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Redefining Business Development for Engineering Professionals

September 16, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Lindsay Diven, CPSM

It’s interesting that in the engineering industry, our sales teams are often referred to as Business Developers or Client Managers. The sound of the word “sales” makes you think of a used car salesperson or a telemarketer. I get it. You studied to be an engineer and practice your craft with pride, as you should. You are very skilled in your expertise.

However, there is a point, when you must win that next project for your team or firm. This typically involves finding potential new clients and meeting with decision makers. Having worked with engineers for more than a decade, I know that this is easier said than done.

Resisting Business Development Meetings

You may resist meeting with clients because you feel you must sell your experience and ideas. This often feels like a “dog and pony show.” The clients often feel this way too. They don’t want to sit in an hour-long meeting listening to how great you and your firm are. They are busy too and more often not taking as many “sales” meetings or are making them shorter. I have experienced some clients only giving us 15 minutes!

So, how do you make business development easier for you and more accepting for your clients? How do you make those type of meetings valuable to both you and your client so that each party feels their time wasn’t wasted?

You do this by redefining business development.

First, let’s start with the original definition.

How to Start Your Own Engineering Practice

September 9, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

How to Start Your Own Engineering Practice is a guest blog by Allison Hail

So you want to start your own engineering practice? Becoming an independent engineering consultant can be very lucrative. It also gives you freedom over the work you do. But it is a very different lifestyle than working for an engineering firm. There are several important items to consider before taking the plunge.

Find Your Niche

As any engineer will tell you, engineering is an enormous field of work. Even within your specialization, there is a huge variance in the kinds of projects you might take on as an engineering consultant. With innovations occurring every day in the tech sector, this variety is only set to increase.

This presents a wide array of possibilities to specialize your practice. While it may not be wise to be picky about the type of projects you take on at first, aim to be carving out a niche for yourself over time. Building a profile as the go-to person for certain kinds of projects will reduce the time you need to spend finding new clients. As word of mouth spreads, clients should start coming to you off the back of your reputation.

Stay on Top of the Admin

How Mechanical Engineers Can Give Back to Their Community

September 2, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Nader Mowlaee

As a mechanical engineer (ME), you can look forward to the inherent rewards of a lucrative career. An in-demand job and even job mobility as mechanical engineers typically make above-average earnings here the United States. However, engineers today are looking for more than the monetary rewards that come with this dynamic role. That’s why many mechanical engineers often look to give back to their communities.

Giving back to your community comes with several benefits. Not only do you get to hone your leadership skills as a mechanical engineer, but it also provides you with networking opportunities and gives you the chance to gain new experiences. Whether you’re a senior mechanical engineer or an experienced mechanical engineering manager looking to share your insight, there are several opportunities you can take to give back to your community. Here’s a few of them:

Successful Employee Management for Your Engineering Startup

August 26, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Jim Hughes

Employee Management The number of engineers launching their own startup companies is increasing. More and more engineers are pursuing new entrepreneurial ventures with the dream of becoming their own boss, launching their own product or services, and making a dent in their industries. This has highlighted something that is critical to startup success: employee management, which is a huge challenge.

Employee management covers best practices to retain the top talent who will help you achieve your goals. As a founder, you know that a big part of your success (or failure) is your people. So, as you work your way towards establishing an engineering startup, it is important to equip yourself with knowledge in employee management.

Finding the Right People

Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

August 19, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality is a guest blog by Jacob Dillon

Work-life balance is a renowned concept that refers to the situation when a person has a regular and sustainable source of income, while at the same time, is able to take out enough time to relax with his or her loved ones or to do stuff that they find entertaining, in order to regularly rejuvenate themselves and avoid experiencing burnouts. [Read more…] about Does Work-Life Balance Exist? A Myth or a Reality?

One Trick for Making Better Engineering Decisions

August 12, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Kyle K. Cheerangie, P.E.

A decision is a commitment to action. Until that action is completed there has been no decision. Good decision making is a process and involves a certain amount of risk-taking. The top person in any organization must be a decision-maker. Ideally, in an engineering firm, this person would be good at making engineering decisions on a daily basis.

