How to Attract and Hire Creative Engineering Talent
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman
Engineers are naturally curious and resourceful problem-solvers who can handle most assignments with ease. But these days, managers are demanding even greater levels of creativity, due, in part, to the growth of new specialties such as robotics, 3D printing and the “Internet of Things.”
So how can engineering managers screen candidates for superior levels of creativity during the hiring process? It takes planning, and a carefully crafted process, to identify and charm creative engineers who often have their choice of assignments. Here are four ways to attract and select engineers with a penchant for creativity.
Determine How Much Creativity You Really Need
Before you create a hiring profile, reflect on how much creativity you really need, advised Jeffrey Baumgartner, a creativity expert, trainer and author. “Because a lot of companies don’t want nearly as much creativity as they claim,” he said.
Baumgartner referenced a 2010 study by Cornell University where researchers found that people often reject creative ideas even when espousing creativity as a desired goal. So, requesting more creativity than you really need may result in incompatible hires who attempt to win favor for “far out” ideas that don’t fit your firm’s culture or needs.
“Do you just want to make a few incremental improvements or are you looking to completely redesign a product?” Baumgartner asks. “Understanding the problems that need to be solved can help you ask the right questions and find someone with an appropriate level of creativity.”
Design a Creative Hiring Process
If your job description is boring and your interviewing process is dull, convincing a highly creative engineer to join your team won’t be easy.
As Xander Hough notes, creative people don’t want a job; they want opportunities to create. When designing roles or writing enticing copy about a vacancy, ensure you can clearly articulate the opportunity or opportunities to create.
Engage your team in the hiring process so everyone involved can assess the creative chemistry. Kicking around real-world problems and solutions allows prospective teammates to learn about each other’s creative abilities and methodologies. It also stimulates emotions and intrigues the candidate by creating an air of excitement for your project.
Look for Traits and Experience that Drive Creativity
Creative people have a few things in common, according to Baumgartner. First, the engineers who excel in his creativity workshop are open to new ideas, and are tolerant and avid learners. But because they’re engineers, they also exhibit disciplined thinking processes and logical reasoning.
To identify professionals who engage in whole brain thinking, pose a problem and ask the candidate to walk you through their approach.
“I don’t recommend brainteasers or puzzles for evaluating creativity because there’s typically only one answer to the problem,” Baumgartner said. “Forcing a candidate to come up with the right answer won’t demonstrate divergent thinking, let alone creativity.”
“Asking for a guided tour is more meaningful,” he added, “because it not only gives you the opportunity to see how the candidate thinks, but to see if their creative process is sound and repeatable.”
A study published by the American Psychological Association suggests that people with international exposure and diverse work experience tend to be more creative. Researchers concluded that experiencing diverse perspectives and cultures, and adapting to cross-cultural challenges, stretches your mind in ways that can be applied to real-world situations.
If you’re looking to hire a creative engineer, the best question you might ask could be: Have you lived abroad? Or, tell me about a problem that you’ve solved by applying your training and experience in a unique or unusual way.
Be Open-Minded
Don’t limit yourself by embracing a traditional view of what the ideal engineer looks or acts like. Highly creative types may have backgrounds, thought processes or funny bones that differ from the rest of your team. Experts insist that being open-minded is critical to hiring and retaining outside-the-box thinkers. Plus, to thrive and succeed, creative engineers need a supportive, tolerant manager who will champion their ideas.
Baumgartner summed it up by saying, “Creating an open and diverse culture that encourages people to step outside the box will not only help you attract creative professionals, it will encourage them to join your team.”
Other information of potential interest
Becoming a Client of Choice for Contract Engineers
4 Workplace Trends You Can’t Ignore
Secrets to Competing with Google & Facebook for Top Technical Talent
Compensation Planning 2016: 4 Forecasts and Trends in Engineering
It’s Time to Re-engineer Your Relationships with Recruiters
5 Ways to Get an Engineering Contractor to Accept Your Offer
Modern Tools for Managing an Engineering Team
Need top engineering talent soon? Submit a job order or call 1-888-888-PEAK
Very good information. Lucky me I came across your website by chance (stumbleupon).
I have book marked it for later!
Very good information. Lucky me I came across your website by chance (stumbleupon).
I have book marked it for later!
Souvent, le velo elliptique est conseille lorsque l’on commence a faire du sport et que l’on passe donc
par une phase de detox durant laquelle on souhaite eliminer le plus potential.
Souvent, le velo elliptique est conseille lorsque l’on commence a faire du sport et que l’on passe donc
par une phase de detox durant laquelle on souhaite eliminer le plus potential.
Communication will be the way to just about any affiliation, thus correctly
data inside British efficiently. Because Spanishtalking
associations go on growing, there’s an increasing dependence on language translation involving Speaking
spanish documents in to British in the worldwide professional center.
At the exact same small, quite a few translation businesses are starting
to supply translation services particularly for businesses, for instance, your own.
Communication will be the way to just about any affiliation, thus correctly
data inside British efficiently. Because Spanishtalking
associations go on growing, there’s an increasing dependence on language translation involving Speaking
spanish documents in to British in the worldwide professional center.
At the exact same small, quite a few translation businesses are starting
to supply translation services particularly for businesses, for instance, your own.
It’s an awesome piece of writing in favor of all the online visitors; they
will obtain advantage from it I am sure.
