Most junior engineers have just spent the last four years in school toiling away on problem sets, engineering projects, and examinations all for the glory of becoming a fully-fledged engineer. But there’s a difference between the perception of what it’s like to be an engineer and what it’s really like to work as one.
Here are four things you can do to help junior engineers complete their transition from student to full-time engineer.
Communicate Expectations
Be clear about your expectations for your new hires, especially recent graduates. On the engineer’s first day, set up a meeting to go over what you expect of them. Points to discuss might include:
- The junior engineer’s role in the company and their day-to-day responsibilities.
- Learn what your junior engineers hope to gain from this experience and what areas of their professional career they want to explore.
- Identify key areas of knowledge that you expect your engineer to have a firm handle on. This will help them to understand if they need to brush up subjects like Heat Transfer or Mechanics of Materials that might be applicable to their current position.
Having clear expectations will set the tone of your young engineer’s relationship to the company and how they contribute to your organization.
Make Them Part of the Team
A lot of engineering knowledge is gained from the people around you. To take advantage of all the knowledge your team has, get your junior engineers acquainted with the rest of the team. There’s a million ways to make the new engineer feel part of the team sooner rather than later. Here’s a few:
- Introduce them to their immediate team and other people they will be working with.
- Assign mentors. The more experienced members of your team have a lot of knowledge to share with your junior engineers. For example, a draftsman with over thirty years of experience can look at an engineering drawing and point out its every flaw. Share this knowledge in your organization by pairing experienced engineers with your junior engineers.
- Use the buddy system. Junior engineers can learn from each other as well. They can help each other get up to speed with the company and processes as well as answer each other’s questions. Plus, this provides an avenue for junior engineers to share their experience and learning with their peers. It also gives them a safe space to complain about you (sorry).
Integrating your junior engineers into the team instills a strong commitment to the company and the team that will pay in dividends down the line.
Create an Environment of Encouragement and Exploration
To a recent graduate, entering a career in engineering can be intimidating because there is so much to learn. Create an environment of openness where your junior engineers are free to explore. To do this, you can try the following:
- Encourage your junior engineers to ask any question they might have during discussions. Recognize that they have a limited experience with topics like quality assurance and designing parts for manufacturing so walk them through these details when applicable. There is a difference between learning a topic from a textbook and applying it in real life.
- Give constructive feedback. Junior engineers will make mistakes that will be avoided with experience. Use these moments as teaching opportunities to educate your young engineers.
- Set a weekly check-in. These will allow you to understand how your junior engineer is adjusting to their new surroundings and the challenges they are going through. It is an opportunity to give them feedback on their performance. You should highlight the things that they have done well and what they can improve.
By allowing your junior engineers to explore in an encouraging environment, they will get up to speed faster and make greater contributions to your team.
Give Them Responsibilities
Junior engineers are hungry to make an impact. When appropriate, give opportunities for junior engineers to take on more responsibility by doing the following:
- Train a junior engineer to fulfill a need at the company. For example, your company has spent months trying to find someone to do quality management. Instead of hiring someone new, educate your junior engineer on ISO-9000 and other standards that create value for your organization.
- Find projects where a junior engineer can take the lead. Give your junior engineers the chance to put themselves out there so they learn to be leaders and push a project to completion.
The worst thing you can do to quash enthusiasm is to give these junior engineers mind-numbing work. Your organization has plenty to gain from a young engineer who is fired up and ready to get things done.
It’s All About Value
At the end of the day, it’s all about creating value. By investing the time and resources to onboard a junior engineer, your organization benefits from having a smart, well-trained engineer in its ranks who will help you build better products faster. It’s not about coddling new hires, it’s about making sure you get the most out of your talent investment.
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