Hiring engineers can be tough, especially if you don’t happen to be an engineer yourself. Fortunately, with a bit of advance planning, it doesn’t need to be any harder than hiring anyone else.

Here are some things you should look for when trying to choose the best engineers for your team.

Technical Expertise

Technical knowledge is a basic qualification for any engineer. There are many different types of engineering, and an industrial engineer has a vastly different skill set than a mechanical engineer. But within their area of specialization, top engineering candidates should be able to solve a variety of complex problems.

Attention to Detail

No matter which area of specialization, engineering is a very precise field. Even small mistakes could quickly compound into disasters. So it’s very important when hiring engineers to look for strong attention to detail.

Leadership Skills

In many cases, an engineer will head a team of people. In other situations, engineers work as part of a cross-departmental team. Either way, engineers need to be comfortable in their role as a subject matter expert in their field. They should be good at developing a vision and breaking it down into specific, achievable goals and milestones.

Communication Abilities

Some engineers are prone to tech-speak, which can sound nearly incoherent to non-engineers. Make sure that the candidate you choose knows how to convert his technical thoughts and visions into plain language and clearly communicate them to an audience from a variety of backgrounds.

Company and Positional Fit

Every company, team, and individual position is different, just like every engineer. Before you start interviewing candidates, think through how the role fits into the company. Is it primarily a technical position? Is it management-level? Will the engineer primarily focus on design or implementation? What’s the reporting structure?

Then think through your company’s values and overall culture. Is it a fast-paced environment that values thinking on your feet? Are you more conservative, with an emphasis on the tried and true? Is it a casual environment with a lot of joking around, or a more traditional atmosphere?

The answers to all these questions will help you decide what sort of person is the right fit. No matter how excellent an engineer’s technical qualifications might be, if she doesn’t fit with the company and the role, neither of you will ever be happy with her work.

Build A Forward-Thinking Engineering Team With PEAK

If you are looking for talented engineers who can help your organization achieve its goals in the new year, contact the experts at PEAK Technical Staffing today to learn how we can help you access cutting-edge talent.