A recent article by Jeffrey Winters, Editor-in-Chief of ASME magazine, titled “Soft Skills Provide an Enduring Edge,” provided some valuable insights from several individuals, many involved in recruiting engineers for their company, into how to “future-proof” your resume. Here are some of the comments that caught my attention:
“As far as skills I see among students coming out, almost everybody’s technical. What helps a candidate stand out to me is their ability to problem solve. The difference maker is not the suite of technology skills prospective hires can wield, but abilities that might be thought of as “soft skills,” such as flexibility, leadership, innate curiosity, and a flair for innovation.” (Karen Leak, Rockwell Automation)
“We are seeing an increased need for skills in areas such as cyber, electrical, digital, and controls.” (Candice Bineyard, Rolls-Royce North America)
“When it comes to what would help young engineers stand out, soft skills are very important. It’s not just about being strong technically, but the ability to demonstrate how they have exhibited teamwork and navigated the challenges that come with that. In addition, a depth of knowledge, and interest in sharing their coursework, lab experience, and projects they have executed is always appreciated.” (Howard Jacas, Pratt and Whitney)
“We will need more engineers that are highly effective systems thinkers—who conceptualize, design, develop, and deliver product solutions while accounting for technical, business, environmental, and societal factors. A young engineer that can aggregate skills and experiences in these areas would help them ‘future-proof’ their resumes.” (Sean Bradshaw, research fellow at Pratt and Whitney)
“Engineers without the so-called hard skills can’t do the job; without the soft skills, they won’t be able to do the next job.” (Jeffrey Winters, ASME)
With the exception of our senior design project where we worked in teams, all of my engineering classes were about developing technical skills. It didn’t take long working in industry to realize that for your project to be successful you needed to be successful working with people. – Dr. Tom
