How to Get Promoted in Engineering - Part 1

Full disclaimer, there is no one solution that will work for everyone. Instead I will discuss the tactics I used, and the way I approached my work, that moved me from Reasearch Assistant, to Engineer II, to Engineer III, to Engineering Manager inside of 3 years.

1) Choose the right role, not the right salary

Set yourself up for success. Rather than chasing the biggest paycheck, I looked for a position that allowed me to utilize my strengths. I quickly move from a green new employee to a productive contributor to my team. I am certainly not suggesting that you work for free, but you should look at career growth before starting salary. You can climb the corporate ladder much faster if you're already good at your job when you start.

2) Report problems, but provide solutions

Much of an engineer's responsibility is managing mayhem. If this line of work was easy, you wouldn't need engineers to do it. You will be making lots of phone calls to your boss explaining what went wrong, and not having the slightest idea of how to fix it. BUT, you need to offer solutions. Even if your solution is light years away from correct, it allows your boss to give you the corrective action and adjust your train of thought simultaneously. Iterate this process several times, and you will start to get on the same page as your chain of command. Which brings me to my next point:

3) Get on the same page as your manager

The biggest part of earning your promotion is earning your manager's trust. Your manager will need to feel comfortable not knowing what you are working on. There is no cookie-cutter solution for this, but I can tell you how I did it. In meetings, emails, texts, and any other forms of communication my manager would always have questions about what I was reporting. I started to anticipate the questions he would ask, and preemptively answer them. Eventually anticipating his questions would lead me to solve some of the issues I was facing, and vastly improve my communication skills.

Part 2 coming soon.

Co-op to Corner Office Campaign

So I have finished college, taken my last final examinations, and pulled my GPA up past a 3.0. I was looking for my entry into the real world. The job market was very tough and very competitive. I scrambled many months trying to find a full time engineering position, with a good starting salary and benefits, but came up short.

Luckily, I considered this happening before I graduated and also applied for many intern and co-op positions. My backup plan paid off, because I was offered a full time co-op position at a medical devices company called NxStage Medical. They offered me a R&D position in disposables engineering with a pretty decent hourly rate.

So I didn’t land the permanent position…So what? I got my foot in the door, and that’s huge. I am going to do everything that I can to use this co-op as a stepping stone towards my professional career. I consider this the official launch for my Co-op to Corner Office Campaign!

Many people treat co-op/intern positions as part time jobs, credit requirements for school, and or resume builders. This is not a good state of mind; you will end up dragging your feet, disliking your work, and certainly not getting the most out of your time. I see a co-op/intern position as an extended interview. If you can prove to your supervisor that you are a valuable candidate, you might be offered a full time position. Here are some tips that I have for co-op/interns and other young professionals:

Dress professionally: In the engineering world, many jobs call for business casual. However, I have always tried to stay on the business end of business casual. You always want to be presentable, because you never know when you will meet someone very important in the company. First impressions last a lifetime.

Make work your #1 priority: If you are offered 40 hours, work 40 hours. You may get warned not to work overtime, but no one will question your work ethic if you go over. Maybe you want to continue to take classes towards your degree, or in my case, start taking classes towards a master’s degree. Try taking night classes or online classes, so that school work will not interfere with your job. Make sure to inform your supervisor about these classes, even if they are completely out of the way.

Try not to be dependent on your supervisor for work: This is especially difficult in the beginning. When you have finished one assignment, and need to check with your supervisor for another. Try and find a few suggestions of work you could be doing. This will make you look more independent and hard working.

Be personable: If you are friendly and interact more with your co-workers, you are much more likely to be noticed around to office. This is especially important if a job opens up in another department.

Make your motives clear: Good luck getting offered a position that you haven’t asked for. You should let your supervisor know that you are interested in a full time position. They will probably give you some good advice on how to move forward, and more importantly, tell you who to talk to.

I hope that these tips can help you on your way to the top of the corporate ladder. Remember to keep your eyes on the next step for your career.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be sure to put up more posts soon!