More Career Advice for Engineering Graduates

It's graduation season, and engineering school graduates are about to embark on their careers. You may be one of them or may be celebrating one—congratulations! 

To help graduates identify and pursue opportunities, Design News reached out to a few engineering career experts for advice. We’ve already shared some great advice from Mitch Maiman, cofounder of product design and development firm Intelligent Product Solutions (IPS).

Here we share insights from Scott Sargis, president and chief recruiting officer of Strategic Search Corp., an executive recruiting firm focused on R&D, engineering, technical, IT, scientific, and manufacturing fields; and Alyssa Payne, an executive recruiting manager focused on engineering skill sets for Actalent, an engineering consultancy firm.

We asked Sargis and Payne about steps graduates should take as they start their engineering job search. We also asked about the engineering skills that are in high demand today, how to stand out from other applicants, outlooks for engineers in specific industries or particular job functions, when engineers should go back for continued education, and more.

The good news is that despite the recent spate of tech layoffs, there are still plenty of job opportunities. “We are still seeing a people shortage in the labor market,” says Payne. “All industries are hiring.” One of the hottest job markets is medical device, as there is still a lot of funding that allows companies to focus on R&D, she adds.

Overall, “the outlook is strong,” she says. “To be quite frank, we haven’t seen anything but a plethora of jobs.”

Click through our slideshow for some must-read advice on building an engineering career—it may also help working engineers!