Category: Tips for Engineering Contractors
Independent and Loving It! Five Career Management Tips for Contract Engineers
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman While freelancing offers numerous advantages over traditional full-time employment, some engineers lack the confidence or know-how to manage their own careers. As Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin discovered back in 2002, engineers often rely on their managers for career coaching, guidance and support. Don’t let fear stop you from pursuing… Read more »
Six Steps to Better Communications with Your Engineering Manager and Colleagues
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Knowledge workers spend at least 28 hours each week writing emails, searching for information and collaborating internally, according to a report by McKinsey Global Institute. With so much time spent on communications, it’s easy to see how your career and performance could suffer if you don’t find an effective way to exchange… Read more »
4 Simple Tips for Networking Success
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman You never know when a chance encounter will yield exciting new career opportunities. Just ask Rafic Cheboub. The structural engineer, who’s been contracting since 2004, referred his son Omar to Joe Salvucci, after he met the chairman of PEAK Technical Staffing USA at a holiday party. When he was ready to change… Read more »
Red Hot Engineering Jobs for 2015 and Beyond
By: Mike Iandoli Historically, engineering had four major disciplines: mechanical, chemical, civil and electrical. However, in recent years, the number of disciplines, sub-branches and interdisciplinary roles has increased dramatically as the engineering profession tackles new global challenges. Given the burgeoning opportunities in emerging fields such as bioengineering/biomedical, nanotechnology, alternative energy and water, there may never be… Read more »
Convince Your Project Manager to Give You More Responsibility
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Maybe you’d like to tackle a difficult project, move into testing or work with stakeholders; so, how can you convince your project manager to give you a shot? It probably goes without saying that you need to master your current duties before you even think about asking your project manager for more… Read more »
How to Engineer a Productive Relationship with a Recruiter
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Navigating the market for contract professionals can be tricky, so why go it alone? Adopt a team approach by developing an effective working relationship with an experienced and capable engineering recruiter. Recruiters function as talent search agents for engineering firms and businesses that need a speedy injection of expertise. While they network… Read more »
3 Tips for Following Up after an Engineering Job Interview
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Your skills fit the job description to a T and you really hit it off with the engineering manager. But you interviewed a week ago and you haven’t heard a peep. Should you assume that you weren’t selected, or should you follow up? According to Boyer Management, a talent optimization and performance… Read more »
How Successful Contract Engineers Dominate Technical Interviews
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Preparation and practice can help you survive a technical interview, and coming up with the right answers can even help you land a contract engineering assignment. But what happens when several candidates know their stuff? Will you still prevail? There’s a fine line between dominating a technical interview and simply surviving it.… Read more »
Engineering Solutions to Today’s Talent Shortage
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Engineers are among the toughest spots to fill in the U.S., with 49 percent of employers struggling to find talent. In fact, employers advertised more than 280,000 open engineering positions in 2013 – setting a new high. While Congress and universities have enacted programs to support the education and future development of… Read more »
Six Tips for Converting Interviews into Contract Engineering Assignments
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman If you say all the right things during interviews, and still can’t seem to land a contract engineering assignment, perhaps the problem is not what you’re saying but how you’re saying it. Since only 7 percent of communications effectiveness is based on content, your attitude about yourself, your teammates and your engineering… Read more »