You’re a mid-career Mechanical Engineer looking for a new job. What should you prioritize?

1 Update your portfolio

Your portfolio is your showcase of your past and current projects, achievements, and skills. It should reflect your expertise, creativity, and problem-solving abilities. Make sure you include relevant and recent examples of your work, such as designs, prototypes, simulations, reports, or patents. Use clear and concise language, visuals, and metrics to highlight your impact and value. Also, tailor your portfolio to the specific job and industry you're applying for, and highlight the skills and tools that match the requirements.

4 Showcase your soft skills

Soft skills are the interpersonal and communication skills that enable you to work effectively with others, manage projects, and lead teams. They are often overlooked or undervalued by mechanical engineers, but they can make a big difference in your career success and satisfaction. Employers are looking for candidates who can not only perform technical tasks, but also collaborate, communicate, innovate, and solve problems. Therefore, you should demonstrate your soft skills in your resume, cover letter, portfolio, and interviews. For example, you can mention how you handled conflict, delivered feedback, facilitated brainstorming, or mentored junior engineers.

5 Explore new opportunities

Finally, you should be open and flexible to explore new opportunities that might arise in your job search. You might find a job that matches your skills and interests in a different industry, location, or company size than you expected. You might also find a job that requires you to learn new skills, take on new responsibilities, or work in a different environment. Don't limit yourself to what you already know or have done, but be willing to take risks, challenge yourself, and grow as a mechanical engineer. You might discover new passions, perspectives, and possibilities that can enrich your career and life.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?