Good advice for engineering graduates – who are now entering the workplace – comes in many forms and from many industry professionals. Older engineers who have been in the industry for a long time, also need good advice so that they can remain in the positions they currently hold. Engineering UK estimates that 65 % of engineering graduates find employment within six months. According to Engineering and Technology Magazine STEM qualifications have been in-demand for jobs that don’t even pertain to engineering, and so, the draw card of a ‘fat-salary’ takes engineers out of the industry and employs them in financial sectors. Allegedly one in nine employed graduates is working in engineering professions.
Marcus Body, speaking to Engineering and Technology Magazine, said: “Reality is every year, virtually every grad role is filled — it’s just that despite all this talk of skills shortages, the engineering schemes aren’t big enough to recruit all graduates. So they go and do other things because there literally aren’t enough jobs for all of them to get in engineering.”
It seems the trick for graduating engineers getting into the profession, or older engineers wanting to stay in the profession, is broadening the skillset. DesignNews writer Jacob Beningo published an article detailing the 7 skills every engineering grad needs, to be successful.:
- Networking
- Resume Writing
- Cover Letter Writing
- Interviewing
- Salary negotiation
- Communication
- Entrepreneurship
We have covered these skills extensively on EngineeringCareer.org, except for one skill that seems to be under-emphasised: Networking.
The Dean of Engineering at the Engineering Institute of Technology, Steve Mackay, has also underlined the importance of networking in the industry. In his YouTube series, the Engineering News Network, he said: “One of the amazing things you can do is build up a network of colleagues and friends. You start doing that when you are at college and university and you keep building it up. The network of friends and colleagues will actually help you get employment or point you towards opportunities.”
Mackay also says that over 70% of opportunities are not advertised widely on job sites and are rather found through the networking an engineer has done. “One of the most amazingly important things in your career armory is to have a network. To keep building it, maintaining it and working it and to be part of the network to help other colleagues that might need jobs or opportunities.”
