Top 20 Engineering Interview Questions

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The engineering industry is as competitive as ever for top talent due to recent explosive growth. In fact, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts nearly 140,000 new engineering jobs to be available by 2026. This exponential growth and competitive market means preparing for key engineering interview questions is crucial, whether you are an industry veteran or a student seeking their first job. As part of Blue Signal’s white-glove service, we assist engineering candidates with preparing for their interviews. Our engineering recruiters provide insight into the hiring company, practice potential interview questions, and debrief with candidates after each interview. In order to best understand how to prepare for engineering interview questions, we must first examine the different types of interview questions and why hiring managers ask them.

Types of Engineering Interview Questions

Preparation is key to ensure candidates make a favorable impression on everyone they meet during the interview process. According to a survey from Glassdoor, 88% of hiring managers say that an informed candidate is what they are looking for when interviewing. Taking the initiative to learn and practice responses to potential engineering interview questions will set you apart from other candidates. Hiring managers leverage a myriad of interview questions to gain a comprehensive understanding of the candidate. Each type of interview question has its own purpose and will reveal something specific about the candidate. Ultimately, the interview questions seek to measure the candidate’s skill set and abilities as well as their cultural fit within the current team.

Image of two women seated in chairs at a table - one is leaning in and listening while the other speaks during an interview

Situational Interview Questions

Situational interview questions are based on specific scenarios that could conceivably await someone in the new role. They seek to focus on a given hypothetical situation and how the candidate would handle it. Situational engineering interview questions can be difficult, as a candidate is required to think on the spot. Likely, this is a skill the interviewer may be testing them on. Answering these questions well can prove that an engineering candidate is willing to take the lead, ask for help, stay calm under pressure, and/or make positive choices. Overall, they prove the candidate can overcome any situation they will be faced with in the job.

Competency-Based Interview Questions

Competency-based interview questions are used by interviewers to assess specific attributes, knowledge, and behaviors. For example, a hiring manager looking to understand more about a candidate’s behaviors may ask about different ways in which they used their analytical ability to solve a problem. Alternatively, if it is decision making that the interviewer is looking to assess, they may ask candidates to provide information about how they built strong professional rapport with colleagues to make informed decisions. While these interview questions may often seem to be situational, competency-based questions are far less likely to be hypothetical. This enables candidates to draw directly on real-life examples and be focused on specific competencies rather than a general approach.

Behavioral Interview Questions

Behavioral interview questions are asked to elicit information from candidates on how they would likely handle any range of real-world challenges based on previous, similar circumstances. Whereas situational engineering interview questions decipher how engineering candidates would approach certain scenarios, and competency-based questions prove they have the skills required for the role, behavioral questions determine if candidates possess the desired character traits the hiring manager is looking for. Such interview questions tend to be based on the principle that a candidate’s past behavior is the best predictor of their future behavior. These questions can touch on such aspects such as candidates’ ability to work as part of a team, client-facing skills, adaptability, time management skills, and more.

Top 20 Engineering Interview Questions

1. What is the most challenging engineering project you dealt with? How did you ensure it was a success?

2. Describe a written technical report or presentation you had to complete.

3. What steps do you take to keep your engineering skills current?

4. Why did you choose to study [engineering branch]?

5. Tell me about a time you failed (or succeeded) with [skill]. How did you react?

6. How do you deal with difficult coworkers/clients?

7. Which part of engineering is your favorite? What about your least favorite?

8. Which of your traits make you a stronger engineer? Do any of your traits hold you back?

9. What has been your biggest engineering success?

10. Can you tell me about your best manager and why you thought they were great?

A man and woman dressed professionally shaking hands in an office with word bubbles around highlighting engineering interview questions

