24 Key Attributes Engineering Managers Need To Succeed In Their Career

by Noah Smith

Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Engineering managers plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.

The core tasks that engineering managers are likely to carry out include:

Coordinate and direct projects, making detailed plans to accomplish goals and directing the integration of technical activities.
Consult or negotiate with clients to prepare project specifications.
Present and explain proposals, reports, or findings to clients.
Direct, review, and approve product design and changes.
Recruit employees, assign, direct, and evaluate their work, and oversee the development and maintenance of staff competence.
Perform administrative functions such as reviewing and writing reports, approving expenditures, enforcing rules, and making decisions about the purchase of materials or services.

In order to successfully forge ahead with their careers, analysts in a survey carried out by U.S. Department of Labor (via O*NET) have marked out the following as important attributes that engineering managers would need. These attributes have been selected from characteristics and requirements strongly associated with the occupation. They are

Abilities: Enduring attributes of the individual that influence performance
Interests: Preferences for work environments. Occupational Interest Profiles (OIPs) are compatible with Holland's (1985, 1997) model of personality types and work environments. Six interest categories are used to describe the work environment of occupations: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. An OIP consists of six numerical scores indicating how descriptive and characteristic each work environment (or interest area) is for an occupation
Knowledge: Organized sets of principles and facts applying in general domains
Skills: These include basic skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate learning or the more rapid acquisition of knowledge. Plus cross-functional skills, which are developed capacities that facilitate performance of activities that occur across jobs
Style: Personal characteristics that can affect how well someone performs a job

We have listed out attributes which were scored 80% or more in terms of importance by the analysts.

Having a strong preference for enterprising work environments. Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
Attribute Type: Interests Score: 100%

Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 96%

A willingness to take on responsibilities and challenges.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 90.6%

Being honest and ethical.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 89%

Being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 88.6%

Analyzing information and using logic to address work-related issues and problems.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 87.6%

A willingness to lead, take charge, and offer opinions and direction.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85%

Persistence in the face of obstacles.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 85%

Establishing and maintaining personally challenging achievement goals and exerting effort toward mastering tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 84.6%

Being careful about detail and thorough in completing work tasks.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 84.2%

Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 83.8%

Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 83.6%

Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 83.6%

The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 82.4%

Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
Attribute Type: Knowledge Score: 81%

Being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 80.8%

Accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high stress situations.
Attribute Type: Style Score: 80.6%

The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
Attribute Type: Abilities Score: 80%

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%

Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Attribute Type: Skills Score: 80%