Download Clarence Wong, M.Sc., P.Eng.

Clarence Wong, M.Sc., P.Eng.
Education:
Bachelor Degree in Architectural
Engineering, California USA
Master Degree in Civil Engineering,
California USA
Work
Structural Engineering in California, Hong
Experience: Kong and Vancouver, BC.
Currently working as Project Manager for
GENIVAR Inc.
Other
Activities:
APEGBC – Registration Interviews
Mentoring Programs by APEGBC,
S.U.C.C.E.S.S, and ISSBC
“Employers look for
Technical Skills, Hire for
Attitude and Employability.”
A discussion by:
Clarence Wong, P.Eng.
Technical Skills
• Basic requirement to practice
Engineering work
• ‘Given’ and ‘Expected’
“Employers look for technical
skills, but hire for Attitude and
Employability.”
Attitude & Employability
• Non-Technical Skills
• “Soft” Skills
• Some believe the non-technical skills
are JUST as important as the technical
skills, if not MORE important.
• Borrowing from APEGBC’s online
resource for Internationally Trained
Engineers
In a US study of engineering firms by Gushgari, Francis and
Sakiou (1997), the most critical skills for engineering project
managers, in order of importance, are:
1. Communication
11. Result orientation
2. Listening
12. Financial Management
3. Project Management
13. Time Management
4. Decision Making
14. Technical Knowledge
5. Leadership and motivation
15. Negotiating
6. Problem Solving
16. Personal adaptability
7. Quality Management
17. Administration
8. Organizing
18. Project Acquisition
9. Delegating
19. Creativity
10. Planning and Goal Setting
20. Risk taking
What are
“Attitude & Employability
skills”?
“Soft” skills?
Group them in:
• Communication
• Professional Skills
• Attitude and Traits
COMMUNICATION
• Listening
• Speaking
• Writing
• Gesture
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
• Meeting commitment
• Time Management
• Team Participation
• Business Management
• Project Management
• Making the complex simple
• Multicultural understanding
• Leadership
ATTITUDE AND TRAITS
•
Engineers need to develop principal attitudes
and traits.
•
Anticipating needs, problems and opportunities
•
Observing the environment in which we work &
live
•
Attitudes towards ourselves and co-workers
•
Fairness and directness when dealing with
people
•
Reliability of proposed solutions
•
Ethical behavior at all times
•
Proactive approach instead of sitting on the
sidelines and waiting
Hire for attitude and employability. What job
interviewers like to know:
• You have the skills to do the job. Not
only technical skills, but soft skills
• You fit in
• You understand the company and its
purpose
• You stack up against the competition
• You have the right mind set for the job
and the company
• You want the job
• You are flexible, able to multi-task, and
can adapt to changes
• You are a team player
Conclusion - Soft Skills
• Not just finding a job, but keeping it
• It’s easier to teach technical skills
than ‘soft skills’
• Among those qualities, what they
are looking for is:
“A fierce sense of OPTIMISM"
“A POSITIVE attitude”