11. Describe a time you demonstrated leadership skills at work.

12. Describe a time you used problem-solving skills to figure out a design problem.

13. Describe a time you had to work on a team, and something didn’t go well. What would you do differently?

14. Tell me about a time you got negative feedback on your work. How did you respond?

15. Have you identified and implemented any process improvements that led to cost reductions?

16. What software applications are you familiar with?

17. What programming languages do you prefer? Why do those appeal to you?

18. How would your friends (family, coworkers, professors) describe you?

19. Why are you interested in this role? Why are you interested in working at this company?

20. Where would you like to be in your career five years from now?

Tips and Best Practices for Answering Engineering Interview Questions

It can feel daunting to prepare for a laundry list of potential engineering interview questions. To help ease the anxiety around interview preparation, Blue Signal partnered with our very own Bo Scott to provide insight on how to best prepare for these engineering interview questions. Bo is a Senior Executive Recruiter who specializes in IT, Emerging Technology, IoT, Cloud, Technology Sales, Unified Communications, Telecommunications, and Wireless roles. Based on his experience and expertise in the field, Bo recommends keeping two important points in mind when crafting responses to engineering interview questions. These pieces of advice will help candidates perform well in an engineering interview, and hopefully lead to landing the role.

The first tip is to remember that the interviewer is asking questions specifically about yourself, rather than your team. We all understand it takes a team effort to reach business goals, however, it is vital that you quantify, individualize, and specify your unique contributions to those achievements. Engineers rarely work alone, but they will bring their own strengths and weaknesses into their new team. Engineering candidates must focus on sharing what they have done to bring success to a business, team, or project.

Secondly, Bo emphasizes the importance of answering the engineering interview question that is being asked, rather than providing the answer a candidate believes the interviewer is looking for. This can be a difficult distinction to make. For example, an engineering interview question asking about what you have done is not a chance to share what you think they should do, or what you would do differently. One way to ensure you are concisely and accurately answering the question at hand is to draw examples from your experience to tell a story about your accomplishments – and, if applicable, how those experiences prepared for this potential new role.

While it is likely most of these engineering interview questions will be asked throughout the hiring process, it’s important to be prepared to answer any question thrown your way. Assume these interview questions will also be tailored toward the role’s industry, and area of expertise. Whether on your own or partnering with a recruiter, preparing for the engineering interview questions discussed gives you a critical advantage in the hiring process.

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Coffee with a Recruiter Feat. Karli Larson – Mastering Engagement for Remote Employees

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Karli Larson is Blue Signal’s own employee engagement guru. As our Director of People and Culture, Karli helps BSS keep our own workforce engaged – with nearly 40 remote employees nationwide! Her initiatives have resulted in marked improvement in engagement as well as overall employee satisfaction. Karli’s expertise can easily be applied to any remote workforce. Watch her segment and read on to hear about some of her best practices!  

“Whether your workforce was remote before the pandemic, they were forced to go remote, or they transitioned to remote indefinitely as a result of the pandemic, you may be wondering – how do I keep everyone engaged? Virtual happy hours have lost their luster and there is no longer an opportunity to connect by the water cooler or coffee machine, so what keeps people connected when they’re working remotely?” 

 

Can Remote Employees be Fully Engaged?  

“YES! And it doesn’t cost you a lot of money or time spent sipping White Claw at 4 o’clock in the afternoon in front of your computer screen. Recent studies have shown that remote employees who get regular feedback are the most engaged out of any other group, including in-person employees! They have the autonomy of working how and where they want to and they get meaningful feedback, creating optimal engagement.” 

 

What Exactly do Remote Employees Need to be Engaged? 

“Connection is the name of the game here. My top three suggestions for getting people engaged are: 

#1 - Connection with their manager.  

Employees want to know how they are performing and that someone cares about their success and well-being. This comes from regular one-on-ones. These one-on-ones can be every week, biweekly, or monthly depending on the needs of the employee, but they should be scheduled and there should definitely be an agenda. Gallup did a study that found that managers account for a 70% variance in employee engagement. So, no pressure managers, but you influence how your team feels about their job and the company. 

#2 - Connection to their peers.  

Human beings have an inherent desire to belong to a group. This sense of belonging helps them appreciate their work and not feel like they are going at it alone. Having regular team meetings creates a culture of shared values and open communication. Team meetings should focus on team goals that everyone’s striving for. They should also celebrate people's wins and offer assistance when people are dealing with work related hurdles. 

#3 - Connection to the company.  

Being connected to the company can look different for many people, but it starts before the  offer is ever made. Maybe they align with your mission and values, they feel connected to the philanthropic endeavors of the company, or they’re just really excited about the company culture that they’re seeing online. Most of the time there is an attraction to your company, and you should find out what it is. During an interview, simply asking, “what drew you to our company?” will not only tell you about the level of research they did about your company, but it will also let you know what’s important to them.” 

