Adding new talent to your engineering firm can be a time-consuming endeavor. After all, identifying the most viable candidate for a given position requires the vetting of each and every applicant to determine who possesses the precise combination of expertise and experience you are looking for. This is especially true when filling highly specialized positions that demand the unique skillsets of mid- to senior-level candidates whose resumes contain years of educational and employment history, as well as copious professional references. Choosing the wrong candidate for a position translates to a loss of all of the time and money that went into recruiting in the first place. Thus, thoroughly vetting each of your candidates is perhaps the most vital component of conducting a job search.
The process of vetting a job candidate can entail any number of steps, and varies depending on the particular needs and policies of a given organization. One widely practiced step is contacting references and former employers, both of which can provide information concerning the professional abilities and personalities of your candidates. The Human Resources Department at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville advises that employers contact references via phone rather than by email or post. Doing so, they claim, has the potential to provide higher-quality information.
A thorough vetting process may also involve a background check to determine if a candidate possesses a criminal record, as well as a check with the Department of Motor Vehicles. Many government offices routinely deploy background checks, as do some state institutions such as public universities and research facilities. Interestingly, the Chicago Employment Law Blog recommends keeping background checks to a minimum, conducting them only when a particular job requires the employee to handle currency, access accounting records, or perform other fiduciary duties.
In the Internet Age it has also become increasingly common for employers to screen the internet presences of potential hires. This may include conducting a quick internet search, or engaging in a more thorough investigation of a candidate’s social media accounts. Of course, this practice may come at a cost given its potential for transgressing the boundaries separating the professional and private realms, thus rendering the employer subject to discrimination lawsuits from rejected candidates. On a related note, federal law prohibits engineering firms and other companies from requesting certain types of records, which means that is vital to understand and adhere to laws surrounding background checks.
Thus, while vetting your job candidates is a vital step in the hiring process, it is also one that is accompanied by myriad time-consuming tasks and legal nuances. One of the best ways to ensure the thorough vetting of prospective hires (while avoiding potential troubles) is to employ a professional engineering recruiter with an in-depth knowledge of your hiring needs and workplace culture, and of available talent in your region. By vetting applicants and identifying the candidate whose skills and experience best fit your firm’s needs, a technical recruiter can take the burden off of HR’s shoulders—and moreover, help you to find the best candidate the first time around so that the time and money you have invested in the search aren’t wasted.
Austin Nichols Technical Search is an experienced, professional direct hire and contract recruiting firm in Kansas City. Specializing in direct hire and contract recruiting for engineering, manufacturing, and technical positions, our expert recruiters have been helping businesses acquire top industry talent to stay ahead of the competition since 1988.
