
Leverage your technical and interpersonal skills during your engineering job search
By: Scott Logan

In a tightening market, the expectation of doing more with less has significantly impacted the recruitment process across all disciplines, but perhaps none more prevalent than engineering.
The current job market is now demanding talent that has a greater breath of both technical and interpersonal skills to be successful in securing new opportunities.
Organisations are no longer considering the technical capability of a prospective employee in isolation during the selection process. With an evolving and more challenging market, there is an expectation for engineers to come with a strong technical background, coupled with the ability to engage with cross functional teams to deliver change. Engineers are now required to understand the cultural issues that a business and group encounter when driving a change agenda, and be able to present and explain the technical piece to the entire organisation. Ultimately, they are looking for engineers that can sell ideas and bring the rest of the business on a journey.
In this ever changing landscape, there are three questions to ask yourself to ensure you are developing and presenting your technical AND interpersonal skills:
- If you are currently in the technical space, do you understand your company strategy?
- Have you engaged other departments within the group that are directly impacted by your decisions and work?
- Are you networking within the business to ensure the right engagement levels are present to ensure projects are delivered?
Prior to interviewing for a new role, be sure to thoroughly prepare to ensure you are able to articulate not only your technical knowledge and competencies, but also how you impacted the broader business. Be prepared to provide examples of how you successfully dealt with difficult stakeholders, and ask compelling questions of the interviewer to demonstrate your thought process.
For further advice on leveraging your technical and interpersonal skills, get in touch with Scott Logan on 03 8613 3551.
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