6 essential qualities that every engineer should have

The expectations of the professional world, society and individuals, expressed in terms of the skills necessary for the exercise of engineering professions, have evolved over time. Initially oriented specifically towards scientific and technological skills, they have gradually broadened to include financial, commercial, managerial, and even social skills. 

The human qualities or soft skillshave also increased in demand. Having good reasoning skills and rigor remains important for an engineer, but this is no longer enough! Whether you are an engineer preparing for an interview or a recruitment company, keep reading! 

In the next article of Talent2Win, we will mention 6 skills for an engineer. The qualities listed below are applicable to any type of job in the engineering sector. These are valid for mechanical engineers, electronics engineers, software development engineers and more! 

1. Creativity

You would think that this skill would be reserved for artists, but not at all! The engineering profession requires great creativity. Engineers must constantly solve complex problems by innovating. To do this, they must spend a lot of time looking for original and new solutions. 

2. Rigorand organization 

Rigor, organization, precision of reasoning and method are essential qualities for an engineer in order to guarantee the reliability of the proposed solutions, with restrictions of time, resources and compliance with regulations. Since errors can have serious consequences, it is essential to know how to respect established processes, to be meticulous and to be interested in details to carry out an analysis by studying all possible scenarios. 

Can you imagine an engineer thinking about building a bridge and forgetting to take into account an obvious calculation? No way! This could cause serious problems. Any innovation needs to be tested very carefully. The role of an engineer involves a lot of responsibility. 

3. Communication and teamwork

Another essential skill for any engineer is knowing how to communicate within a team. An engineer will never work alone on a large-scale project. Consequently, they must be team players and be able to communicate their ideas to their colleagues or clients both orally and in writing. They must be able to defend their ideas as well as present their results. 

To do this, they must be able to listen and learn from others as well as express their opinions: they must sometimes be persuasive and show leadership. They must be diplomatic and patient, and have good negotiating skills. 

4. Curiosity

Even though all engineers are rather curious by nature, it is very important to develop one’s curiosity over time by seeking to continuously learn. Engineers are by nature inventors or creators, so in order to be able to innovate, they must always be aware of the latest innovations in their sector. Their job therefore requires them to stay “at the cutting edge of technology”. 

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5.Risk taking

In order to innovate you have to know how to take risks. Engineers who take few risks will therefore find it harder to solve complex problems they might face. However, every decision must be carefully calculated. Be careful not to take uncalculated risks that could have serious consequences. 

6. Perfect knowledge of a technical field

The hallmark of an engineer is obviously to have highly advanced technical knowledge in a specific field. If you are an engineer, we recommend you to choose your specialty well in order to assert yourself as an expert in your field in the job market. For example, a highly skilled mechanical engineer will always be more valuable than an engineer with “good” mechanical, electronic and computer skills. 

If you don’t have all these qualities, don’t worry: you will be able to acquire and strengthen them throughout your engineering training, through courses and numerous group projects, internships in companies and international experiences, but also by participating in community life, which allows you to learn how to organize yourself, manage a budget, manage a team, etc.

These are all qualities that will enrich your CV so that you can stand out and learn every day from each new challenge as an engineer! For recruiters, being able to quickly spot essential skills in an engineering candidate’s resume is vital.

While it’s always good for an engineer to put their technical knowledge on their resume, there are some professional soft skills that recruiters will be looking for. Besides the technical knowledge and the skills mentioned above, what other skills should an engineer have and add on his CV? 

At Talent2Win, we strive to align your company’s business objectives with the best Talent Acquisition strategies available. If you want to learn more about the services we offer, do not hesitate to contact us.