It’s Time to Reengineer Your Relationships with Recruiters
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Engineering managers count on third-party recruiters to find talented professionals for contract and full-time positions, even on short notice. But relying on a reactive, last-minute approach to talent acquisition and outsiders may result in higher bill rates and fewer engineering candidates to choose from in a competitive labor market. Treating recruiters as… Read more »
Smart Moves for Mid-Career Engineers
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Are you stuck in a rut? Do you feel under-challenged and unfilled? If it seems like your engineering career has hit a plateau, here are six activities to get you moving forward again. In fact, proactively engaging in one or more of these activities can broaden your skill set and give you… Read more »
Get Engineering Contractors Up to Speed with a Project Communication Plan
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Getting new contractors up to speed quickly and keeping them in the loop can put an added burden on busy engineering managers and project managers, who already spend as much as 90 percent of their time communicating. Fortunately, a project communication plan can help newcomers receive essential information and assimilate swiftly, as… Read more »
How to Build Strong Relationships with Engineering Managers
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Having healthy relationships with several engineering managers can lead to more contract assignments, recommendations and even referrals. Plus, building positive associations with your colleagues and boss can make the time you spend working on projects more enjoyable and satisfying. While each relationship will be unique, here are some general ways for contractors… Read more »
5 Ways to Get an Engineering Contractor to Accept Your Offer
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Engineering contractors are in high demand these days. So much so, that an experienced professional with desirable skills and credentials may receive multiple offers. Losing your top choice to a competitor can hurt your firm’s ability to take on additional projects, lower morale and increase stress. And who has the time to… Read more »
5 Ways to Land a Stretch Engineering Assignment
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Once you master the basic techniques, concepts and equipment in your niche, it’s natural for engineers to want to learn new things. However, snagging an assignment that ventures beyond your current knowledge or skill level can be tricky, especially for contractors who are experiencing strong demand for their expertise. Alas, you may… Read more »
Modern Tools for Managing an Engineering Team
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman If you’re still using paper forms and conference calls to manage your staff, you might be a little behind the times. Modern engineering managers are using web tools, mobile apps and cloud-based software to communicate, invigorate and improve their team’s performance. Best of all, replacing outdated systems and paper intensive processes with… Read more »
Three Ways to Scope Out an Engineering Firm Before an Interview
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Whether you’re interviewing for a contract assignment or a regular full-time position, the engineering manager will probably ask: “So, what do you know about our firm?” How you respond to this seemingly innocent question could mean the difference between an offer and rejection. According to a survey of 2,000 bosses, failing to… Read more »
Staffing Firms vs. Independent Contractors: What Engineering Managers Should Know
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman On the surface, the differences between an independent contractor (IC, or 1099) and a contract engineer supplied by a staffing firm may seem negligible. But employment status can impact the way you select, manage and interact with interim workers. The main difference lies in the fact that contractors from staffing firms… Read more »
For Engineering Contractors: How Staffing Firms Really Work
By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Even if you’ve been contracting for years, you may not understand exactly how staffing firms work. The more you know about the industry’s inner workings, and the nature of its relationships with engineering managers, the more you can use them to your advantage. Here’s the inside scoop about how professional… Read more »