Here Are Some Traits That Good Decision-Makers Have in Common:
[Read more…] about One Trick for Making Better Engineering Decisions

The Engineering Management Institute Launches Women in Civil Engineering Podcast Series

August 5, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

>> Click here to see all of the episodes in the Women in Civil Engineering podcast series <<

The Engineering Management Institute is thrilled to announce that we’ve launched a new and exciting series on The Civil Engineering Podcast entitled Women in Civil Engineering to feature some of the great women working in the field. Diversity and inclusion is more important than ever in the workplace, especially in the field of civil engineering where we are faced with complex challenges throughout the built environment. In order to solve these problems, we’re going to need a diverse workforce that can bring different ideas to the table, and this workforce includes many amazing women that have been doing great things in the civil engineering field.

Here at the Engineering Management Institute, we’ve been producing content for engineers for more than 10 years and we’ve built up a large supportive audience and we want to use our platform to do something good for the engineering community and we believe that highlighting women in civil engineering will yield positive results throughout the industry including bolstering existing STEM outreach efforts. [Read more…] about The Engineering Management Institute Launches Women in Civil Engineering Podcast Series

How Can Women Succeed in a Male-Dominated STEM Workforce

August 5, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Holly Welles

Women make up half of the workforce, but when it comes to the positions at the top, we have a long way to go. Many women stay away from STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields to begin with, quite likely due to gender expectations that blossom in childhood classrooms. And unfortunately, some who aim for a career as an engineer, scientist or mathematician often leave the field.

How can women succeed in a male-dominated workforce such as the engineering field? It isn’t easy, and it takes developing more than thick skin. Women need to pick their battles when it comes to dealing with coworker and employer demands for performing gender-specific labor. Here’s how women can take their engineering career to new heights. [Read more…] about How Can Women Succeed in a Male-Dominated STEM Workforce

Why BIM Coordination & Clash Detection Services Are Important for Engineers

July 29, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

This is a guest blog by Vishakha Jadav

The construction industry has gained tremendous marketability throughout its existence. Earlier when the technologies were not mainstream and not fully used by contractors, builders, and owners, they prepared a model drawing on paper with a pencil to drive their visualization of how their buildings would look.

Since the 1960s, drafters and designers prepared drawings in a 2D Model with the help of AutoCAD software wherein the model design could showcase drawings as per architectural, structural and MEP engineers. However, it took a lot of time to design the model to be able to accurately visualize how the building would materialize after construction.

There are many pros and cons of making drawings on 2D CAD Models. One con is that it is often rework might be required during construction due to installations and design of elements not adequately depicted on the 2D Drawings. In other words, you could draw them in 2D, but building them the way they were drawn in 2D wasn’t practical.

Later in the 1980s, many construction companies started growing and looking forward to adopting BIM and other digital technologies as digital transformation had enabled the construction industry. BIM was an early adoption in the construction industry but was not known by many companies. Since the government has mandated the use of BIM Drafting Services in public and private projects, it has gained momentum.

BIM (Building Information Modeling) can help architects and engineers to visualize and look into the model closely enough and identify any potential clashes and resolve them during the design stage itself. It will enhance collaboration among the three disciplines and is an accurately detailed model. Let’s take a look at how BIM coordination and clash detection services works in a construction project:

How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers

July 22, 2019 By Anthony Fasano

***How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers* *is a guest blog by Nader Mowlaee***

Preparing for an interview is crucial for moving you forward in starting your engineering career. If you get the chance to get to the interview round, luck is already on your side. That’s because research shows that only two percent of applicants get called back for an interview. But it’s important not to throw caution to the wind by being unprepared for your interview.

One of the best ways to get ready for your interview is by tackling the tough questions with a strategy. Luckily, you can take a strategic approach to handle tough interview questions. When it comes to interviewing, practice makes perfect. Here’s how to handle some of the top three common job interview questions that can be difficult to answer: [Read more…] about How to Handle Tough Interview Questions for Engineers