Every firm wants to hire the best and brightest engineering talent. But how you actually get there can be a challenge. As leading engineering recruiters in Houston, Murray Resources has sourced, screened and helped hire hundreds of engineering professionals for companies in Houston and beyond. Below are a few tips we’ve acquired along the way:

Ask for Referrals

During the resume screen and interview process, you really only get a piece of the candidate picture. But when you get a personal referral from someone you know and trust, you gain access to a level of information (regarding capabilities and personality) that you wouldn’t otherwise be privy to. This can be invaluable during the hiring process.

For instance, any candidate can seem like a good listener and collaborator during an interview, but once they’re on the job, is that really who they are? With a personal referral, you’ll have far more confidence in the answer.

Conduct Great Interviews

Regardless of the type of engineer you’re trying to hire, there are a few important competencies to be on the lookout for. These include: ability to learn and adapt, ability to solve problems, ability to deliver positive results, and pro-activeness.

In order to evaluate candidates for each of them, you need to conduct interviews in a thoughtful manner. That means no winging it or showing up unprepared. For instance, in order to assess problem solving ability, give each candidate a real problem to solve. To evaluate results, ask the candidate to describe a past project they are proud of. And when a candidate makes a claim, don’t just take it at face value. Push them on it – and ask follow-up questions – to ensure there is substance behind their initial answer.

Once you’ve gone through the interview process, ask yourself a few important questions about each candidate that help you further evaluate the above competencies – e.g. Is a candidate able to quickly think on their feet? Are their answers coherent and confident? Did you learn something new when talking to them?

Focus on What Engineers Want

When interviewing candidates, it’s important to focus on what many engineers want in order to sell the opportunity to them. For instance:

• Top engineers want to work for companies that have leading edge technology. So promote yours, particularly if it’s ahead of the competition’s.

• Besides technology, most engineering candidates are also highly ambitious and want to get ahead. So talk about opportunities for advancement and professional development at your company.

• In addition, many engineers want to make a difference and help someone or benefit the bottom line. So explain to them how their work at the company could potentially do one or all of those things.

• And of course, good engineers demand competitive pay and benefits. A strong compensation package can certainly tip the scales in your direction when recruiting engineers.

Give Candidates a Positive Experience

Even if you don’t wind up hiring a candidate, you still want to provide a great experience with your company. Why? Because they likely hang around with other engineers and will talk to them about how you treated them – the good, the bad and the ugly. So provide all candidates with a positive experience, including:

• Reading their resume before the interview and showing a personal interest in them.

• Giving the candidate some time to ask questions at the end of the interview.

• Staying in contact with candidates and letting someone know as soon as they are out of the running for the job.

Need More Help Recruiting Engineers?

Let Murray Resources know. As leading engineering recruiters in Houston, we have access to some of the top engineering professionals in Houston and can help you find the one that’s right for your job opportunity. If you’re ready to make the hiring process easier – and find the engineers you need – contact Murray Resources today.