 

So Remote Employees Don’t Want Virtual Happy Hours?  

“People want connection! So, after there has been a meaningful connection – i.e., the three things we just went over – find ways to bring people together. This may be mentorship programs, special groups, or even the occasional happy hour with games to learn about each other.” 

 

Why is this Important? 

“When you have high employee engagement, you have productive employees and better overall results – and that’s a win-win!” 

 

Key Takeaways for Ensuring Engagement with your Remote Employees 

When examining your engagement level among remote employees, it can be easy to miss some of the details. For instance, does your online presence align with your company’s values and goals? As a remote employer, how do you highlight your culture to job seekers? It’s important to make sure that your content represented both internally and externally to the worldwide web audience reflects the reasons why employees were excited to work for you to begin with. Make the mission of your remote engagement initiatives clear to everyone who sees your content. This way, you’ll attract candidates whose needs you are ready and able to meet. Furthermore, you’ll improve your retention by making those working for you today feel part of the bigger picture.  

Karli covers several main points within her segment. Namely, that the tools to ensure engagement within your remote employees are simple, and free! With a good set of company values, the right communication, and dedicated leadership, remote employees will thrive when given the opportunity to connect. 

Karli Larson
Karli Larson

Karli Larson

SR. MANAGER OF PEOPLE & CULTURE

Karli’s path to HR came from her two passions, people and service. She believes that HR is one of the single most human-based roles out there. By supporting the internal culture for the humans of Blue Signal, she is in turn helping humans from all industries succeed in their chosen careers!

 

Death to Transactional Recruiting: Why Relationships Win

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If you’ve been in any sort of hiring capacity over the last several months - or even in a job seeking capacity - you’ve noticed that despite a super saturated market, it’s harder now more than ever to land the talent or role you need. Everyone is hiring, and everyone is looking for work - so it seems like there should be no issue. Yet still, transactional recruiting is killing the market. Here’s how we beat it to the punch. 

 

Transactional Recruiting vs. Relationship-based Recruiting 

When you think of the standard hiring process, you probably imagine that there’s an employer who posts a job online, qualified people apply, they review these applicants, interview the ones they like, and eventually make an offer of employment. There’s no middle man bringing the opportunity and the candidate together. This is transactional recruiting. In transactional recruiting, the people applying to those LinkedIn job postings are active job seekers - meaning, they’re either looking to make a move or are currently unemployed. These types of candidates are either desperate for a change, or desperate for income, and usually take the first job that comes to them. This can result in quicker turnover, bad hires, lower rates of job satisfaction, and so many more negative consequences that come from the transaction-like hiring process. 

Relationship-based recruiting on the other hand, while offering a mix of active applicants and urgent hires, depend more on consultative “selling” and targeting passive candidates. Recruiters have an extensive network of employers and employees alike in their given industry, AND they have working knowledge in the industry that can be indispensable for hiring. They might know of companies closing, new technologies hitting the market, or other shifts in hires that can impact the open jobs market. With this insight they are able to look at currently employed, “passive” candidates and help them find a smarter career move that offers something their current job doesn’t - even if they aren’t looking to move jobs. This process follows more of a: client calls the recruiter they want to work with, then the recruiter looks to their own network and creates that bridge between the qualified candidate and the job opportunity. Because of the relationships the recruiter has built, they are able to make connections that would otherwise be missed if the employer were to just make a post on LinkedIn. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Venn Diagram

There’s merit in both recruiting styles. Sometimes, transactional recruiting can be very successful and can give people opportunity when they need it. However it tends to be a bandaid fix that requires future strategizing, creating more work in the long run. Relationship-based recruiting, with its personal touch and insight into people’s needs beyond a paycheck, offer a more long-term solution. This style also usually builds into a partnership, where a recruiter can supply a constant stream of top tier candidates, rather than just one-off hires. 

 

Why Transactional Recruiting Doesn’t Work

Did you know that 20% of turnover happens in the first 45 days of work at a new company? This can be attributed to several factors, most of which are side effects of transactional recruiting. Maybe the candidate applied to the job description posted online, and accepted the job without knowing all the details. This leads to feelings of distrust. There could have been a lack of support within their first few weeks, where the person who hired them hasn’t made contact since. This absence of a long term relationship leads them to believe there is no one advocating for them behind the scenes. 

