r/ElectricalEngineers • u/FOXtrot2469 • 18h ago
recruiting electrical engineers
You guys (and girls) are a tough crowd on LinkedIn. Why so inactive there? Traditionally I recruit more in software engineering where everyone changes jobs every 2 years. Are EEs just generally more content staying put? Or are you guys all in the IEEE secret society?
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u/Mike_Dunlop 17h ago edited 17h ago
Honestly I get spammed by about a dozen recruiters per day but they're mostly in-ofice jobs in California or some other high cost of living area. I'm content where I am unless it was the perfect upgrade, but it would have to be fully remote too. It's a different time now and I think people with seniority got used to remote work and no longer can stomach selling their house and moving their family across the country only to probably be laid off after a year and go through it all over again. And a lot of us are building real wealth with these high paying remote jobs yet living in affordable Bumfuck USA so that we can afford to hoard a large portion of our salary for early retirement when the remote-work gravy train ends.
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u/FOXtrot2469 17h ago
Makes total sense. This also is an in office California job. But to be fair, I’m only doing outreach to candidates in the local market, and just getting nowhere. So they must be getting spammed even worse than you, which would make sense why they’re not responding.
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u/Due-Explanation-6692 15h ago
Experienced engineers already have a job they don't need to be on there. Entry level engineers won't get an offer anyway so whats the point?
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u/Anxious_Alps_4150 6h ago
linkedin is kind of terrible. i keep a profile there but eh... mostly just people recycling ai trash talking points.
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u/Constant_Barber_5198 18h ago
What are you recruiting for? experienced engineers are getting spammed right now and most of the positions are open for a reason. There is an excess of entry level candidates and now no one has time to train them.
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u/FOXtrot2469 18h ago
Yeah I get that. I’m recruiting a mid to senior (5+ years) Electrical Engineer, to do PCB design.
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u/GabbotheClown 18h ago
Most experienced EEs don't want all their eggs in pcb design. It's normally preferred as an ancillary skill.
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u/AwarenessNo5921 9h ago
Why is this?
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u/itsreallyeasypeasy 8h ago
Because it's one of the jobs that's outsourced first unless you do very specific niche stuff on pcb. It's safer to work jobs that require a broader skill set so you can always find a new one.
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u/GabbotheClown 8h ago
Well said. And I would just add that in a lot of larger companies. The PCB design is done by non-engineers and it's more of a technical trade.
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u/AwarenessNo5921 2h ago
What even is safest in EE? I guess like super intensive Semiconductor/VLSI/FPGA/RF/Analog IC design? Feel like most of those are competitive and generally require masters though. And then I guess obviously power is always in demand. But seems dead boring and lowest pay.
My interests kinda lie in Embedded software/PCB design/systems and controls. Which is unfortunate because I feel like they are the lower skill disciplines, more suspectable to AI/outsourcing, etc. but I do really like understanding systems, all the individual components, and being able to diagnose and build something for a tangible goal.
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u/itsreallyeasypeasy 2h ago
With AI I have no idea what jobs will be safe or if there will be even any jobs left.
The 'safest' jobs always were those that many people found a bit boring or those which didn't pay extremely well like PE. IC design is a very cyclical industry, very much concentrated in a few places and the bar of entry is high.
At the end of the day the safest job is one you don't hate. If you love PCB design, then you have to get good at it and pick a niche like RF/power/AMS/high-speed/EMC that is in demand or look for jobs that need a wide engineering skill set that includes PCB design.
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u/Dracoaeterna 17h ago
Really? Bro 😭 i have not gotten any entry in the past month, but this month there has been a surge of indeed
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u/densemiIk 16h ago
What makes you click on a certain linkedin profile? Trying to update mine to see if I get more reach
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u/FOXtrot2469 16h ago
It really depends on role based keyword searches. Main thing is definitely have a picture on your profile. What makes me more likely to engage after I’ve clicked on your profile.. having some descriptions in your job history and not just job titles, but it doesn’t have to be your full resume. A little bit of engagement/activity helps. As simple as commenting on someone’s new job or promotion every couple of months shows me you have at least looked at your LinkedIn and might engage if I reach out.
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u/TenorClefCyclist 16h ago edited 16h ago
Frankly, LinkedIn is a dumpster fire. I still read it to see what industry colleagues are up to, and I even repost jobs my company has open -- with my own summary of what it entails because HR's "official" description is bloated and obscures the point.
More than half of the EE content that shows up in my feed is AI-generated, posted by people whose job titles don't match the subject matter. I suppose they're posting to raise their profile with recruiters who won't realize that it's cribbed from an undergraduate circuits class that we all had to take as sophomores. More often than not, it's accompanied with an AI-generated summary poster that contains some fundamental error or omission.
Most of the connection requests I get are the equivalent of a cold sales call from someone who didn't bother to research what my company does. No, I do not want re-label your generic thingamabob, when my company already manufacturers a better one in house. No, I do not want to hire generic engineering help whom you'll hire at random once I sign a contract. No, I do not want to be listed in Who's Who or publish a business book, and I already have an investment advisor.
I'm listed as "open to work" in case an amazing opportunity comes along, but I rarely even read the job listings that the LinkedIn algorithm pitches me. Yes, I'm a principal engineer, but that doesn't mean I'm qualified to retain that title in a completely different industry. Don't expect someone who works in my technology niche to be a serious candidate to lead a satellite development team or run a tire factory.
If you want your job posting to get my attention, it not only needs to be relevant, it needs to be plausible. Yours is not, because your client seems to think that someone can be a "Senior Engineer" with as little as five years of experience. Nope, it takes 10-15 years to develop that level of insight. What "5+ years of experience" tells me is that the salary offer is going to match an "EE II or III" position.
There's more than enough information in my LinkedIn profile for a knowledgeable recruiter to understand what I'm good at (quite a lot, actually) and to put together a personal message that will get my attention. People who do their homework get a reply; people who are obviously shotgunning get ignored.
Since you asked, yes, I do belong to a number of IEEE technical societies and my name is in their directories.
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u/FOXtrot2469 16h ago
Mostly fair and understandable take. One point of contention here is your reference to “Senior Engineer” as I noted the role as mid to senior with 5+, meaning an absolute minimum of 5 years, and there is flexibility with the role in both responsibilities and salary for more experienced engineers.
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u/TenorClefCyclist 16h ago
Noted. I might have read more carefully if I were interested in the particular job... or perhaps not: there's so much traffic, so little time, and so much noise.
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u/Kataly5t 14h ago
I like my job and have no interest to change. Very stable and growth is good. I doubt any other company could offer better than what I've got, so went would I spend my time on LinkedIn?
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u/friendlycroco 10h ago
Society is engineers Aus. Software engineering is not really engineering and is usually looked down upon.
Let the downvote begin
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u/Complex-Structure216 6h ago
Do you only recruit seniors?
Thing about most engineers I know, even those starting out, is they are quick learners, it's kind of the point of uni. But since no one is looking for us entry levelers, both recruiters and job seekers are stuck in Limbo
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u/neithernorsliverofdg 2h ago
Most of the time the job you do is very specific and it's difficult to move out OR you just started out and no one wants to hire you
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u/Proof_Juggernaut4798 18h ago
“With uncertain weather, one must be prepared “
Countersign?