The roles and vocations that come under the umbrella term of engineering are far-ranging. However, there are many ubiquitous and transferable skills that will help you with any facet of the industry.
Engineering recruitment specialists Precision People round up what they hold to be the top 10 skills you will need as an engineer.
1. Up-to-date technical knowledge
Robust technical knowledge is vital in your mission to get hired, so you should demonstrate how you have honed your skillset since leaving education. Qualifications certify your knowledge of the field but so does familiarising yourself with the latest industry news, as it shows an active and ongoing interest in engineering. Another way of demonstrating your competitive edge is by becoming certified in new areas and technologies.
2. Communication
Developing good communication skills will help your career immeasurably. Not only will it help to secure you a project initially, but your ability to communicate and take direction will help you to complete the project to the required standard. Any issues that may crop up while working will also be resolved quickly when a collaborative approach is taken, which requires great communication skills to be fully effective.
3. Leadership
The crucial question business owners ask when hiring new employees is ‘Can they add value to the organization?’, with the longevity of your placement considered a vital determining factor – when someone wants to advance in the company, it shows ambition and commitment. If you actively want to do well for your company and are prepared to show initiative in adopting responsibility, your hard work ethic will be rewarded.
4. Interpersonal skills
Interpersonal sensitivity will set you apart as mature and capable of leading a team, as well as showing you can adapt to the company culture effectively. If you can bring people together and influence others to focus, you can encourage a sense of rapport that guarantees a project’s success.
5. Critical reasoning
Engineering is suited to a logical mind. It is important to be able to evaluate a piece of work objectively to determine its value, without emotion clouding your judgment. Combine the knowledge you acquired in your career with your critical thinking skills to achieve greater success.
6. Creativity
Despite being technical in nature, engineering vocations still require creativity because you are in the process of creating something new. By having a vision of how unexpected problems can be resolved, and the resourcefulness to adapt to project changes, you will excel at completing the task.
7. Innovation
Everything starts with an idea. If you can contribute ideas of your own – where appropriate, you can help to turn a design idea into a reality. When improvements need to be made to machines, structures, etc. it is the engineers who will be called upon.
8. Enthusiasm
If you are enthusiastic about completing your work to the highest standard, always willing to learn and build on your skills, and helping your employer to achieve its aims, you are guaranteed to have a bright future in engineering!
9. Attention to detail
Accuracy in your work is essential. Even the slightest mistake or miscalculation can cost the company both time and money, so staying focused and exacting precision is crucial at all times.
10. Resilience
By maintaining mental strength, you can adapt to any situation. This life skill will serve you well as an engineer as you are sometimes required to be on-call at any time and the jobs themselves can be both physically and mentally demanding.