Transactional recruiting, in its rush to fill a need, ends up leading to more open roles when that early stage turnover sets in. It feeds its own cycle of bringing people in fast, and losing them just as quickly due to poor handling. Sometimes there are too many applicants in the pool and the first one in gets the gig. Other times, the time allotted for hiring fills up quickly with reviewing resumes and contacting references and the decision has to be made before all candidates have been properly evaluated. In a similar situation, hiring managers could be worried about losing talent to competitors and in turn, hire too quickly. Whatever the reason, transactional recruiting often results in cutting corners - and recruiting is all about timing. 

The simple nature of posting a job online and gathering a large pool of applicants can speed up the time it takes to get a resume on the desk, but can give hiring managers the anxiety of choice. They always want the best of the best, but it’s hard to know for sure what they’re getting when the market is so vast. According to Dr. Leaf, “Too many choices lead to bad decisions, indecisiveness, or dissatisfaction with a decision.” Worse yet, by only posting jobs and reviewing candidates from job applications, they’re missing a huge chunk of the market by not approaching currently employed, passive candidates. There aren’t enough hours in the day for leadership to review applicants, interview, run background checks, AND do their normal 9-5. It typically takes companies 100 hours over the course of 4 weeks to get an offer to a viable candidate. With millions of people in the workforce, they don’t have the time to weigh all their options and are often not satisfied with their final decision. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Comparison Chart

Why Relationships are Better 

Relationship-based recruiting is here to help alleviate that buyer’s remorse. Because of their in-depth understanding of the hiring need, and the market the role is competing in, relationship-based recruiters can create long-term matches resulting in better retention. Great recruiters are better than bartenders, therapists, and best friends rolled into one. They’ll listen to client and candidate needs, delivering thoughtful results. Hiring is motivated by more than money. People invest a lot of emotion, time, and effort into career changes, relocations, and job moves. Recruiters know how to sympathetically yet effectively manage money, relationships, and emotions throughout the entire process. They offer onboarding support, ongoing candidate follow up, and act as an advocate for both the candidate and the client company when communicating between the two parties - making sure both are happy in the long run. 

Relationship-based recruiters are in it for more than just one placement. In this long-term partnership, they will establish a 360° understanding of an organization, its team, and its needs both currently and strategically for the future. They advocate for the business by keeping an eye on the market, capturing talent when it’s available - not after it’s needed - sending clients alerts about top talent even when they aren’t actively hiring. When actively hiring, these recruiters don’t waste a hiring manager's time by just sending whatever applicants come their way - but by pre-screening candidates to ensure they are qualified with both the background experience AND the soft skills needed to do the job and feel at home with the company. Recruiters seek to learn from what’s working and what’s not in the world of employee retention, before a business has to learn the hard way with a bad hire. By consulting on what perks employees actually want - for example - they can advocate for what the candidate wants from their job, and give the client company positive action items they can use to make measurable outcomes with employee satisfaction. As more good matches are made, this mutually beneficial relationship grows and continues to produce good hiring outcomes for years to come. 

 

How to Break out of the Transactional Cycle of Bad Recruiting 

Unfortunately, transactional recruiting remains a fairly commonplace hiring practice. If you’re working with a recruiter already today, try to determine if they are transactional or relationship driven by watching their actions. As a client - do they have touchpoints outside of when you post a job? Do they follow up on the progress and successes of new hires? Do you find yourself wanting to refer friends, family, and colleagues to them? As a candidate - do they contact you outside of when they have a job for you? Do they ask about how satisfied you are in your current role, and celebrate positive answers? If any of these were met with a “no,” they are using a transactional recruiting approach and are not a good long-term choice for any organization or individual. 

