According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 40 to 70 percent of workers owe their current positions to networking. While in-person networking is always useful, more and more engineers are relying on social networking to help them get their foot in the door with new employers.

LinkedIn groups are a great place to connect with other engineers and be seen by hiring managers. Many recruiters actively browse LinkedIn looking for new talent on a regular basis, and the network has earned a solid reputation for successfully connecting employers and engineers.

Move Beyond Your Profile

It’s not enough to simply have a LinkedIn profile. For engineers actively looking to grow in their careers, participation in groups is essential. Many professional groups allow recruiters to join, as well, and discussions can be a great place to showcase your expertise for those who are scouting for talent. We’ve scoured the network and pulled three groups (plus one bonus group) for computer, mechanical, and electrical engineers.

Computer Engineers – The High Performance Computing group is extremely active, touting over 9,000 members who work in the field. Most of the members of this group are engineers and researchers, but there are also a healthy number of IT professionals, consultants, and tech educators on the forum, as well.

Electrical Engineers – The Electrical Power Engineers group is unique in that it allows for discussions to be held in smaller, dedicated subgroups. This keeps conversations focused and allows networkers to be strategic in their group interactions. Members in this group hail from all over the globe, and membership is open to entry level and senior engineers, alike.

Bonus Group: The Electrical Engineer and Instrumentation group connects entry-level engineers and other professionals in the oil and gas industry. This board is very popular with recruiters and includes many job postings as well as discussions among professionals.

Mechanical Engineers – The Mechanical Engineers Network group is a place for professionals at all levels to connect with one another, and for recruiters to connect with talent from the US and Canada. There are over 80,000 members, though not all members are active in the forum. In order to stand out, new members should try to contribute regularly to the most recent and most active discussions.

Engineering is a competitive field and it can be difficult for professionals to manage their current positon while staying focused on all of the social and professional networking that must occur in order to develop a strong network.

That’s where a professional recruiter can help. The Prevalent Group is a nationally recognized engineering recruitment agency that works with electrical, civil, mechanical, chemical, and field service engineers at all stages of their careers. We have cultivated a strong network of organizations across the country who are always looking for new engineering talent. If you are a professional engineer looking to take your career to the next level, contact us today.