5 Tips to Make Hiring Experienced Engineers Less Hard

The demand for experienced engineers is at an all-time high. Because they are hard to attract, you have to put in extra effort to hire and retain these talented individuals. These 5 tips can make hiring experienced engineers less hard for your company.

1. Be the Company Engineers Want to Work for

What experienced engineers love more than a competitive salary and benefits package is a work environment that lets them grow and thrive. Create a conducive environment for professional growth via L&D programs, mentorship opportunities, and well-defined career paths. Encourage your engineers to try out new things; let them feel confident to take risks. Rope them into challenging projects and create forums for them to collaborate with other talented engineers in your company. Promote work-life balance by offering flexible schedules, wellness and employee assistance programs.

2. Have Recruiters Who Are Technical

First impressions matter, so make sure that your recruiting team has some of your best engineers.They can connect better with experienced engineers during the hiring process. Candidates will make a note of your team’s proficiency and quality based on your questions and interactions. Engineers prefer recruiters who speak their language and understand their expertise. This doesn’t imply that recruiters must be experts in all the latest technologies, but they must have a clear understanding of the role and technologies for which they are hiring.

3. Focus on the Right Skillset

Experienced engineers bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to a company. The interview should be conducted in such a way that the candidates get the opportunity to showcase their experience, skills, and technical knowledge. Rather than repeating generic interview questions about strengths and weaknesses or where they see themselves in 5 years, ask them more about the technologies they’ll be working with. Have them work on a test project that resembles what they would be doing every day in your company. Make sure that the task can be completed in a few hours and if possible give the candidate a chance to collaborate with an engineer in your team. Other than technical proficiency, look out for problem-solving, collaboration, and leadership skills in experienced candidates.

4. Be Transparent About Your Goals

Senior engineers have a lot of experience and are interested in challenging and meaningful projects. Be upfront about your company’s goals and ambitions to develop trust and establish a strong foundation for a successful working relationship. Be transparent about the role, responsibilities and set realistic expectations for the engineer. This can help prevent disappointment or frustration down the road. Explain to the candidate the entire hiring process, including the assessments, interviews, or reference checks. Provide a timeline for the process and keep the candidate informed at every step.

5. Close as Quickly as Possible

Found the right engineer for the job? Close the deal asap! Make the offer quickly and get them on board. Experienced engineers get readily hired because of the shortage of engineering talent in the market. Make sure to personalize the message and emphasize how they will gain from joining the company when you follow up. If they verbally agree to the position, provide all the necessary paperwork without any delay. Have open, honest conversations about expectations including salary, working hours, benefits, and any other important details both parties need to know.

Conclusion

Hiring experienced engineers can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. By following the five tips outlined in this blog, you can make the process less hard and increase your chances of finding the right candidate for your team.