Now that you know how to identify the bad, you’ll have to start working on uncovering and engaging with top recruiters in your industry. Start by getting referrals to recruiting firms from other hiring authorities in your organization. Conduct the right research, looking for things like placement guarantees, high retention rates in placements, and repeat clients - NOT just cheap rates and fast turnaround times. Read online reviews from LinkedIn, Yelp, and Glassdoor. Google the name of the recruiter you’re looking to engage with, and see how they fare among industry postings (i.e. Do they have blogs written about the newest technologies in the space? Or do they not exist online at all?) Ask them questions. Get quotes. Shop around. Don’t be afraid to ask for what you need. Just like making the right hire, it’s in your best interest to take your time when selecting a long-term recruiting partner. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting Checklist

Finally, although seemingly counterintuitive, know when and when NOT to work with a recruiter. Many hires can be made through your own internal network. When building out established business units, ask for current employee’s references or consider promoting someone up and filling the role internally. However, if you’re replacing someone confidentially, being discreet could be in your best interest. In that case, look for a recruiting firm that offers a privacy/confidentiality policy. Recruiters should be used for larger, strategic moves when your own network is lacking what you need. If you’re unsure how to properly support building out a new business unit, or if a recruiter would even be beneficial for a specific role, ask! Recruiters thrive on market intel and love to offer their expertise where they can. When working with a strategic, relationship-based recruiting partner, you’ll be rest assured in their honesty if a particular search is better for you to try filling alone. 

 

How Blue Signal Kills the Average Transactional Recruiting Model 

We’re All About Building Long-Term Relationships 

Blue Signal offers every search a 12-month guarantee. The way we see it, our client’s success is our success. The more our clients hire great people, the more they’ll thrive, and the more help they’ll need to grow! 94% of our placements are retained after 12 months, meaning our impact lasts long after contracts are signed. 

“Despite working together multiple times, they still follow their process and make no assumptions about the goals for the position.” - Wireless Company, Hiring Authority 

No matter the search, or the history we have with a particular company, we always work through our process from start to finish, giving the same white glove service to veterans that we do to new clients. With long-term partnerships in mind, we want to make sure that we make no assumptions about needs for the position and instead leverage knowledge from past engagements to give us insight into what will always be an ongoing hiring process. Instead of assuming we know the space and launching into taking shots in the dark, we transcend transactional recruiting by building a long-term relationship and using that as a stepping stone for future engagements. 

 

We Place Priority on Good Matches, Not Temporary Fixes 

The problem with the transactional recruiting model is that it places too much emphasis on getting someone hired fast, not getting the right person hired. People working with transactional recruiting firms often feel pressured to pick a candidate quickly, rather than doing due diligence and reviewing options. With relationship-based recruiting, recruiters will be able to better manage that emotional component - that “right” feeling you get when you know someone will be a good fit for your organization. In fact, 63% of Blue Signal’s candidates are promoted within 18 months of being hired - meaning these candidates are not only making an impact in the company, but are far exceeding the role they were originally hired for and are supporting long-term company goals. 

“I really appreciated the fact that (Blue Signal) took the time to understand what we were looking for instead of simply throwing a bunch of resumes at us. I never felt pressured to move forward with a candidate that I didn’t feel was a good fit for the role.” - Electrical and Electronic Manufacturing, Hiring Authority

When choosing candidates that are right for the role, AND for the future of the organization, clients will hire better matches - not band-aid fixes. Blue Signal deploys a 12-point interview process that matches a candidate’s actual wants and needs with what a client can offer them. We match career aspirations, compensation needs, timelines, key motivators, and more to ensure that candidates line up with what the company can give them in the long run, not just because they can cut a check the fastest. 

Death to Transactional Recruiting 12-Point Interview Process

We’re Passionate about Helping People 

When working with the right company, for any service, it’s always the greatest feeling knowing they have your best interests in mind. That’s how Blue Signal got to where it is! Each of our recruiters are passionate about helping people reach their goals - whether that’s building their own company into further successes, or by making a career move into a better opportunity.  We’re not happy 'til you’re happy. The guarantees we’ve put in place and the processes we have established are all deployed to make sure whatever the match, that all parties are excited to start the work! 

“(Blue Signal’s) drive to ensure successful, win-win placements for both clients and candidates helped accelerate our recruiting process, eased many of the burdens typically associated with recruiting efforts, and resulted in our making exceptional hires.” - Wireless Integrator, Hiring Authority 

With over 220 combined years of recruiting experience, Blue Signal’s personal touch has built an incredible network of top performing candidates. Our current rolodex of contacts is priceless. 

