Managing an Engineering Career During a Pandemic

Undoubtedly, 2020 was a less than ideal year for everyone alike. With the world engulfed in a pandemic, businesses swinging between stability and instability, and economic uncertainty looming wide and great, never has there been a more important time to micromanage your career- especially if you’re an engineer.

Whether you’re a recent graduate or a seasoned expert, the economy affects all alike. Here are a couple of tips you can abide by to uplift your career trajectory and guarantee success.

1. Being Proactive

For most young engineers, a common misperception seems to be being instantly recruited to a company upon graduation. Sadly, getting a job is never that easy- especially not with a pandemic looming over the world.

One cannot simply think of putting their resumes out there and expect a recruiter to find them a suitable position instantly. Relying on someone else to get you a job is an absolute no-no. Instead, try being proactive in your search. Figure out what your dream job would be and the skillsets you need to have to achieve it. You need to ensure that you manage your direction and path to achieve your goals.

Pexels | Keep building those skills

2. Networking

As with every other field, the best way for an upwards trajectory is networking. You never know what doors it might open, maybe even ones you never thought possible. A surefire way of getting shortlisted for a job is through a referral.  As an engineer, you might want to hang around experts from your field. You might want to attend seminars and conferences- basically, any events where you might find like-minded individuals.

Pexels | Conferences are the best place to meet people from your field

3.  Stand out in a Crowd

The key to landing your next job is being able to stand out from the rest. For any position that you apply to, there will be hundreds of candidates in line, with resumes that don’t look much different than yours. Your job, hence, is to ensure that yours stands out.

Add experiences or skills that immediately grab your employer’s attention. You can mention a project that you’ve worked on and the value you added to the said project. For the interview, you can walk in with a sample project. Seeing your skills in work is bound to wow any prospective employer.

Pexels | A breakdown of previous projects can speak to your abilities

To Conclude

There are very few things that we can actually control and your career is one of them. If you remain proactive, continue networking, and ensure that you stand out in a crowd, you’ll be on a one-way train to success in no time.