Most Sought After Skills Managers Look for in Engineering Grads

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By 11 Academia Networks Team

20 January 2017

Around 1 in 10 university graduates takes up a career in engineering each year. It is a competitive and dynamic field that offers many opportunities for professional realization and development. However, it's important that you know what the most sought after skills managers look for in engineering grads are to give yourself a competitive advantage over other candidates.

One of the main benefits of working in this industry is that there is a wide range of specialization fields that suit all types of personalities and levels of expertise. Some positions require a high level of academic achievement, while others rely more on technical expertise. As engineering needs of employers vary greatly from job to job, the first step in the career development process is to understand what managers need and look for in potential employees. Based on data shared by engineering recruitment firms, these are the most sought after skills managers look for in engineering grads. For more helpful engineering advice, news and career opportunities subscribe to NewEngineer.com here.

Communication skills

Known as ‘soft skills’, employers greatly value recruits who can clearly and efficiently communicate their ideas, plans and needs. Teamwork is the backbone of companies these days and you need to actively contribute if you want to be perceived as a valuable member. Having been part of student organizations, debate clubs and volunteer organizations shows a level of commitment that employers look for and appreciate in engineering grads.

Technical skills

This goes without saying, but solid technical expertise is vital to every engineering job. Knowing how to apply the theoretic knowledge you have accumulated throughout your course of study, however, is equally as important as it translates to solving actual practical problems. Managers are always interested in the grades and certificates of engineering grads, but they’re even more interested in your ability to apply what you’ve learnt in day-to-day processes.

Organizational skills

The engineering field is very dynamic, making it crucial for workers to be able to prioritize tasks, manage their time effectively and plan on resource utilization. More than any other sector, engineering requires multi-tasking as well as frequent field work and attendance of conferences and summits, so engineering grads need to have acquired the ability to distribute their time in a manner that allows them to complete several important tasks at once without it affecting their performance.

Adaptation skills

With the industry constantly undergoing changes to address the needs of human societies for greener buildings and energy, reduced waste output, new technological advancements and the preservation of Earth’s biodiversity – engineers often need to be able to learn new industry practices or adopt newly-introduced government standards on a short notice. It takes a certain level of flexibility and willingness to keep learning to be able to function in such a dynamic field.

Interpersonal Skills

Closely related to communication skills, interpersonal skills are another important component of the toolset that engineering grads must possess. Working in the engineering sector requires close cooperation with other people towards common deliverables and under strict deadlines. Engineering professionals are almost always part of a multi-discipline team and they need to exhibit a positive attitude, interact with people in a friendly manner and be accountable for their assignments in the workplace. There is more to this job than technical prowess.

Naturally, not all engineering grads will excel at all of these skillsets. Communicating freely with different people may be easier for some, depending on their personality type. However, this should not discourage you from trying to cultivate the skills you feel you’re lacking in as this could make a huge difference professionally. As a general rule, people are adaptable and with sufficient efforts and determination can develop the skills that are targeted by managers in their field of choice.

Engineering grads can start by taking on leadership roles for groups or projects during college as well as consider internships to accumulate hands-on experience in dealing with the daily challenges of the industry. There are also a wide variety of professional development workshops and programs that offer training in conflict resolution, mediation and problem solving if these are the areas you need to work on.