The methods we use to post jobs gain us excellent applicants, but more important (and a greater attestment to our success), is our list of referrals. 78% of recruiters find their best quality candidates through referrals. Transactional recruiting falls short by using only the here and now talent, and not leveraging an established referral network. By creating long-term relationships, Blue Signal keeps our candidate’s and client’s best interests in mind for far more than the immediate hiring need. 

 

Here Lies Transactional Recruiting, Relationships for the Win 

Armed with this knowledge, it’s difficult to go back to the old ways of transactional recruiting. Whether with Blue Signal, or with another firm out there, never settle for anything less than a partnership with your next recruiter. Remember to look for recruiters that make touchpoints outside of when you post a new job, recruiters that check in to see how your hires are faring, and recruiters that you’d refer to others. Leverage online reviews and your own professional network for referrals. Know when to - and when NOT to - work with a recruiter at all! And if you ever feel pressured - just like with a bad high school ex - break up with them. When you know what to look for in making the decision to work with a particular recruiter, remember that the right recruiter can change the trajectory of your company. For better or worse, the choice is up to you. 

Blue Signal is always here to call upon if you have further questions, aren’t sure what your needs are, or just want a second opinion! Recruiters know the markets and the movements therein. With our focus on industries like wireless and telecom, IoT, information technology, finance and accounting, emerging technology, cloud and managed services, manufacturing and industrial, lighting, logistics and supply chain, food and agriculture, human resources, and medical and healthcare - leverage our expertise! We’d love to chat. 

Coffee with a Recruiter, feat. Jared Wenzel – Resume Best Practices

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Senior Account Manager, Jared Wenzel is Blue Signal’s own one-stop shop for healthcare and managed care talent. He has 10 years of recruiting and consulting experience, making him an expert in strategy, talent development, and even resumes. In this segment of Coffee with a Recruiter, Jared tackles common resume queries that can help you stand out as the best of the best among any applicant pool. 

Question: Do I need a one-page resume?

Answer: “If the rumors about recruiters and hiring managers only reviewing resumes for a few seconds each, if those are true then yes I definitely believe you need to have a one-page resume. In regards to a lot of resumes that I see, many of them look like the person just copy and pasted their job description right into the body of the resume. While that does show an overview of what you can do, what’s really important is showing measurable accomplishments, any type of metrics, anything that you can show that you can stand out from the rest of the resumes is definitely a good way to go. 

Really what it should look like is less like a job description and more like your own personal highlight reel. The best way to do that is really just to cut the fluff. I always think of “Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” - what sparks joy? What would spark joy in the minds of a hiring manager? What do they want to see? Well they want to see that not only can you do the job, but you can excel in the position. And I think showing measurable accomplishments and metrics is really going to make you stand out from the other applicants that just, again, copy and pasted the job description into the body of the resume.”

 

Q: How can I get hiring managers and recruiters to see my resume?

A: “That is a very good question! And one that I get asked a lot, because it seems like no matter how many times you send out a resume, sometimes it can be very hard to hear back from people. The truth is that oftentimes there’s a lot of people - could be hundreds of people - applying for the same job. So it’s really important to get your resume to stick out to those recruiters and hiring managers. 

For me as a recruiter, when I’m searching for somebody I’m going to be taking the position description and breaking it down into specific keywords that hopefully I’ll find on a resume or a LinkedIn profile. I think what you need to make sure is that you have keywords that are industry-term specific, like any type of business associations that you are in. Acronyms are great. I also think it’s very important to spell out those acronyms, not everyone is as familiar as you are with the industry. Anything ranging from the technology you have used, how you measure your metrics, anything like that is important. It can really identify the specific industry or position that you are looking for. 

There are resume optimization tools and certain websites where you can upload your resume and upload the position description. They’ll actually grade it by how many keywords are found based on your resume compared to the position description and give you recommendations on how to improve your resume to increase visualization. Many organizations will actually have tools that will scan resumes and grade them individually. If you don’t meet a certain grade your resume is getting kicked to the trash can, and the other ones are making it through. So tools like this are really helpful to kind of make sure that your resume can get more visibility. (Jared’s personal pick can be accessed here!) 

