If you are one of almost 2 million engineers in the United States looking for a mentor, then you have made a smart career decision. Studies show receiving mentoring from the right career mentor can make a measurable difference. So, what should you look for in career mentors? Here’s some suggestions.
Following the unprecedented increase in the number of people turning to entrepreneurship, there’s no denying that owning a business is unusually appealing. It’s easy to understand what creates this feeling. Everyone wants some measure of freedom to be able to make their own independent decisions and run their own show, however, do you know a large number of small businesses close every day? To avoid failure, you must mitigate the potential for failure. Below you’ll find five tips that can help you to start your own business and achieve business success.
Switching engineering jobs isn’t as easy as switching car gears. There’s a lot of paperwork and bureaucratic red tape involved, a lot of re-training, and of course, the awkward handing in of your two weeks notice followed by the dozens of goodbyes from your coworkers. Nonetheless, this shouldn’t scare you into pursuing what you are truly passionate about. Here are five tips to help you iron out smooth career transitions:
One of the best strategies for business or engineering success is to stay up-to-date and informed about the engineering updates and news that shape certain industries and sectors. A living example of this axiom is American billionaire investor Warren Buffett, a man who is often considered to be one of the smartest individuals operating on Wall Street. Buffett is not only a voracious reader but also a news junkie who starts off every morning with a stack of newspapers. This successful investor has built an impressive financial empire upon the informational foundation of business news, and this is something that all entrepreneurs and business owners should emulate.
Although Buffett is an old-fashioned man who relishes the newsprint experience, his advisors and assistants keep him informed throughout the day with reports that they have compiled from online sources. The business and financial news media has largely moved its operations to the internet; newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal still publish a newsprint edition for the benefit of readers such as Warren Buffett, but most people these days choose to keep their fingers on the pulse of their respective industries by more technological means.
Leveraging the power of the internet to stay abreast of engineering updates and trends allows individuals to have more control over their daily schedules. Instead of attending business conferences or tuning into cable networks such as CNBC and Bloomberg, the following strategies are ideal for busy executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and business owners:
The work that engineers do is essential. It directly affects people and the community as a whole. This is because their work is to create products and structures that are to be used by people, however it is still important for an engineer to find a way to give back to his or her community.
This is a guest blog post by Carol Evenson
Engineering covers a wide range of disciplines, such as mechanical, structural, environmental, or electrical engineers, to name a few. But all are considered professionals, no matter what their place in the organization. Engineers are responsible for many projects that can impact the public. Thus there is a set of ethical and professional standards they’re expected to follow. Failure to do so can have legal or career repercussions. Here are four ways that engineers are held accountable.
Engineering covers a wide range of skills and activities. By the end of 2015, there were 1.6 million engineers working in the US. Regulations may include obtaining a professional license before an engineer can offer their services to the public or accept certain contracts. Most jurisdictions have statutes defining just what an engineer is, and what they may or may not do. [Read more…]
It may be the nature of most people to try and avoid receiving negative feedback. When some people do receive such feedback, they often ignore it, rationalize it or attack the source of it. Very seldom do they see the benefit of improving from it. Negative feedback is an opportunity to reflect and learn. When approached the right way, it can be used as a valuable tool for success.
A person needs to carefully consider how to respond to feedback. Studies have been done that show individuals who are successful at handling negative feedback experience more success than individuals who are not. According to Fast Company, research conducted by the training firm Leadership IQ has shown that more than 45 percent of newly hired people often fail during their initial 18 months on the job. Out of this, over 25 percent fail simply because they are not able to accept the negative feedback they receive. Researchers concluded that for a person to be able to benefit from negative feedback, they need to have a certain amount of critical self-awareness. Should a person not be able to accept that they make mistakes, they may have a personality disorder and have a strong negative reaction to any type of feedback. Individuals with a certain amount of self-awareness are able to use negative feedback as an effective way to improve.
The people who benefit most from negative feedback will see it as something positive. It will drive them to improve their performance. These are people who ask a lot of questions after receiving any type of negative feedback. According to Forbes Magazine, they will try and gain as much insight as possible into the situation. They will make a strong effort to understand the reasons for the negative feedback and what can be done to correct what happened. They are able to hear exactly what is being said to them. They know the negative feedback received from performance software such as sales dashboards and others can provide opportunities for success. [Read more…]
Engineers play a vital role in their workplaces. They are the people that keep things going, that make the company work, and that do the work behind the scenes that keep profits coming in. While some engineers think their contributions should be kept within their department, the truth is that engineers bear as much weight on the interpersonal dynamics of a company as any other employee. If you are an engineer who wishes to improve his or her career prospects or who wants to figure out how to contribute more to the workplace, you should consider brushing up on the interpersonal skills discussed below.
This is a guest blog post by Carol Evenson
Effectively managing any group of employees can be a difficult proposition, but providing leadership for an engineering team or department typically entails a number of unique challenges. Simply managing the efforts of an engineering staff may not always be sufficient. Managers who are able to provide clear direction, ensure that their group is able to function as a cohesive team, and avoid the most common and costly missteps and oversights are far more likely to make the leap from simply managing their staff to leading their engineering team to greater success.
Science has done its due diligence, and the research speaks for itself; multitasking is officially out as a productivity tool. In fact, the latest data shows that multitasking can actually decrease productivity. Clearly, as a busy engineer, a decrease in productivity is the last thing you want and need.
In this post, I’ll show you how to take a look at your habits over the last year and convince you to make your first 2017 resolution to leave multitasking behind for good.
