffing. Tout cutting-edge technology being used, and outline opportunities available to learn within the position. Discuss perks your company has that no other company offers. Personalize and highlight the details about your company that line up with the candidate’s motivations.

Know the Candidate

Learn as much about the candidate as possible. In the interview, ask about their career goals and pose other questions that help you understand the candidate’s core motivations. Engineers are problem-solvers, and savvy HR professionals can appeal to this quality and stress the need for creative solutions within the company.

Finding and hiring engineers is not going to get any easier. Creating a search routine that has a broad reach will help funnel a continuous supply of qualified, interested candidates so that future openings are filled efficiently.

Use a Professional Recruiter

Not to boast, but we’re pretty good at what we do.

Hiring outside recruiters that specialize in connecting qualified engineers and technical staff to the companies that need that can really speed up the process. Recruiters are an excellent resource for finding both active and passive candidates, and can dramatically cut down your search time, save money, and eliminate a whole bunch of headaches.

Oftentimes, the best recruiters will be those that have worked in your industry and understand your business model. Use specialized recruiters to get the inside angle to the best passive candidates and handpicked leaders for your organization.