And once you have your resume in front of them, kind of a neat little tip is to highlight - I wouldn’t go yellow highlight - but you can bold, underline, or italicize certain metrics or measurable accomplishments that you want to make sure that human resources or hiring manager sees. Anything that draws their eye is going to grab their attention. So again, underlining, italicizing, or even bolding certain key metrics to make sure someone sees them, is a good way to get someones eyes directly where you want them to be.”

 

Q: What are some ways to take my resume to the next level?

A: “There are a number of ways which you can take your resume to the next level. First one may seem pretty obvious, but it is making regular updates to your resume. Especially as accomplishments are fresh in your mind, it’s easier to jot things down and especially make them more accurate. Now I’m totally about, you know, approximations when it comes to metrics, but obviously if you can capture them as you’ve completed them, it’s just going to make your resume look more accurate. And - no one likes to have to scramble and make updates to their resume, and look back and try to dig up all these old metrics. Especially if you find yourself without a job. So, keeping your resume current - updating it quarterly, or at the very least annually. When you’re doing your annual reviews with your direct report it's a really good time to grab those metrics and jot them down on your resume. 

The next one is to use a thesaurus. I’ve seen “dynamic” be used on so many resumes. Just put that into Google, put it into a thesaurus, and look up some variances of different words. It’s just going to make you look much more intellectual if you can throw in a couple words other than “strong,” or “innovative,” or one of the long list of cliche, descriptive adjectives people use for their resumes. Try to find something a little bit unique, and something that maybe fits your personality a little bit better too. 

I’m always a big fan of editing for consistency. You know, get down to your bullet points - do they have periods or are they open ended? Is your font consistent all the way through? How are your margins? Little things like this. I see typos all the time. Really just making sure, and keeping a close eye on things not only shows that you can be a meticulous person. Proofread, I think it goes a long way. And really, it looks way worse on a person when they find typos in resumes or in thank you notes, or anything else like that. Send it off to somebody else if you need someone to proofread it. If you see the red squiggly mark, it means it’s spelled wrong! So, try to fix that. You know, take a fine-toothed comb and go through your resume and make sure everything is pretty consistent. 

A little bonus tip for everybody, grab some references! If you know some people you work with or a past manager, get those set up and ready. Again, it’s not something that you really need to go scrambling for later. So if you can get some good people on your side, and kind of in your back pocket, it will just help for later on. Even if you don’t need it, but just in case you do, those are some good tips to help elevate your resume.” 

 

The Key Takeaways 

A resume really is the first introduction you have with a hiring authority, and just like actual intros - if not done right - it could be your last. To make sure your resume not only stands out, but also gets in front of the right audience, keep it simple by creating a one-page highlight reel, include the right keywords to get past those pesky Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) filters, and use some new adjectives to describe your style. Update your resume often, and keep good references in your back pocket in case the need arises. Finally, if all else has failed, you can always pick up the phone and call one of our expert recruiters to help get you on the right track for that next career move. 

Jared Wenzel
Jared Wenzel

Jared Wenzel

SR. EXECUTIVE RECRUITER

Jared is our own one-stop-shop for healthcare and managed care talent. With a background in recruiting, strategy, leadership development, and consulting – he knows what needs to be done to get your business to the next level. He finds the best of the best, not just the best in your zip code.

Coffee with a Recruiter, feat. Jonathan Lee

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From professional development, to management, and even having experience recruiting himself, Blue Signal’s Senior Manager of Operations has extensive experience working with recruiters, candidates, clients, and the industry overall. In our newest installment of Blue Signal’s Coffee with a Recruiter series, Jonathan Lee shared with us a two part segment on some key things people should know when working with recruiters - as both candidates and clients. Watch and read on to gather the intel you need to make the most of your recruiting experience. 

Working with Recruiters as a Candidate 

Question: “As a candidate, what should you know before reaching out to a recruiter?” 

Answer: “As a candidate, what you really should know before reaching out to a recruiter is really more about the recruiting company itself. They’re going to be representing you to the new company you want to work at, or maybe new companies that you’ve never heard of but could have your dream job, so you want to make sure the company has good reviews online. More importantly, you want to be sure they specialize in your industry or in the functionality of the role you are currently in. This is really really important. They might have a really good reputation in the industry and those big, target companies will tend to utilize those companies more. Just keep in mind that they will be representing you, so make sure who is representing you is who you want to.” 

