Most Important Skills For A Hardware Engineer At A Fortune 10 Tech Company
Bob, a hardware engineer, surprisingly downplayed the importance of technical skills, stating they are "the two by fours behind the wall," essential but insufficient for success. Instead, the interview highlighted the critical role of communication and a growth mindset, emphasizing the lifelong need to improve "soft skills" like teamwork and effective communication, which are more valuable than technical expertise alone.
Communication, Teamwork, Problem-Solving, Growth Mindset, Technical Skills
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Bob Buckley
Hardware Engineer
Fortune 10 Tech Co.
UNL
UCSB
Engineering - Mechanical
Technology
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Effective communication is crucial for collaboration and conveying technical information to the team.
2. A positive attitude and growth mindset are essential for tackling challenging problems and continuously learning.
3. While technical knowledge forms the foundation, strong communication and interpersonal skills are paramount for success as a Hardware Engineer.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
That's a great question. I'll start with the least important, which is the actual technical knowledge. It's definitely needed.
It's like the two-by-fours behind the wall. If you don't have a good understanding and technical ability to grasp the work, then the walls will fall down. But to actually be effective and what's most important, it's really attitude and communication skills.
This allows you to effectively work as a team and tackle problems that may be challenging or have no clear solution. You might need to do research, try things out, or reach out to others for help. Then, you need to communicate that progress effectively to the team in a way that gets understood.
Even if you're the best technical person, if you never communicate what you've done, it's meaningless. An even bigger, and often harder, piece for people who have already passed engineering school is developing that soft skill. That's a lifelong need to continue to work on.
I'm a much better communicator now than when I left school, and I'm a better communicator because of school than when I started. It's really about having a growth mindset, learning every day, and focusing on soft skills and learning how to be effective with people and with communication.
Advizer Personal Links