Engineering is a highly sought-after career, and there are lots of pathways you can take to become a successful engineer. Whether you want to work in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering or any other field, there are multiple paths available to help you get the job that’s right for you. While the journey towards fulfilling your career goals may seem intimidating, there are several steps you can take to ensure that you’re on the right track. To make your journey to success easier we have summarised our top 10 tips to help you become a successful engineer.
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1. Understand what skills you need to become a successful Engineer
As with any career, potential employers look out for certain skillsets for particular job roles that they are hiring for. It takes hard work, dedication, and the ability to think creatively to become a successful engineer. Many aspiring engineers often overlook the importance of these skills when they first enter the industry. Successful engineers must be creative problem-solvers, pay close attention to detail while keeping an eye on the big picture. You must understand how the parts of your project(s) fit together, as well as being able to communicate effectively with team members from different disciplines. Interpersonal and communication skills are essential to motivate your teams and ensure everyone is working towards a common goal.
2. Work Hard
Working hard is the key to success in any profession. Whether you are an engineer, a doctor, or a teacher, putting in hard work and dedication will help you to achieve your goals. As an engineer, it means understanding and mastering the principles of engineering and consistently employing them throughout your work.
3. Your Professional Development
It is important to keep learning new skills throughout your engineering career. Dedicating time regularly towards expanding your knowledge base will help you develop strategies for tackling problems more efficiently and effectively. Additionally, taking on challenging tasks that push beyond comfort zones can teach valuable lessons about areas needing improvement and provide opportunities for growth.
5. Don’t Forget to ask for Feeback
To be successful in your engineering career ensure that you seek regular feedback from both your line manager and mentors. Not only will it help you gain insight into how others view your performance, but it will also keep you from becoming stagnant in your work. Requests for feedback don’t have to be intimidating; rather, they should be a part of every professional’s personal growth process.
Feedback can come from supervisors or colleagues and should provide both positive and constructive feedback on how you are performing within your role. Such critiques offer a chance to assess your current performance and determine what steps you need to be to edge you closer to your long-term goals. This type of review can help build relationships with your line manager and colleagues as it gives you both an opportunity to talk about common interests and successes.
6. Don’t Fear Mistakes – Use Them as Learning Tools
Engineering is a complex field. Working on complicated projects, it is inevitable that mistakes will happen as with any career. However, this should not be seen as a negative thing. Mistakes in engineering are important components of the learning process, particularly if you are working with cutting edge technologies or systems. Experienced engineers understand that sometimes failure leads to progress and growth in their skillset, mindset or knowledge base.
7. Understand What Makes Decision Makers Tick!
It is important to understand and be familiar with the results and outcomes that matter the most to the decision makers you will be working on a project. Decision makers tend to focus on outcomes that maximises return on investment and project outcomes. You don’t have to forget or shy away from sharing innovative ideas with them just remember the outcomes that are of great importance to them.
8. Embrace Change
Engineering is an ever-evolving field and to become a successful engineer you need to stay ahead of the latest industry developments and technologies to remain competitive. Rapid advances in technologies and thinking, mean nothing stands still when it comes to engineering. From materials science to renewable energy sources, engineers are regularly challenged with finding new ways to create a better tomorrow.
9. Think Positive
Engineering is a unique field that focuses on problem solving. It requires creativity and innovation to find solutions to complex problems. An important component of success as an engineer is having a can-do positive attitude. It’s essential for engineers to remain positive even in the face of difficult challenges. This can-do approach can help you to think outside the box and generate new ideas that might not have been considered before. Having an optimistic outlook also helps foster collaboration between colleagues and clients, which is vital for successful engineering projects. Having this positive attitude allows engineers to take risks without fear of failure, which makes them more likely to succeed in their endeavours and improve their skills as an engineer overall.
10. Build Strategic Relationships
Having a colleague that you admire and can learn from is invaluable for success. Whether it is the best engineer that you know in your company or someone more experienced in your field, learning from their experience can help you further your engineering career. Remember you can also benefit from creating relationships with colleagues outside of engineering as they will have a different perspective on project success something that you can apply to your role.
What LotusWorks looks out for in a Successful Engineer
LotusWorks’ Global Talent Acquisition Manager Paula shares her advice for candidates when it comes to furthering a career in the engineering space –
“Technical skills are a major part of any engineering job and having them clearly listed on a CV will help to demonstrate your knowledge, expertise and experience in the sector relevant to that of the job responsibilities / requirements that you are applying for”
The LotusWorks Talent Acquisition Team understand the importance of finding the right fit employee that not only showcases the required skillset but also embodies the company culture. Key skills that the LotusWorks Talent Acquisition Team look for in potential engineering candidates are (i) Technical skillset, (ii) communication skills, (iii) problem-solving capabilities & (iv) ability to work as part of a team. LotusWork’s company culture puts people first, encourages knowledge sharing, values safety, supports teamwork and believes in learning and development. At LotusWorks our commissioning engineers predominately fall within two disciplines: Mechanical Commissioning and Electrical Commissioning. LotusWorks Mechanical and Electrical Commissioning engineers play a pivotal role in ensuring that our client facilities operate as intended. Our employees enjoy interesting, challenging, rewarding and collaborative work. LotusWorks foster an environment for employees that centres around affording them with opportunities to expand their skillset and knowledge enabling them to grow and progress within their chosen career.
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