SoloPoint Insights

Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Career Advancement Tips in the Engineering Sector

If your work no longer seems like a challenge, you don’t “fit” with your current team or you’re simply looking for a new and interesting experience, it may be time to advance in your engineering career.  Here are several ways to break the glass ceiling and move up your career ladder.

Learn to speak business.

Many companies have strong engineers and strong businesspeople—and very few staff members who can “translate” between these two domains. By learning the basics of business, including how costs affect business and other decisions, you make yourself more valuable to the company and position yourself for potential promotions.

Explore outside your discipline.

As the world becomes more complex, so does engineering. Rather than placing yourself at the mercy of other engineers on the same project to explain mechanical details, electrical components or software design, learn the basics of disciplines outside your own. You’ll engage your own curiosity as you learn new skills and you’ll expand your resume, making it easier to find the advancement you’re looking for.

Get good at communication.

Just as learning business basics can help you communicate with executives and other decision makers, learning and practicing communication skills can help you communicate and translate between departments, disciplines and individuals. The better you become at communicating, the more strongly you position yourself for advancement as the person who can draw disparate resources together and has the vision to turn a group into a team.

Reach out.

Whether you’ve been out of school for 20 weeks or 20 years, staying in touch with your professional network is a smart way to learn about opportunities in the industry and move forward with your career goals. Set aside one or two days each month to get lunch, coffee or take a walk with a friend or colleague. Contacting a recruiter during this time can also greatly expand your network and provide insight on engineering advancement opportunities you may not have considered.

Considering a change in your engineering career path? At SoloPoint Solutions, our experienced recruiters specialize in connecting engineers to the jobs and organizations that will help them move forward on their career paths and make an impact on the industry. Contact us today to learn more.

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