Hiring an engineer is a big step in your company’s growth. It is also a costly one. But you need a technical mind that can bring your ideas to life. The benefits of a good engineer can far outweigh the cost. How can you find and hire the best engineer?
Here are three steps to take to walk through the crucial process of hiring an engineer for your team.
1. Assess your company’s needs: what you need from them (preliminary or technical)
Where are you at in your product development? Why are you hiring an engineer? You need to have these questions answered before your recruitment begins. If you already have solid designs and functionality of your product, then you do not need the genius engineer that dreams up the algorithms for IBM Watson. It matters what stage you are at to decide what candidate will be the most qualified. Hiring an engineer that doesn’t fit your needs is a waste of money that you could be investing elsewhere.
2. Be ready to assess talent before the interview.
Set clear goals before anyone steps into the interview. You need to look at why you need an engineer and focus your search around that explanation. Your team and the candidate need to have a clear picture of exactly what their job requirements will be for your growing company. Have a script of interview questions drafted around their expected role and their ability to execute the results that you need them for. Additionally, it will help to prepare their compensation package beforehand to be upfront in what you can offer them.
3. What skills do they offer?
Qualify the candidates for the position by determining what talents they have. Engineers have different strengths. For instance, they could be a technical wizard that can execute requirements with ease. This is a scenario where you know what you want, but you need someone to carry it out. But perhaps you are looking for an idea person who can solve the problems that you are stuck on in your product development. You know where you want the company to go, but coming up with the specifics of your product may be better left to an expert in the field. Of course, a quality engineer should have a balance of both, but these specialties do exist.
Attracting a high quality engineer is tough. The most talented tend to go towards the largest companies that can offer them the most attractive compensation and support. But with the proper preparation and clear objectives in mind, you can utilize a new hire to their potential. An engineer has the technical training and the thinking process that no one at your company has. What you do have is a tactical business mind who knows how to get the most out of your resources.
Done the right way, hiring an engineer is one of the most strategic decisions you’ll make.
TruPath helps organizations find culturally aligned talent. Contact our team today to learn how we may be able to assist you in hiring an engineer.