While we have all acknowledged that there is an ever-increasing skills gap and a lot of competition between companies that are hiring engineers, it will still take a lot of time to redress the balance. To help you, we have put together a comprehensive 5-point plan to help you streamline your recruitment process and make sure that you attract and hire the best engineers and engineering graduates.
1. Create a hiring plan
A hiring plan will give you a much clearer and more structured overview of the skills you are looking to gain from prospective new employees in terms of the roles required, the contribution they will make overall, the allowance you have for them in your salary budgets, and how these salaries will contribute to your annual targets or be covered by project costs. This allows you to focus your mind on a clear pathway for specific roles, rather than a kickback reaction to a fluctuating need.
This will also ensure that your prospective candidate is clear on their role and contribution to the company as a whole, contributing to their overall sense of purpose. When seeking to hire engineers, the work is important, but so is the sense of purpose in terms of contributing to job satisfaction. This will help in both skills’ attraction and retention.
2. Now drill down into the job description
Now that you’ve taken an overall view of the roles that are available in your company, you can start to drill down on specifics. Top engineering recruiters will always have an in-depth knowledge of the skills and disciplines required in various different sectors of the engineering world. This knowledge comes from longevity and experience in the industry and working with companies that hire engineers on a regular basis.
Like so many different professions, engineering has its own language – a firm grasp of this language in the job description will be picked up on by the right people who will instinctively respond favourably to the description.
3. Stand out from the crowd
Create job ads that stand out, engage, and appeal to the best candidates. Whether you are seeking engineers from the graduate lists or looking for more experience, grabbing their attention from the outset and then keeping them engaged is crucial. One way of engaging engineers through recruitment ads is to showcase a problem your company is facing and its impact. This will capture their attention and curiosity.
4. Outsource your efforts to a top engineering recruitment agency
There are a lot of elements to recruitment that could go wrong – from the wording in the job description to where you start looking. It is also incredibly time-consuming, eating up precious resources that should be directed at profit-generating activities.
Outsourcing the hiring of engineers to an engineering recruitment company will remove the pressure of both time and money, freeing you up to concentrate on your business. With an extensive network of contacts in the engineering graduate world, as well as fingers continually on the pulse of market fluctuations, and personnel comings and goings, combined with 30 years of experience, we know we can fulfil the most challenging of recruitment briefs even in the current dry climate.
5. Make the most of the interview and onboarding process
Asking the right questions during the interview is key to drilling down the candidate’s skills and their relevance to the job in question. Once a job offer has been made and accepted an effective onboarding plan is essential to create a structured approach to employee retention. This plan needs to focus on support, training, career progression, and communication. The more your newly recruited engineer feels engaged and excited about their prospects, the more settled they will feel in their work.
Looking to hire an engineer today? BMS Performance can help. Get in touch with us now!
