If you’re looking for engineers in Orange County, you are facing some stiff competition. Engineering firms and tech companies alike are searching for talent in an incredibly tight labor market. But there is hope. One of the best things you can do to stand out from the crowd is to improve your engineering hiring process. Here are some tips.

Recruiting

• Job ads. Start by reviewing your job ads to make sure they are clear, tightly written, and bias-free. Remove gendered or racially biased language, and note the need for soft skills as well as technical prowess. Also provide a salary range in every posting.
• Screening phone call. A very short (15 minutes or less) phone call can help ensure goal alignment. For example, someone who wants to work with their hands won’t be happy in an office-based position.
• Skills assessment. A quick online skills assessment can help weed out candidates who don’t have the right background for the role.

Interviewing

Consider moving from traditional “tell me about your last job” interviews to those that better reflect the candidate’s ability to do the specific job. For example, you might have them work through a few engineering problems that your company has recently faced. Then move to a theoretical discussion that lets the candidate explain the thought process they bring to the work.

To remove bias in assessing how the interview went, try creating a standardized checklist in advance. Rate each candidate according to such pre-established criteria as technical skills, soft skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit.

Hiring

Consider having multiple people from different levels of the company sit in on interviews and independently complete the interview checklist. Then, hold a group meeting in which each person votes blindly on whether or not to hire the candidate. Majority rules. This democratizes the process and avoids groupthink, while providing perspectives that the hiring manager may not have considered.

Utilize a Dedicated Staffing Agency

If this all sounds like a lot of work, you’re right! It requires an entirely different approach to the engineering hiring process. If you don’t have the time or resources, consider partnering with a dedicated engineering staffing agency instead. We know how to streamline the process and present you with a short list of highly qualified candidates to choose from. This frees up your time and energy to focus on what you do best.

Build A Forward-Thinking Engineering Team With PEAK

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