 

Q: “Should you have anything prepared beforehand?” 

A: “As a candidate, there are actually things you should prepare before you reach out to a recruiter. This is going to be a simple tip, but I feel like there is a lot of value. Of course you should have your resume prepared and most up to date with your current job experience, current responsibilities, things like that. But also, I think it’s a really good idea and will up your chances of you being placed at that dream job if you have something like a brag sheet of rewards that you’ve won, patents you were granted, quotas that you’ve overachieved, things like that. 

Recruiters are so inundated with resumes that the more additional information that you can provide, the better and the reason is this. So whenever you send in your resume, cover letter, things like that - recruiters will put it in their ATS system. This is how they keep track of all the applicants, all their resumes. Now these systems are able to search for specific keywords. So if the recruiter has the dream job you’re looking for, or they get that dream job later on in the future, they are going to search their ATS. So the more information that you can provide the recruiter, the more chance they can reach out, the more they can better represent you, and the more likely that you’re going to get that dream job.” 

 

Q: “What is a common misconception candidates have when starting to work with recruiters?” 

A: “I think a big misconception that people have when starting to look for a new job with recruiters is that the recruiting companies find jobs for you. In reality, logically speaking, it really is a free service for the candidates. So recruiters technically find their clients people to fill their jobs and not the other way around. I’m just being straightforward and honest. So what I recommend is having patience. To really try to get ahead of that curve if you know something has changed in your current job situation, the right time to reach out to a recruiter is not when you need to find a job now, it really is a month out in advance. So keep on applying, keep on reaching out to recruiters. Make sure those recruiters are in your industry, have good reviews, are really good at what they do - and you will find your dream job.” 

 

Working with Recruiters as a Client 

Q: “As a client looking to hire, what should you know before reaching out to a recruiter?” 

A: “As a client looking to hire, there are really 3 things you need to keep in mind before reaching out to a recruiting firm. These 3 things that differentiate recruiting firms from each other are cost, speed, and quality. One recruiting firm really can’t have all 3 of these things so you really need to understand which is most important to you. All of these have their own merits and there are many different situations where one of the three would be more valued than the other. So you really just need to understand and have that alignment with the recruiting firm on which is important and they can definitely help you create that good hire that you want.” 

 

Q: “Knowing the search, what should you have prepared for your recruiter?” 

A: “Knowing the search, there are really two things you should know before reaching out to a recruiter, and these are really about your own company. The first thing is your weak points, and really being transparent when you talk to the recruiters about weak points. These weak points - whether it be bad reviews, whether it be a bad reputation in the industry - will come up throughout the interview process as candidates conduct their own research and talk to people in the industry. Having the ability as a recruiter to counter it or show that you’re having that level of transparency with the willingness to improve will always help the recruiter bring that talent and really address those weak points right up front, and help you create that good hire. 

The second point is your strengths. Now a good recruiting firm will take candidates away from their companies, not just find the ones who are unemployed. (Not to say that there isn’t good talent who are currently unemployed.) We call these strong points the sizzle. It is incredibly helpful to attract the best candidates in general, not just the ones who are available.” 

 

The Key Takeaways 

As a candidate, it’s important to do your research and make preparations before reaching out to a recruiter. Since finding you a job is essentially a free service, it helps to support the recruiter through updating your resume, setting goals, and getting on the market early. Recruiters need to know how to best represent you for the job you want, so communication is essential. 

As a client, transparency should be your priority when working with recruiting firms. You’ll need to know your goals, and know what you are willing to prioritize in order to reach them. Recruiters are masters at marketing opportunity - but in order to best market your company and the role you are looking to fill, they need to know both its strengths and weaknesses so they are fully prepared to tackle any objections as they arise. 

Blue Signal Search has over 150 years of combined recruiting experience, proving we have the knowledge you need to land that perfect job or hire. Contact us today to discuss your options and see if Blue Signal is the right fit for your next search. 

Jonathan Lee
Jonathan Lee

Jonathan Lee

SR. MANAGER OF OPERATIONS

Jonathan supports a range of customer-facing and strategic functions. He heads the operations and technical support departments and manages IT initiatives and sales support goals. He also acts as our database administrator. He excels at building customer-focused action plans to help companies reach their business goals.