How to Hire an Electrical Engineer

Why hire an electrical engineer?

Hiring an electrical engineer for your company helps resolve technical problems and improve the quality of pragmatic solutions to electrical technology issues. They’re also critical to improving the effectiveness and productivity of the electrical team and the company as a whole to achieve future goals.

• Regularly inspect and observe operations and installations to keep them in line with equipment and safety standards
• Utilize computer-assisted engineering software (AutoCAD), and enhance the efficiency of engineering tasks
• Perform quality assurance and product development, testing for projects

Deciding between a full-time vs freelance electrical engineer

Freelance electrical engineers can be hired on a per-project basis. Companies with one-time or infrequent electrical projects may hire a freelancer because it saves the company money in payroll costs and benefits. 

However, companies that require frequent electrical engineering work, such as tech developers, industrial plants and power stations, should look into hiring at least one full-time electrical engineer. Because the company has enough work to justify a full-time hire, it can be a financially cheaper option. Full-time employees can also be held to a higher degree of accountability for the quality of their work and the timeframe it was delivered in. 

What are the types of electrical engineers?

Electrical engineers can work in a variety of branches of the industry. Some of these branches include:

• Power engineering: These engineers handle the generation and distribution of electrical power in the community. They can also work on off-grid power systems in remote locations, such as mines. 
• Microelectronic engineering: Microelectronic engineers specialize in working on minuscule electronic components. They have experience working on devices made from semiconductor materials, including transistors, insulators and capacitors. 
• Computer engineering: An electrical engineer in the computer field may work on processors, motherboards and integrated circuits. They may also handle software work. 
• Telecommunications engineering: Telecommunications engineers may work on a variety of methods of communications, such as telephones, radios and televisions.
• Control engineering: An engineer who specializes in control engineering may create control systems for various electronics and improve upon existing ones. 
• Instrumentation engineering: Similar to control engineers, instrumentation engineers handle planning and implementation of control systems. They’re also responsible for performing maintenance. 

Where to find electrical engineers

To find the right electrical engineer for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

• Contact engineering schools in the area. Reach out to the local engineering schools to find promising graduates who may be looking for work.
• Post help wanted flyers. Hanging flyers around the community is often an effective way to attract potential candidates for your open position. 
• Look online. Experienced electrical engineers may be advertising their full-time or freelance services and searching for work on online platforms. 
• Network. By keeping open avenues of communication in the engineering world, you may be able to find leads on quality electrical engineers looking for work. 
• Post your job online. Try posting your electrical engineer job on Indeed to find and attract quality electrical engineer candidates.

What are the types of electrical engineers?

Electrical engineers can work in a variety of branches of the industry. Some of these branches include:

• Power engineering: These engineers handle the generation and distribution of electrical power in the community. They can also work on off-grid power systems in remote locations, such as mines. 
• Microelectronic engineering: Microelectronic engineers specialize in working on minuscule electronic components. They have experience working on devices made from semiconductor materials, including transistors, insulators and capacitors. 
• Computer engineering: An electrical engineer in the computer field may work on processors, motherboards and integrated circuits. They may also handle software work. 
• Telecommunications engineering: Telecommunications engineers may work on a variety of methods of communications, such as telephones, radios and televisions.
• Control engineering: An engineer who specializes in control engineering may create control systems for various electronics and improve upon existing ones. 
• Instrumentation engineering: Similar to control engineers, instrumentation engineers handle planning and implementation of control systems. They’re also responsible for performing maintenance. 

Writing an electrical engineer job description

It’s vital to creating a detailed electrical engineer job description with a list of duties, responsibilities and required skills to find suitable candidates.

When writing your electrical engineer job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on electrical engineer jobs, according to Indeed data:

• Electrical engineer
• Engineer
• Electrical engineering
• Electrical engineering internship
• Controls engineer
• Engineering
• Electrical
• Electronics engineer
• Senior electrical engineer
• Electrical engineering intern

Interviewing electrical engineer candidates

In the interview process for suitable electrical engineer candidates, comparing the skills and qualifications of all potential applicants is essential. They should be able to confidently answer:

• Their proficiency in the field of electrical engineering and associated areas
• Their knowledge and experience of electrical engineering techniques and solutions to all project issues
• How they’ve excelled at improving project efficiency by applying electrical engineering knowledge and software to minimize project cost and streamline project delivery

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of electrical engineer interview questions for examples (with sample answers).