What are engineering recruiters really looking for? In order to find out, I visited with Michael Tully, the Director of Talent Acquisition for Manhard Consulting in Chicago, IL. Manhard is a civil engineering and surveying firm with offices in Colorado, Illinois, Nevada, North Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.
“At job fairs, you talk to everyone who comes up to you,” said Mike, a professional recruiter for the past nine years. “Candidates stand out from the rest by being prepared, polite and humble, professionally dressed, and having their resumes.”
We’ll start with these four topics and then move to some of Mike’s other tips.
Have Resumes
I know this was the last one in his list, but I laughed when Mike said this during our phone call, so I want to start with it.
“Seriously?” I asked, half laughing. “You’ve had people at a job fair come up to you without a resume?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
Mike went on to say that it’s not common, but it does happen.
“Sometimes they come up and say, ‘I ran out.’”
Be sure to print more resumes than you think you could possibly need. You might find a company you weren’t expecting to visit and you give them a resume. Or you might accidentally hand someone two copies. Or you could simply drop one. I’ve seen resumes on the ground before, so someone is definitely dropping them.
Print twice the number you need. If you get called back for an interview, you’ll have spares to hand each person in the room.
Be Prepared
Mike called these the Things That Take No Talent:
Show up on time
Five minutes early is on time. Fifteen minutes early is early. On time is late.
Research the company before the interview
No one expects you to know everything about the company. But know something. Read up on a recent project, know the company’s campus locations, jot down the core values.
Have questions
Don’t expect the recruiters to ask all the questions. Asking about their company is great, but if you don’t have questions like those, ask the recruiters about themselves. Or ask what has made other new engineers successful in their roles.
Be Polite and Humble
Smile, greet people, and be friendly. These will warm people up to you. Along with minding your manners, the occasional “yes sir” and “yes ma’am” go a long way.
“Humble is so important to me,” said Mike. “Have confidence but don’t be rude or overconfident.”
Mike went on to say that some of the overconfident candidates would rub people the wrong way with a demeanor that bordered on arrogance.
During this part of the conversation, Mike and I discussed the Patrick Lencioni book, The Ideal Team Player. In it, Lencioni agrees with Mike by writing that the ideal team player is humble, hungry, and smart.
Dress Professionally
No one expects you to be in an expensive suit. Just show up looking sharp and professional.
And please, give a care for hygiene.
“Candidates have shown up looking and smelling like they were out partying all night.”
Be Enthusiastic
“When someone comes up to talk to me and they’re excited and enthusiastic, they catch my attention,” said Mike.
Skills can be taught. You got your engineering degree in college. You can be taught to speak in public. You can even be taught to lead. But you cannot be taught enthusiasm. This is something you must figure out for yourself and bring it with you every single day.
“When someone is excited to meet you – when they have real enthusiasm – that’s a great thing to see.”
Involvement
One thing that Mike and other recruiters love to see is involvement in organizations.
“What are you doing besides going to school? Sorority, fraternity, sports, job? Anything that makes you manage your time is important.”
Having a job or being involved in an organization shows that you can balance your school work with other activities. It shows you can set priorities. On the job, engineers will have many competing priorities and must be able to balance them.
Final Takeaway
Through the conversation, I understood Mike wasn’t just looking for someone with a 4.0 GPA. Mike was looking for someone who could show up, be excited, want to grow, and manage their time in a fast-paced organization.
“I believe in what we do as a firm,” said Mike, “and I love the people.”
He’s looking for people who can connect, grow, and perform. And he’s not alone. Recruiters in every engineering field are looking for people like that.
Take some tips from Mike and wow your next recruiter.
Author: Tracy Thomason
Agile project manager by day, craft beer drinker by night, and avid reader anytime I can get 5 minutes alone with my Kindle.
More posts by Tracy
Featured photo courtesy of Mike Tully