We’re excited to welcome Ross Blumenfeld as our new Director of Engineering Services. With 10 years of hands-on experience in the field, he has built a strong reputation for leading teams, solving tough problems, and keeping projects moving forward smoothly. Ross is passionate about making processes better, helping teams grow, and finding practical solutions that work. We’re looking forward to the energy, leadership, and fresh ideas he will bring to our team. He shares his thoughts on contract engineering below:
Finding the best engineers has always been a priority for the top firms in the country. Adding that one Controls Engineer who can seamlessly integrate PLC’s with new machinery, or a Mechanical Design Engineer who understands proper GD&T or DFM while production is falling behind has led to many sleepless nights and stressful days on the floor. There have been many contributing factors behind this, none more frequent than the question of “reliability.”
In my 10+ years in recruiting, I cannot count the number of times a hiring manager has outright rejected top-level talent based on “brief tenure.” No one wants to hire a job-hopper, and the point of this article isn’t to encourage people to lower standards. But to most employers, reliability is an employee who shows up in the same place under the same banner for multiple years. It’s as simple as that; skill is a “nice-to-have.”
My response to that hiring manager usually begins with something along the lines of “I know this is a pressing role for you. Have you considered hiring them on a contract-basis?” I go on to explain that this “Candidate X” had previously been hired by or is finishing a contract at a company similar to my client, often times a competitor. I point out how the problem they most recently solved mirrors the one my client currently faces, and that the skills my client is currently in demand for are skills with which this candidate excels.
One of two things then happens. The first is that the hiring manager realizes that while contract engineering is something foreign to them, the challenges that they face are also unprecedented. Attempting to solve new problems with old solutions is often a poison pill for many organizations.
The second outcome is that the hiring manager swallows the pill. Workloads build up, production falls behind, morale drops, safety isn’t the priority it should be. All because a problem which required 3 months, 6 months, 12 months to resolve remains unaddressed. Because the unicorn candidate who has worked for 2 companies in 20 years and never plans on leaving their third hasn’t emerged from the mystical woods of LinkedIn or Indeed.
By no means am I encouraging companies to only hire contract personnel. Nor am I dismissing the loyalty and dedication of those who spend years, if not decades, building an organization. But the most immediate challenges do not always require long-term resources.
Let’s circle back to the candidate. Why contract? Why wouldn’t everyone want to work for a company as a full-time employee? Certainly, the stability of a consistent paycheck and benefits provides a certain peace of mind. The stress of searching for a new job every few months must take its toll on an individual, right? Is it an issue of ability? An issue of accountability? Are these second-tier engineers? Do they lack the niche skills or innovative thinking required of top-level talent?
While they’re fair questions to ask, they may be the wrong ones. Attitudes have changed in recent years, sparked by the Great Resignation beginning in early 2021. As the workforce continues to grow younger and the answer to “what makes a job great” shifts, the best and brightest minds entering or rising in the workforce have different priorities, especially when it comes to Gen Z and younger Millennials. According to LinkedIn, approximately 50% of software engineers have left their previous employer within two years of being brought on board, less than half the national average of 4.2 years.
Companies that offer flexibility, project variety, modern tools and processes, and faster earning potential better represent the top of the younger generations’ hierarchy of importance than salary, benefits, and retirement funds. And while initiatives such as unlimited PTO, work-from-home, and better work-life balance have helped stabilize the Voluntary Turnover Rate (24.7% in 2022, 17.3% in 2023, 13.5% in 2024), the engineering and manufacturing industries are still experiencing high turnover rates.
One of the top factors for turnover is burnout. Others are lack of forward-thinking from their organization and too much “red tape.” So, while the thought of searching for a job every few months may sound stressful to some, the possibility of working in a demanding role with no possibility of change, variety, or creativity has driven many of the most talented people, specifically engineers, to leave companies in favor of contract work.
To these individuals, the prospect of new, interesting projects which expose them to new challenges is far more appealing than job stability or solving the same question repeatedly. To them, “reliability” is different than showing up in the same place under the same banner for years, if not decades. To these individuals, reliability is the best quality of life, both at the office and at home.
And if we’re being honest, due to the talent shortage engineering and manufacturing companies are facing, the best engineers know their skills will always be demand.
The question then becomes which companies are going to adapt to the modern workforce, and which are going to be taking their medicine?
If you’re interested in learning more about how contract engineering makes sense for your organization, please contact Accelerate Professional Talent Solutions.