The engineering field is currently enjoying a massive boom. With a 16-year low in the field’s unemployment rate and a record number of job openings, there’s never been a better time to be an engineer…or a harder time to lock in the top talent for you engineering firm. With competition fiercer than it’s ever been, recruiting engineers is increasingly difficult, especially as more and more baby boomers retire, in turn creating yet more job openings across the industry.
This trend isn’t just true for the engineering industry, either, but extends across almost all U.S. markets. Great news for the economy and job seekers, but when the best engineers are spoiled for choice, it can make securing their talent for your company an uphill battle. This has been an ongoing struggle, with The National Society of Professional Engineers naming “engineer” as one of the 10 Hardest Jobs to Fill in the U.S. for multiple years running. Unlike in some sectors where an influx of recent college graduates is expected to offset the number of older professionals retiring, only an estimated 1 in 5 of those graduates who receive a B.S. in Engineering will actually receive licenses and become professionals in the field. Add to that the fact that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a variety of engineering positions as some of the highest paying jobs in America, and it becomes very apparent why firms are struggling to recruit the best possible candidates.
With all these factors in mind, how do the top engineering firms locate the best possible talent from a huge pool of potential professionals? And once they have identified the ideal candidate to help their business flourish, how do they successfully recruit them before the competition can? Locating and locking in top engineering talent is a multi-part process that takes huge amounts of time and energy, especially for HR departments that insist on keeping the recruiting, vetting, screening, and hiring processes in-house. That’s why when new positions open up, it’s important to act as fast as possible, because any delay can cost you the best candidates and leave you settling for second, third, or fourth-best.
Small wonder why the most successful engineering firms have cut out this laborious process entirely and instead contract with a firm who specializes in recruiting engineers. The best professional recruiters know the industry inside and out, and stake their reputations on meeting the unique needs of every single client. They foster long-term relationships with both employers and employees so there is never an unknown quantity, and they understand the importance of referring not only the most qualified candidates, but also those that will be a perfect fit with any given office environment or workplace culture.
So, if you want to secure the finest engineers in the area, you will need to work with the finest recruiting firm in Kansas City, and that is Austin Nichols Technical Search. We have offered direct hire and contract recruiting for engineering, manufacturing, and technical positions since 1988, and our flawless reputation speaks for itself. Contact us today.
