What soft skills do you need when looking for a new engineering role?

Soft skills are becoming an increasingly important tool for engineering candidates. You need to be able to demonstrate both on your CV and in interview, if you want to make it through the engineering recruitment process. With more and more employers placing emphasis not just on technical ability but the interpersonal skills of engineering candidates, it’s vital to develop the attributes that sets your application apart from the other candidates.

"Over 89% of engineering employers site that previous bad hires have been so due to a lack of soft skills and therefore candidates who want to succeed in the industry must embrace them." 

But what are soft skills and how can you demonstrate them to, initially recruitment consultants if you are using them and also to potential new employers? 

Soft skills are much more difficult to define and measure – they are the interpersonal or “people” skills that help you to successfully interact with others in the workplace. These include, effective communication, flexibility and creative thinking among others. 

HERE'S 3 TIPS TO HELP YOU 

Here are 3 top soft skills that as an engineer, you can highlight on your CV to give engineering recruitment consultants and potential employers real insights on you when reading it to get them interested. 

1. GETTING ALONG WITH OTHERS

Teamwork is a day to day function in the engineering field and so when creating job specifictions and starting to see who may be on the market, employers are keen on candidates who are can work well with others. Whether that means solving system issues with people or collaborating on projects with the designers, working in a constructive manner and in a way that is accommodating is a great skill to demonstrate on your CV.

2. BEING A CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVER

While equations and mathematical calculations provide concrete answers, looking at a problem from a creative perspective is highly valued within engineering As well as being able to work out the parameters of a project, it’s creative thinking which powers innovation which is why employers put such a huge emphasis on the ability to think outside of the box when it comes to making new hires. Your CV needs to have a section where you can demonstrate your problem solving skills, it only needs to be a few lines and bullet points work brilliantly for this. 

3. WORKING WELL UNDER PRESSURE

Projects rarely run without hindrance and when something goes wrong, machines brekdown, or deadlines are put back, everyone should be able to think calmly and adapt to different working conditions. Can you think of a time when you worked well under pressure? Is this currently on your CV? If not add it on, again it can be in bullet point form. 

Engineering companies are looking for applicants who can provide examples of delivering projects under pressure or times when they have pre-empted possible issues, so that the appropriate measures can be put into place to aid the progression of a project.

Specialist engineering companies will work together with knowledgable engineering recruitment companies to assist them in hiring the right engineering candidates with the correct soft skills. 

Top Tip: Even if you're not looking for a new role, it's good practice to keep your CV up to date. If you have just completed a particular project which demonstrated your soft skills why not add it to your CV while it's fresh in your mind? 

Thinking about a new engineering role?

If you're thinking about looking for a new engineering role because you're currently working too many hours or not receiving the recongnition your deserve, the 1st step is to update your CV using these three tips and then contact a specialist engineering recruitment consultant who will work with you to identify a role that you want. 

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