Q.INSIGHTs & INTUITION

Miller

Vice President/COO

Engineering Group Fargo, N.D.

Engineering is a technical field by nature, but as a consulting firm, people skills are necessary. When hiring new graduates, we look for someone that can communicate with their team and clients while demonstrating their technical engineering knowledge. Relevant internship experience is the next thing we look for, whether students have spent time as an Apex intern or at another agency. Communication and relevant work experience go hand-in-hand to showcase a graduate’s technical ability.

When hiring experienced staff, we like to see employees with progressive career development. Someone that has worked their way into prominent positions can indicate they are competent in their technical skills and provide value. Communication is important at all levels of a consulting engineering business. The better your communication skills, the more opportunities one can create for themselves and the company.

In general, we are much more interested in soft skills than hard skills when talking to prospective employees. No one does exactly what we do, in exactly the same way that we do it, so we don’t expect applicants to be familiar with our industry, products, or equipment. We have a robust training program with over 100 courses to support new employee assimilation and development, so we’re really looking for a culture fit when it comes to hiring.

Qualities we look for during the interview process include self-motivation, a willingness to learn and try new things with enthusiasm, and respectfulness. We take great pride in having a diverse workforce, so we are also looking for employees who are accepting of others and can flourish while working side-by-side with people from different backgrounds and walks of life.

As a family-owned company, we care for our employees like family, and the characteristics we look for in new employees are closely aligned with our business’s values.

Rodney Koch

Vice President of Operations WCCO Belting Wahpeton, N.D.