Jobs in the engineering sector have always been difficult to fill, especially in niche industries. Experts believe that there are only around 18 qualified engineering candidates available in the workforce for every job opening. Engineers go through many years of focused training and the job requires ongoing training to maintain certifications. Therefore, it can take months to find an engineer for a single job.
What are some of the hardest engineering jobs to fill?
According to Wanted Analytics, a CEB company, these are the engineering jobs that were the hardest to fill as of the most recent numbers:
- Human Factors Engineers and Ergonomists
- Industrial Engineers
- Industrial Safety and Health Engineers
- Fire Prevention and Protection Engineers
- Mining and Geological Engineers, Including Mining Safety Engineers
- Electrical Engineers
- Mechanical Engineers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Marine Engineers and Naval Architects
How can a company fill a position like this?
Glassdoor had some recommendations for filling hard-to-fill jobs like the engineer roles above. These include:
Build up social media networks – Get engineering candidates, including passive ones, interested in the company by connecting with them on LinkedIn and other social networks they frequent. Talk about the great career opportunities and compensation your company offers as opposed to the competition.
Get those employee referrals – One of the top ways to learn about engineering candidates is through direct employee referral programs. In fact, engineers would rather work with their friends so they are eager to share the names of their peers who would be a good fit for the company they work for.
Use smart content marketing campaigns – Develop a strategic content plan that includes marketing to engineers and job seekers. Publish on blogs, forums, and engineering magazines. Get content that is friendly to engineers, such as tips on YouTube and other material they will enjoy. Let them know how to apply for jobs in the content.
Improve job descriptions – Take the time to revamp the current engineering job descriptions to update them and make them more appealing. Think about the passive candidates who may be causally looking around to make a career change too. Sell the company to candidates, don’t make the job description a list of 20 things they must have to qualify.
Head for the colleges – In addition to staffing agencies that specialize in the placement of engineering candidates, take your recruitment efforts to colleges and universities that have quality engineering programs. Work with instructors and advisors to identify students who may be interested in internships to earn educational credits and jobs following graduation.
