Hiring exceptional engineers seems like a fairly simple task. All you need to do is put out a job listing, conduct interviews, and pull the trigger, right? For some companies, that may be the case, but for others, finding the best engineers can be a lot trickier.
Austin Nichols Technical Search is here to help you learn how to find the best of the best engineers for your next open engineering position, because finding the right engineer can make or break projects. These few tips will help companies narrow down the search for engineers all over the world.
Don’t Focus Too Much on Degrees
Most companies dream of having engineers from highly-regarded schools like MIT or Stanford, but the best, most-qualified candidates may have degrees from state schools or no degree at all. According to Funders Club, Triplebyte used a process to find engineers based only on their skills and ability to contribute to the company. Using this process, they found employees who didn’t have degrees and worked unlikely jobs, such as line cook at a fast food restaurant and furniture store sales.
Hiring engineers based on their skills and personality will likely lead you to better quality employees. Figure out the skills and personality traits that you want your employees to have and ask interviewees questions that will allow you to weed out any candidates that don’t fit those criteria.
Don’t Let Biases Influence Hires
Each new potential employee should be interviewed without biases. Regardless of how past employees with certain skill sets or personalities did on the job, be open-minded to all interviewees. For example, if you had two previous employees come from the same company, and they didn’t work out, it doesn’t mean that the next person from that company won’t work out.
Unless you have personally hired thousands of engineers, you probably don’t have enough data to see any helpful information when it comes to hiring new employees. Instead, you may miss out on a great engineer that you didn’t even give a chance.
Experience Isn’t Everything
While the most experienced candidate may seem like the best choice, there are many times where experience shouldn’t be the most important qualification. Consider the way that this new employee needs to fit in with the rest of your staff.
Does this new engineer seem like they will get along well with your other employees? Do you want an engineer that takes charge or falls in line? Personality plays a big role in the hiring process, which means that experience isn’t everything.
People can learn new things, but they aren’t likely to change their personalities to fit what your company needs. According to Grab, finding an engineer that is an 80% technical fit is a good requirement to have when hiring. An 80% technical fit means that the employee will need room to grow, but if they fit with the culture of the company, it is worth it.
You may even consider putting potential candidates with one another or a current employee to see how they work together. Being a team player is extremely important in many engineering positions, and this test can show you how candidates will work with other employees at your company. If you are pairing the candidate with a current employee, you may want to put the candidate with an employee that doesn’t have a lot of experience. If the candidate can’t work with inexperienced engineers, they might not be a good fit for your company.
Find Someone Who is Willing to Learn More
While experience is nice, willingness to learn is even more important. The method that works best today, might not be the best tomorrow. Engineers need to be learning and improving with technology constantly. It isn’t enough to have great past experience. A good candidate will be ready and eager to learn everything they can.
In the end, it can be very difficult to find a smart, experienced engineer whose personality fits in with the culture you are trying to create at your company. Hiring the right people isn’t easy, but there are a few simple things you can look for when you start interviewing potential employees. Now it is time to get out there and start trying to find the best engineers in your area.
If you are looking to hire engineers, manufacturers, or construction workers in the Kansas City Metro Area, consider using Austin Nichols to help you find the best candidates for your open positions. Austin Nichols has been helping both business and prospective employees find the perfect match since 1988. The services Austin Nichols provides can save you the trouble of trying to find the best engineers in the Kansas City area.
