Tips for Engineers

During a Down
Economy
October 2011
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During a down economy, it is common for employers to cut back or eliminate
development programs for engineers, delaying or canceling conference
attendance, or limiting the ability to sit in on career-boosting seminars or
certifications. Here are some tips that can benefit engineers, whether employed
by a company experiencing cutbacks or those looking for a job.
Seek Creative Methods for Keeping Skills Up to Date
Take charge of your own development. If your company is unable to sponsor
formal training programs such as Project Management Professional (PMP),
Professional Engineer, or Six Sigma Blackbelt certification, mine your company
itself and local chapters of professional societies for self-directed and on-the-job
learning opportunities.
Have informal conversations with company leaders about development and how
it's going.

Seek learning opportunities by broadening your job scope. Show an interest in
job rotations, international assignments, or by attending meetings that don't
directly relate to a current position.
Look for new experiences that are challenging and motivational. Those that allow
you to grow and handle greater scale or scope (larger budgets, staff, more
activities and complexity) may help label you as having high potential for a
leadership position in the future.
Joe Lampinen, director and engineering product manager with Kelly Services,
Inc., New York, NY, says "It's also worthwhile to evaluate opportunities to change
industries or functional roles. For example, consider switching from mechanical
design engineering to quality engineering."
Seek Mentors
Seek a mentor. Wise coaching or mentorship can help develop better leadership
affiliations and achievements. In addition to seeking new knowledge, mentors
can help engineers seek new ideas and understanding, and provide feedback.
A formal program is not needed, and potential mentors may be as close as your
current company or professional society. Offering to stay in touch by Skype or
telephone may help fit mentoring meetings into busy schedules as well.
Follow Companies Online
Find websites with relevant job listings or industry news, and use an RSS feed
reader such as Google Reader to track updates to the sites as they appear
online.
Download and use mobile apps that keep track of custom job searches on
relevant engineering sites such as Dice.
Click "Follow Company" on LinkedIn for a fast way to research company
locations, updates, and much more about its employees. LinkedIn displays who
at the company are alumni of the college you attended, who have recently left the
company, who have new titles or have departed, and suggests similar companies
that may be of interest. It also displays where company employees worked
previously or went to school, and provides news highlights.
Click "Follow Company" on Twitter to receive relevant, targeted company
updates, news, and job postings. Use Twitter's "similar user" suggestions to
research other potential companies, blogs, or related divisions that provide a
deeper look into people and opportunities there.
Consider Going Back to School
If you have been out of work for a long time or need updated skills, continuing
your education may increase job prospects in your current field or allow you to
enter a different, growing industry with more opportunities.
Look for grants, scholarships, and financial aid for STEM subjects (science,
technology, engineering, and math) to ease the financial burden.
Seek specialized programs that make it easier to return to school, such as for
returning adults, veterans, and growing industries such as renewable energy.
Consider attending schools online to include opportunities beyond your physical
location through Internet-based courses.

Stay Positive The Numbers Are Looking Up For Engineers
Finally, job seekers, stay positive. Despite the economic woes, there are more
engineering jobs now than last year, and more than in 2009. TechAmerica's 2011
Midyear Jobs Report showed that the jobs that were lost in 2010 have
materialized in 2011.
With their recent Q3 numbers, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also reports that
engineering and specifically mechanical engineering jobs are increasing (in its
"2011 Current Population Survey" detailed occupation report). Of the
approximately 300,000 mechanical engineers in the U.S., the rate of unemployed
has declined from the height of the recession in 2009, and is heading toward
2007 pre-recessional levels.
Debbie Sniderman holds an MENG from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. She is an
independent writer and regular contributor to Mechanical Engineering.