Attracting Top Engineering Candidates
With the increase of digitization and flexible and remote work options, top engineering talent are no longer constrained by location or industry when choosing their workplace. Though this is fantastic news for new and existing engineering professionals, it’s not such great news for employers.
With candidates having the upper hand, companies need to work that much harder to attract the best talent. In this article, we’ll go over 6 simple solutions to help you stand out from the crowd.
6 Solutions for Recruiting and Retaining Engineering Talent
Hire engineers through a recruitment agency
One of the best methods for retention is hiring through a recruitment agency. Recruiting might not be part of your typical day to day responsibilities, but for an engineering recruiter it is. A recruitment agency will take the time to learn your company’s needs, challenges and everything that falls in between. From their talent funnel, a transit recruiter can present you with a short list of candidates that not only have the skills you’re looking for but also will fit in well with your company’s culture.
Establish your brand
Your recruitment strategy doesn’t just begin when the job posting goes up. Attracting talent should be an ongoing effort. Part of this strategy is establishing your employer brand.
Candidates might recognize your brand, but that doesn’t mean it provokes a positive image for them.
Candidates should be excited at the prospect of working at your company. You might perceive your brand as one thing, but what do employees and candidates actually see? Websites like Indeed or Glassdoor offer reviews and ratings from employees and candidates. These reviews can provide you with objective feedback, which can help you identify which aspects of your branding need improvement.
Create a culture of growth
Make your company a place employees can grow their careers. Although you are hiring someone for a specific position, that doesn’t mean they have to be just another cog in the machine. Create a culture that encourages employees to grow and blossom in their careers. As an employer, you can act as a mentor and help your staff reach their goals.
Prioritize promoting internally to give employees something to reach for. When writing job descriptions, consider including a blurb highlighting these potential career advancement opportunities. If employees feel they’ve reached their limit in advancing in the company, they’ll move on elsewhere.
Offer valuable benefits
Talented tech candidates who are good at their craft have their top choice for where they work for. It is a candidate’s market, after all. To stand out from your competitors, you need to evaluate your employer’s value proposition. What value and benefits do you offer your employees that they can’t get elsewhere?
Have genuine diversity and inclusion efforts
More and more employees are becoming picky about where they work. It’s not just about collecting a paycheck anymore. Employees want to work for companies that align with their personal beliefs and values, not just if they have a job vacancy matching their skillset.
During interviews, when you open the floor to questions, you can expect to be asked to elaborate further on what initiatives are being implemented. While many companies claim to prioritise diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), only a fraction are taking steps that create real change. Candidates with strong values aren’t going to believe your claims at face value.
Invest in your tech and training
Investing in technology to attract engineering talent seems like a no-brainer, right? If you have outdated software and old equipment, you’re probably putting off a lot of candidates and frustrating your current employees simultaneously. While it might be costly to ensure your tech is up to date, high turnover and poor retention can be even costlier.
Along the same lines, ensure you are prioritizing and encouraging learning opportunities for your employees. Upskilling and reskilling are crucial to keeping your team on top of new engineering and transit technology.
Additionally, emphasize the importance of being active in the engineering and transit community. You can offer time off to attend networking events and other similar events or even send employees to be speakers themselves. This is a great way to keep your employees engaged, which will not only help you attract talent but retain it too.
About Live Assets | Leaders in Engineering Excellence | Greater Toronto Area
Live Assets is a premier engineering(rail/transit) agency dedicated to delivering excellence in engineering solutions across various industries.
Our agency is renowned for its expertise in engineering, and we take pride in our track record of delivering outstanding engineering projects with precision and innovation.
With a wide spectrum of clients spanning different industries, we cater to both permanent and contract engineering opportunities.
Discover more about our agency and stay updated on our latest developments through our social media channels: