By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman On the surface, the differences between an independent contractor (IC, or 1099) and a contract engineer supplied by a staffing firm may seem negligible. But employment status can impact the way you select, manage and interact with interim workers. The main difference lies in the fact that contractors from staffing firms […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman The competition for engineering grads has reached fever pitch on college campuses this spring. U.S. employers are planning to offer signing bonuses to more graduates in 2015 than they have in the last five years. Chemical engineering majors are expected to receive the largest bonuses at $5,250, followed by general engineering majors […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Engineering managers expect candidates to come prepared to interviews, but did you know that managers have a similar mandate? While you’re evaluating a contractor, they’re evaluating you. A candidate’s interview experience strongly influences their opinion of you and your firm based on the results of a recent survey. Nearly 8 in 10 […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman If you’re looking to save time or be more efficient, you’re in luck – because there’s an app for that. Engineers have a plethora of free or low-cost tools and mobile apps at their disposal. As of 2014, Android’s library contained an estimated 1.3 million apps and Apple had 1.2 million. With […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Are you getting the maximum value from your contract engineers? Collectively, your contract team may have hundreds of years of experience and the wisdom to streamline processes, create cutting-edge designs or make the best use of valuable resources. But unless you’re doing the following three things consistently, you’re probably not reaping the […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman No matter how much experience or education an engineer has, few can sustain their top performance on their own. Coaches can make a big difference. The best singers, actors and professional athletes rely on coaches to continually improve and stay in the zone. So what’s the secret to coaching an engineer to […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman If your management team lacks the bandwidth to tackle one more engineering project, hiring a short-term project manager (PM) is a popular and viable solution. An experienced freelancer is capable of shepherding projects with diverse objectives, duties, technical tools, budgets and deadlines as this post explains. Moreover, a quality contract PM not […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman The latest research from the Project Management Institute (PMI) is hard to swallow: 44 percent of technical projects fail. Dominic Lepore, CEO and founder of Terrapin Consulting, has figured out why the failure rate is so high. The former systems engineer studied the results of web initiatives for the Healthcare.gov rollout. He […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman Line-of-sight refers to employees having a greater visibility on how they are contributing to your organization’s success. Moreover, connecting contract engineers, as well as employees, to a project’s mission and your firm’s business strategy increases engagement and the likelihood of success. In fact, Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace report states […]
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By: Leslie Stevens-Huffman For many businesses, the ebb and flow of the number and size of engineering projects makes it difficult for managers to predict future needs for engineering talent. But to workforce forecasting experts like Brian Wilkerson, managing director of Revolution Advisors LLC, unpredictable projects and workloads make it all the more critical to […]
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