Branding for RF Engineering Talent

In times when the vacant positions compete on limited RF engineering resources, preparation can help. In here I present the term Branding in the Job Market context as the logical preparation to projected recruiting needs. The more recognized a company is among its technology niche, the more likely it is to gain attention to its recruiting efforts. Branding works here the same way it works in the sales & marketing arena.

RF engineering talent and knowhow (among few other analog fields) is a scarce commodity these days. It is also hard to estimate the cost of an understaffed project. In today’s conditions the marketing task imposed on employers and recruiters “selling” their RF engineering positions is not simple. Unlike some other engineering fields, RF engineering projects are typically not tolerant to “on-the-job-training”. RF engineering skills are built over many years of hands-on experience. On the other hand, some skill-sets are very hard to come by, and the wait time for the ideal candidate can extend to months and more.

Branding is a way for a company to build recognition among potential customers. Similarly, promoting a company for its technologically challenging career opportunities (in addition to the generic employment appeal factors), increases the attention that later recruiting efforts by that company will receive (e.g. online job postings). Perceived image improves the rate of response to later ads for specific positions. It also encourages RF engineers to make inquiries unrelated to a specific vacancy, serving to build up a database for future use.

People make their career moves for a variety of reasons and the decision process is typically long (months and years). Building recognition in the industry as a viable career alternative, the recruiter captures the attention of those in the midst of that decision process – occasionally before they start their job search. It is a known fact that many of the top-notch engineers never reach the public job market when switching between jobs.