Field Service Engineers Recruitment

Recruitment of Field Service Engineers can be very challenging. Looking to attract, hire, retain skilled employees is crucial and standing out is important due to the fierce competition and evolving customer’s expectations, meeting SLA’s plus keeping up the standards of excellent customer service. 

As there is a more of a shift in focus from product to service in the field service sector, having the right skilled field service engineers is vital. Employers are able to empower their workers through training, equipping them with the knowledge and tools they require for their job but also as part of employee retention. This will then lead to improved client satisfaction through services and increased client retention rates annually therefore more contract renewals as well as positive outlooks on the company’s image as a whole.

Understanding the hardships of recruitment in Field Service

According to British Gas Reports, predictions have been made that approximately 2 million new engineering, science and technology professionals are needed by 2022. That’s a significant amount in ratio to the actual qualified, experienced engineers available. The shortage has gone beyond the gas businesses. There is a demand and shortage of skills for HVAC, electrical, fire & security engineers including other types of field service organisations.

There are pros and cons when it comes to bringing in new hires for the expansion of the business so they can continue to thrive. The cons are that recruitment has to work twice as hard to attract the right candidates. A simple job description and ad no longer work, yet the upside to this is that being more creative in hiring strategies won’t lead to disappointing results.

It is certainly a challenge to constantly be thinking outside the box, but it’s an opportunity to test out what works well for recruitment and what doesn’t. There are many options on effective ways for hiring and retaining field service that will be explored further in this article.

Training

Many competitors are filling in vacancies and hiring the skilled engineers they need. Organisations need to look at alternatives for recruiting the best engineers for their business. One of the ways this can be achieved is by targeting students through apprenticeships, work placements, graduation schemes. 

The effect this will have on field service industries will be enormous as to overcome the shortages and demands in the field service industry is through education. Students must demonstrate a practical approach and not just a theoretical approach as one of the pre-requisites to qualify in field service. What this means, they must provide evidence of being ‘hands on’ and highlight what a hands-on career really means.

Targeting students and educational institutes are a great way for a business to grow and invest in employees in the long term. Additional training can be provided during employment, but ultimately it’s about showing prospects how fun, exciting and rewarding working in the field service industry can be.

Furthermore, the field service sector is now more involved in digital technology. The younger generation will be best equipped and trained by the most experienced teams in field service, giving them a head start. 

Inspire prospects with workplace culture and benefits

Companies should create a ‘feel good’ environment that employees would want to work in. This will reveal that businesses respect their employees’ time, their input, appreciate their requests and personal boundaries all whilst developing their careers. Employers are more likely to appeal and maintain workers when there’s great business culture and benefits offered.

Compelling Advertising

Differentiating yourself from your competitors is what will raise standards and always have that competitive advantage when it comes to advertising. Having a compelling ad with clear, structured job details is key, but so is marketing efforts to be able to source and entice prospects to apply. 

Many organisations especially making larger organisations tend to develop robotic and emotionless ads. Adding personality and style to the ads, yet keeping them professional will make them more personable and applicable. 

Diversification is the way forward

Diversification is such an important factor for the future of businesses and fills in gaps within the field service industry. It’s a win-win situation. It has been talked about on numerous occasions about the lack of women not being field service careers, yet the issue still persists. 

Research has shown that a larger percentage of women in the workforce leads to:

• A more driven and productive workforce
• Employees find purpose in their work
• Increase job satisfaction 
• Fewer risks of burnout and breakdowns.

Discover our Field Service Management software solutions at Protean! We can help you with the materials you need to equip your current and future field service engineers. Enquire today for a quote.