It’s an awesome piece of writing in favor of all the online visitors; they
will obtain advantage from it I am sure.
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people on this subject, but
you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
It’s hard to come by knowledgeable people on this subject, but
you seem like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Wow! In the end I got a weblog from where I can truly take useful data concerning my study and knowledge.
Wow! In the end I got a weblog from where I can truly take useful data concerning my study and knowledge.
Iniciadora Top é um programa de treinamento com foco em persuasão de gatilhos
mentais direcionado para vendas no segmento de
beleza, maquiagem, fitness e cuidados pessoais.
Iniciadora Top é um programa de treinamento com foco em persuasão de gatilhos
mentais direcionado para vendas no segmento de
beleza, maquiagem, fitness e cuidados pessoais.
¡Saludos! Muy útil consejos dentro de esta Poste! Es el pequeños cambios que hacen
los mayores los mayores cambios. Muchas gracias por compartir!
¡Saludos! Muy útil consejos dentro de esta Poste! Es el pequeños cambios que hacen
los mayores los mayores cambios. Muchas gracias por compartir!
Não é através de eventualidade que tratamento é sucesso de vendas – e com
aprovação – em mais de 40 países.
Não é através de eventualidade que tratamento é sucesso de vendas – e com
aprovação – em mais de 40 países.
Jan 18, 2016 – Confira resultado da Lotofácil 1312 dia 18 de janeiro de
2016, segunda, prêmio de R$ 1.700.000,00, sorteio em
tempo real no GIGA-SENA.
Jan 18, 2016 – Confira resultado da Lotofácil 1312 dia 18 de janeiro de
2016, segunda, prêmio de R$ 1.700.000,00, sorteio em
tempo real no GIGA-SENA.
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment.
There’s no doubt that that you ought to publish more about this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t talk about these
issues. To the next! Best wishes!!
A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment.
There’s no doubt that that you ought to publish more about this topic, it may not be a taboo matter but generally folks don’t talk about these
issues. To the next! Best wishes!!
Quality articles or reviews is the important to be a focus for
the users to pay a quick visit the website, that’s what this
website is providing.
Quality articles or reviews is the important to be a focus for
the users to pay a quick visit the website, that’s what this
website is providing.
w przeciwieństwie do dużych sklepów łańcucha kawy wydaje się przyciągnąć więcej ludzi, którzy po prostu chcą chwycić kubek i znów się do
tego, co to oni są zajęci temu . t spełniają Twoje oczekiwania, ale trzeba
dokonać upewnić się, że jest to opcja przed dokonaniem zakupu .
Artykuł Źródło: Hoover jest autorem tego artykułu sklepy internetowe na oprogramowaniu istore zwiastuny filmowe .
w przeciwieństwie do dużych sklepów łańcucha kawy wydaje się przyciągnąć więcej ludzi, którzy po prostu chcą chwycić kubek i znów się do
tego, co to oni są zajęci temu . t spełniają Twoje oczekiwania, ale trzeba
dokonać upewnić się, że jest to opcja przed dokonaniem zakupu .
Artykuł Źródło: Hoover jest autorem tego artykułu sklepy internetowe na oprogramowaniu istore zwiastuny filmowe .
Amazing! Its in fact amazing post, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.
Amazing! Its in fact amazing post, I have got much clear idea on the topic of from this paragraph.
Kiedy naprawdę włączyć kran podczas kuchni, jeśli
woda wychodzi wygląda sprawiedliwe i ładnie pachnie, to jesteś zadowolony .
Opcje dostępne dla nas dzisiaj daje nam jakość i standardy, czego
potrzebujemy do tworzenia zorganizowanej przestrzeni będziemy dumni, aby
pokazać naszym przyjaciołom i rodzinie . Za każdym
razem coraz w internecie, to projektowanie sklepów internetowych na zamówienie poznań pewno nie są w stanie przetestować dobry jakość dostępnych produktów
.
Kiedy naprawdę włączyć kran podczas kuchni, jeśli
woda wychodzi wygląda sprawiedliwe i ładnie pachnie, to jesteś zadowolony .
Opcje dostępne dla nas dzisiaj daje nam jakość i standardy, czego
potrzebujemy do tworzenia zorganizowanej przestrzeni będziemy dumni, aby
pokazać naszym przyjaciołom i rodzinie . Za każdym
razem coraz w internecie, to projektowanie sklepów internetowych na zamówienie poznań pewno nie są w stanie przetestować dobry jakość dostępnych produktów
.
I read this post fully about the comparison of newest
and earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
I read this post fully about the comparison of newest
and earlier technologies, it’s amazing article.
This excellent website certainly has all the information I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
This excellent website certainly has all the information I needed about this subject and didn’t know who to ask.
This is the right site for everyone who hopes to understand this
topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I
actually would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject which has been discussed
for many years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
This is the right site for everyone who hopes to understand this
topic. You realize a whole lot its almost hard to argue with you (not that I
actually would want to…HaHa). You certainly put a new spin on a subject which has been discussed
for many years. Excellent stuff, just wonderful!
Thanks for every other informative website. The place else could I am getting that
kind of info written in such an ideal approach? I’ve a venture that
I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such info.
Thanks for every other informative website. The place else could I am getting that
kind of info written in such an ideal approach? I’ve a venture that
I’m simply now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such info.