When it comes time to look for a new engineering job, many young professionals start to feel like they will never be able to find a job that they are qualified for. This problem becomes less relevant with more experienced engineers, because they are more likely to qualify for more jobs. While many young engineers have the skills to competently do the jobs as described, they fixate on the fact that companies want someone with more time in the field.
Austin Nichols Technical Search understands why many young, less experienced feel that they shouldn’t even apply to jobs with an experience level requirement that surpasses their own. However, we advise many young engineers to apply for these positions anyway. Here’s why!
1. Experience Levels Should Be Considered Guidelines
There are no rules as to who a company must hire. While the job posting may request that applicants have five to ten years of experience, there are many situations that may lead the hiring manager to reconsider.
In fact, when more experienced engineers start asking for too much money, companies might start to consider candidates that have less experience to offset the salary costs. The more experience that an engineer has, the more money they are going to want in return for their work. This won’t come as a surprise to anyone. However, the company may have underestimated what engineers with a certain amount of experience expect in terms of compensation.
If you start to notice that every job posted in your area is requesting that applicants have more experience than you, it is always a good idea to apply to any jobs that you can realistically manage. These companies aren’t all likely to find someone with what they have predetermined to be the right amount of experience. Plus, if you can land an interview, you can prove that you have the skills necessary to perform the tasks required of the ideal engineer for the job.
2. Skills Matter More Than Years of Experience
At the end of the day, most companies understand that the skills candidates have learned in however many years they have been engineers are more important than the number of years that engineers have been working. Candidates who have just graduated might have learned valuable skills in classes or through internships. These skills can easily translate into real-world experience.
Find ways to prove that you know how to do the job and put those things on your resume. Be able to discuss your skills during interviews in a way that shows that your level of experience isn’t nearly as relevant as the skills you possess. If possible, review the job posting and craft your resume to match up with the qualities that the hiring manager will be looking for in a candidate. If you can show that you have all of the required skills, then it will be a lot harder for a hiring manager to disqualify you from the job based solely on a couple of years of experience.
3. You Have Nothing to Lose
At the end of the day, you really have nothing to lose by applying to jobs that you don’t have the proper experience for. The worst that can happen is that you won’t get the job, but if you don’t apply, you can’t get the job anyway. Instead of worrying about whether or not you’ll appear qualified enough, think about how you feel about the job. It is very important that you are only applying for jobs that you are excited about. If you don’t feel excited about the chance of getting the job, it will be obvious to the interviewers.
Other than that, as long as you can handle the duties of the job, there is no reason that you shouldn’t take a risk and apply for a job that is requesting a few more years of experience than what you have.
There is also a bit of a shortage of engineers at the moment, so you just never know when a company is going to want to make a hire regardless of experience level. You could quickly become the most qualified candidate for a job that you didn’t think you had a shot at if the company doesn’t find someone who more closely aligns with what the hiring manager wants.
If you are struggling to find a job in an engineering field, Austin Nichols might be able to help you. To learn more about working with our recruiting firm, call us today at 816-471-5575.
