The Results-Oriented Engineering Workplace

Engineering jobs, whether bookkeeping, accounts receivable or auditing, are involved in a lot of detail. When engineering people are so engrossed in the details of their jobs, it's easy for them, for anyone actually, to lose sight of the job's major contribution.

A Results-Oriented Engineering Job Description is different from a traditional job description because it focuses an employee on the several job results that answer the question: What results must this engineering job accomplish for the organization?

Engineering Job Standards added to job expectations tighten management controls by clarifying how well and when results must be accomplished.

Engineering Job Objectives establish management and employee plans by highlighting important current and future results needed.

Job-specific Engineering Employee Management Forms maintain consistent and legally sound management actions by basing manager-employee interactions on job results.

The Purpose of Engineering Jobs

Stated in a results-oriented, three-line style, engineering jobs--

ESTABLISH AND MAINTAIN TECHNOLOGY by

analyzing objectives and requirements; studying available technology; completing cost-benefit studies; developing layouts and specifications; establishing standards and testing requirements; supervising construction and installation.

Types of Engineering Jobs

Engineering jobs involve many different technologies-plastics, ceramics, electricity, electronics, hardware, software, mechanics, equipment reliability, optics, ergonomics, metals, photonics, testing, analog design, ASIC design, and so forth. The engineering process involves identifying and analyzing possible solutions, and then examining and testing them until an appropriate answer is found.

Other jobs support engineers, such as, drafters, technical specialists, and estimators. And, of course, somebody has to manage and supervise the engineering people and processes.

Engineering Job Management Tools

Here are actual job examples of how engineering job actions can be focused on results and kept on track using each of our job management tools:

Results-Oriented Engineering Job Descriptions form the foundation of all job management tools. Our uniquely structured job descriptions focus on the result to be accomplished first and prominently, followed by the duties performed in order to accomplish the result. For example,

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Engineering Job Standards sharpen employee attention and management control by defining and communicating how well the engineering results must be accomplished and what benchmarks will be used to measure job results. For example, for the job result above, the job standards might be:

• Engineering situations are correctly understood.
• All options are identified and evaluated.
• Engineering recommendations are ready when needed.

Engineering Job Objectives point the direction for employee actions by focusing job efforts on current and future engineering issues. Job objectives are written in the three-line, results-oriented structure. For example, for the job result above, a job objective might be:

SPEED-UP DECISION MAKING by

reducing time to deliver engineering recommendations by 10% by (date).

Engineering Employee Management Forms tied specifically to each engineering job description are more helpful (and legal) than generic forms used for all different kinds of jobs. Job-specific forms are used to state job qualifications, guide job interview questions, orient new employees, plan job training, and appraise job performance.

Engineering Job Qualifications are stated in the same terms used in the job description. They are not translated into generic (typically behavioral) terms. For example:

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Engineering Job Interview guide questions are inserted directly below each job result in the job description: For example:

• "What specific job responsibilities have you had in this area?"
• "Where did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "When did you have these job responsibilities?"
• "How did you go about accomplishing these responsibilities?"
• "What accomplishment in this area gave you the most pride?"
• "In this area, what were some of your biggest challenges?"
• "How did you overcome the challenges?"

The Engineering Job Orientation guide reformats the job description sequence so that job explanations, policies, protocols, processes, and procedures are logical and complete and can easily be checked off. For example:

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Here's the procedure and format we use to analyze and present engineering recommendations."

The Engineering Job Training plan guides a thorough examination of actual job knowledge, skills, and abilities as described in the job description that need improvement or that might be enhanced. For example:

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

The manager might say: "Analytical skills would be improved by enrolling in a statistical analysis class."

The Engineering Job Performance Appraisal guide is a job-specific form. It is not a universal form used for all jobs. The guide adds an appraisal scale below each job result in the job description so that attention can be drawn to each job requirement and expectation. For example:

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

__ Great! Just want we wanted.
__ We have a problem.
__ Improvement is needed.
__ Much, much more than we asked for.

Comments: _________________

Engineering Résumé Template

Potential employers want to know what a job applicant has accomplished in his/her engineering work career. They don't want to be bored with minor details. Our Résumé Template provides:

• an outline to help assemble personal background information.
• a Results-Oriented Job Description to provide the engineering job language-focused on results-needed to write an effective résumé.
• Engineering Job Objectives to orient thinking in terms of accomplishments.
• instructions on how to use a Results-Oriented Engineering Job Description and Engineering Job Objectives to express job accomplishments.

Use the engineering job description responsibility statement as a base:

RECOMMENDS ENGINEERING ACTIONS by

analyzing system controls.

Select the engineering job objective that fits your experience:

REDUCE COSTS 10% by

improving engineering processes.

Combine the two into a résumé statement:

Reduced costs 10% by analyzing, identifying, and recommending new engineering system controls.

Engineering Career Links

The National Academies Press

Paper on career goals, meeting career goals, survival skills and personal attributes, education needed, getting the right job, scenarios and profiles.

National Academy of Engineering, Engineering Careers especially for Women

Information and resources for parents, teachers, and other mentors; original content and collected links help people encourage girls in math and science and support girls' pursuit of engineering careers.

Engineering Career Secrets

What is engineering?, career profile, careers in engineering, licensure, resources, education requirements, salary.

PhDs.org, Science, Math and Engineering Career Resources

Information for scientists and would-be scientists, getting into graduate school, succeeding in graduate school, postdoctoral life, finding a job, career guide.

Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, Your Career in Electrical, Electronics and Computer Engineering Fields

Careers, education, employment, factors affecting a career, educational roadmap, typical high school and college curriculum, advanced education, resources.

University of California, Berkeley, Career Center, Engineering

Guides and information for choosing a major to exploring different career options to finding internships to looking for part-time and full-time employment to preparing for graduate school.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Engineering Managers

Expected job prospects, earnings, what engineering managers do on the job, training and education needed, and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Engineers

Different types of engineering jobs, expected job prospects, earnings, what engineers do on the job, training and education needed, and working conditions.

U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Engineering Technicians

Expected job prospects for engineering technicians, earnings, what engineering technicians do on the job, training and education needed, and working conditions.

National Society of Professional Engineers

A resource from a professional engineering organization for both high school and college students seeking information about engineering and the role engineers play in our society.

American Library Association, Engineering and Careers

Career overview, engineering and degrees, professional development, employment opportunities, recruitment.