Job security is fading. No matter your industry, employers are always looking for candidates who are qualified with the required engineering skills, flexible with change, and who have the ability to communicate with the team. And employers are looking for candidates who show the potential to move up in the organization – showing initiative and competencies in many areas. A jack-of-all-trades if you like the term.
Nowadays the trend in hiring fits what is known as the “Hollywood model”, say industry expert Joe Lampinen. Companies are more likely to hire talent on a project by project basis nowadays rather than for long term placements, explains Lampinen on a recent Engineering Career Coach Podcast – a site that coaches engineers in finding excellence and happiness in their careers.
Acquiring specific certifications such as a Certified Quality Engineer certificate or Project Management Professional credentials are important if you want to stand out and continuously get hired for projects. If you continue to learn and have credentials under your belt like a CAD software certificate or an NX designer certification, you’re ahead of the game. “If you wait until you have a leadership job to show leadership ability, you’re probably not going to get the leadership job.” says Lampinen.
Here are 3 engineering career skills recommended by Lampinen that engineers should focus on improving:
- Sustainability – Lean thinking about reducing consumption of resources such as energy, water, waste, and light weight product & packaging. All companies are looking to reduce costs and consumption and this skill is vital is all areas of the industry.
- Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) – Learning about robotics and automation that is specific to your industry. This is an important skill because manufacturer are moving towards implementing them if they don’t already.
- Systems Linking and Concurrent Engineering – Tying design and manufacturing engineering together. The ability to connect product and production together for better synergy between internal and external partnerships overall.
Check out the Engineering Career Coach – it’s a great resource for engineers who interested in growing their careers and developing themselves to their fullest potential.
