Current Staff Help Find, Vet, and Train New Employees
Current Staff Help Find, Vet, and Train New Employees
No one knows an organization better than its current employees. So it makes sense that those “in the trenches” will help you find, hire, and train those who will perform at a high level.
Research shows that job applicants referred by current employees tend to have superior work credentials, are more likely to be hired, and ultimately perform at a higher level.
After all, no one knows a company’s culture and vision better than those in the trenches—the reason engineers are valuable when it comes to bringing new blood on board.
In fact, employee referrals—touted by Forbes magazine as “the holy grail of hiring”—are the number-one source of new hires in corporate America.
Matthew Jozefczyk, an advanced mechanical engineer at Boston Engineering in Massachusetts, said he and his colleagues often are an integral part of the hiring process.
“We have a close relationship with our human resources team,” he said. “They usually trust us to make the right decision.”
Engineers can help vet throughout the recruitment process. A good starting point is sorting through resumes to identify skills and relevant experience, given their understanding of particular software programs and technical jargon innate to the industry.
They also can sit in on interviews to make sure candidates are asked relevant and highly detailed questions for the role.
“I like to ask about specific projects candidates have done in the past,” Jozefczyk said. “We can have a pretty fluid conversation about it. And it’s pretty easy when both sides share a technical point of view.”
This level of commonality both breaks the ice and piques the interest of job candidates.
Said Timothy Howe, a mechanical engineer and senior associate at Stantec based in Rochester, N.Y.: “The applicant can then be provided an opportunity to expand the conversation, commiserate around challenging technical solutions, or gain intimate knowledge about how an organization supports and values motivated employees.”
At the same time, employees should be prepared for potentially awkward questions—and decide ahead of time how to manage them gracefully.
“‘What is the least enjoyable thing about your organization?’ is an opportunity to be personable,” Howe said. “Every organization has areas that can be improved.”
Impressive skills are only half the battle for candidates hoping to make a lasting impression with employees.
“There’s also an interpersonal fit that’s required, so I evaluate the candidate in a holistic way,” Jozefczyk continued. “How well do they fit with the company’s mission and with the rest of the team members? Everybody has to work well together.”
Just as critical is open and frequent communication with the human resources department, so that every aspect of the process is completed in an organized, timely way.
Howe said higher education events are a great place to “stimulate students into thinking about a career in your practice area,” as well as to network, especially when linked through recruitment programs.
Jozefczyk, for example, is part of a two-person team that hires from mechanical engineering co-ops at nearby Northeastern University.
Howe adds that schools, societies, and technical committees also are excellent avenues to better understand your local and regional talent pool.
Career fairs, informational sessions, and unique opportunities are other ways to notice and help nab good talent before other companies get the chance.
Engineers are busy, but Jozefczyk said there’s enough time to do this important work while handling other important work. He said the entire recruitment process for a single candidate takes between two and three weeks, from sorting through resumes to an accepted offer, and considers that a small commitment of time when compared to the advantages that come with having the right co-worker by his side.
“You have to think about it more from a long-term point of view,” he explained. “Maybe it’s worth putting more time into recruiting to get the best possible co-worker on your team, who maybe can take some of the workload off you in the future.”
And if nothing else, maybe money talks. CareerBuilder estimates that 82 percent of employers rated employee referrals above all other sources for generating the best return on investment.
Robin Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
After all, no one knows a company’s culture and vision better than those in the trenches—the reason engineers are valuable when it comes to bringing new blood on board.
In fact, employee referrals—touted by Forbes magazine as “the holy grail of hiring”—are the number-one source of new hires in corporate America.
Work together
Matthew Jozefczyk, an advanced mechanical engineer at Boston Engineering in Massachusetts, said he and his colleagues often are an integral part of the hiring process.
“We have a close relationship with our human resources team,” he said. “They usually trust us to make the right decision.”
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They also can sit in on interviews to make sure candidates are asked relevant and highly detailed questions for the role.
“I like to ask about specific projects candidates have done in the past,” Jozefczyk said. “We can have a pretty fluid conversation about it. And it’s pretty easy when both sides share a technical point of view.”
This level of commonality both breaks the ice and piques the interest of job candidates.
Expand conversation
Said Timothy Howe, a mechanical engineer and senior associate at Stantec based in Rochester, N.Y.: “The applicant can then be provided an opportunity to expand the conversation, commiserate around challenging technical solutions, or gain intimate knowledge about how an organization supports and values motivated employees.”
At the same time, employees should be prepared for potentially awkward questions—and decide ahead of time how to manage them gracefully.
“‘What is the least enjoyable thing about your organization?’ is an opportunity to be personable,” Howe said. “Every organization has areas that can be improved.”
Impressive skills are only half the battle for candidates hoping to make a lasting impression with employees.
“There’s also an interpersonal fit that’s required, so I evaluate the candidate in a holistic way,” Jozefczyk continued. “How well do they fit with the company’s mission and with the rest of the team members? Everybody has to work well together.”
Just as critical is open and frequent communication with the human resources department, so that every aspect of the process is completed in an organized, timely way.
Howe said higher education events are a great place to “stimulate students into thinking about a career in your practice area,” as well as to network, especially when linked through recruitment programs.
Jozefczyk, for example, is part of a two-person team that hires from mechanical engineering co-ops at nearby Northeastern University.
Howe adds that schools, societies, and technical committees also are excellent avenues to better understand your local and regional talent pool.
Career fairs, informational sessions, and unique opportunities are other ways to notice and help nab good talent before other companies get the chance.
Time spent
Engineers are busy, but Jozefczyk said there’s enough time to do this important work while handling other important work. He said the entire recruitment process for a single candidate takes between two and three weeks, from sorting through resumes to an accepted offer, and considers that a small commitment of time when compared to the advantages that come with having the right co-worker by his side.
“You have to think about it more from a long-term point of view,” he explained. “Maybe it’s worth putting more time into recruiting to get the best possible co-worker on your team, who maybe can take some of the workload off you in the future.”
And if nothing else, maybe money talks. CareerBuilder estimates that 82 percent of employers rated employee referrals above all other sources for generating the best return on investment.
Robin Flanigan is an independent writer in Rochester, N.Y.
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