By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman You expect contract engineers to be on their best behavior when they interview, but you may not realize that the expectations go both ways. A negative experience can tarnish your firm’s reputation and drive away top prospects. Worse yet, the problem may be bigger than you think. Twenty-six percent of workers have […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Most engineering organizations view their people as their most valuable asset. That’s why highly effective engineering managers monitor workplace changes and adapt their strategies, policies and hiring practices toward the shifting demographics, preferences and work styles of engineering professionals. We’ve scoured numerous articles, research reports and studies to come up with the […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman The topic of co-employment often arises when engineering firms utilize experienced contractors to meet project deadlines. Managers sometimes perceive that contract professionals pose excessive risks and threats since the co-employment topic is so misunderstood. Or as Stephen Clancy, director, Contingent Workforce Strategies and Research for Staffing Industry Analysts recently wrote in Challenging […]
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Sell the merits of your project to win the services of hot engineering contractors By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman With the market for engineering talent heating up, an experienced contractor may have several irons in the fire by the time they meet with you. In fact, a remarkable 86 percent of IT/engineering workers who participated in a […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman In the dog-eat-dog world of engineering, managers are constantly seeking new ways to lower operating costs. That’s why savvy managers are taking a hard look at the return on human capital and strategically integrating contract professionals into the engineering talent pool. Four Cost-Reduction Strategies No. 1: Control ancillary employment costs Although managers […]
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Look for traits and behaviors that reveal the presence of customer-centric DNA By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Engineers are renowned for their ability to solve problems and manage details, but they aren’t typically known for their customer service skills. Frankly, finding customer-centric contract professionals is so difficult that engineering managers often employ product managers or other go-betweens […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Managers performing engineering recruitment need to evaluate a contract engineer’s commitment and work ethic in addition to their engineering skills. However, they often ask illegal questions to uncover relevant information. Unless each probe is carefully worded, it may violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or a slew of […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman It was the shot heard ’round the employment world back in 1999, when the U.S. District Court ruled that Microsoft’s long-term contractors were entitled to participate in the company’s tax-qualified employee stock purchase plan. While some companies responded by capping the length of contract assignments and scrutinizing the status of independent workers, […]
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Growing reliance on flexible workers requires new strategies By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Were the first contractors the American builders and engineers who traveled to Russia to help rebuild the country after the Russian Revolution? By accepting 6 to 12 month assignments and offering their talents on a freelance basis, those early trendsetters may have unknowingly launched the […]
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Many retired engineers have come face-to-face with the fact that their retirement savings have been hit hard by the economy. While it may not have been their initial intention, a large number of retirees are interested in rejoining the workforce. Employers often welcome back former full-time workers with open arms. There are many reasons for […]
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