Welding Engineers: How to Recruit Fit and Proper Ones

Consider those things to hire the best fit welding engineers for your company’s rosy future!

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20 Interview Questions You Should Ask Welding Engineering Candidates

It is not easy for recruiters to seek out welding engineers, or welding engineering managers they really need. It is not a joke that many job titled welding engineers have limited or zero training in physics and sciences of welding, and many are unqualified, just knowledgeable enough to enable welding processes. And to make the picture more complicated, welding engineering programs take different approaches and different ideas as related to what a welding engineer is and what should be the job description.

Below delves into how to fill the welding engineering post in an effective way with reference to experience, job description, title, responsibilities, training skills, team work skill, compensation, among others. Those specifics are specially helpful to companies making welded assemblies.

How to hire the right, fit welding engineer for your company's rosy future?

Pay for degreed welding engineers

You should make clear about the pay for degreed welding engineers. Competitive pay can be highly beneficial to both the worker and the company. The worker can fuel up his/ her confidence that the employer recognizes and thinks highly of his expertise, will allow him to finish his job well. Also, the company has to give him/ her the position/ title/ level of more proper process as well as technology authority so as to justify the higher wage. That way allows him to seize more command of the enterprise’s welding and make faster and more profit-making changes. That combines higher work performance and improved retention. So, for truly skillful welding engineers, good pays and/ or bonuses can, many times, a win-win.

Job title, description, authority and function

What should be listed in the welding engineering job description?

Don’t be afraid to make a creative job titles and descriptions to get attentions and raise your choices of candidates. Point out responsibilities and authorities welding engineers will take to ensure successful welding processes and profitability. Make sure their roles really control the entire welding process scope. 

If you need make the welding engineer become a welding manager, a manufacturing welding manager, a welding engineering manager, a senior technical manager, or even at higher position, name such job titles and matched job description and pay scale. Another way, you can give a more basic job title and the commitment for job promotion within half of the year or more. 

Job experience

There are 3 ranges of experiences. Those with 2-3 years of experience can hit the ground running. Those with 7-10 years of experience can not just make prompt improvements but start to grow strategic capabilities. Those experienced in 10-15 years or more will be preparedness towards world-class welding.

Also, consider their type of experience, which is equally important. They not only should cater to your needs but also be effective as working in the welding engineering team. Time dedicated to the team with their mentor can be more appreciated than their experiencing in solo environments?

Training

Training is one of most effective ways to motivate employees and raise the productivity – of course, such profit gains can’t be got overnight. You should make meticulous assessment of what training needs are, given your strategic goals. For the companies of which welding engineering search acts as the vital step to their excellence commitment, they need optimal impact from high performance welding training. 

Check how good your candidates' training skills are, and how well they are suited to your training needs

Then you should check how good the training skills of your candidates are, and how well they are suited to your company environment and training needs. Candidates with talent, experience, in-depth understanding of welding will be potentially make significant strategic improvements. You can ask them, “what types of welding training as well as content do you think we need take to achieve our goals? What ideal training system do you think would be for us?”. Then keep silent, listen effectively and take notes.

Thoughtfully considering strategic power

What expected strategic roles are in your company? What strategic roles does your company really need? There is often a big gap between the two, and ironically, you will need a welding engineer who can help define the actual needs. Then just wonder the question, how will you fill the strategic needs, and what the particular welding engineering position is needed to contribute?

Next, consider those questions. How well your rivals or you battle against a company with culture, quality, and profitability of welding operations that rose to an enormous degree? How bright your future would be if you sought out your rival was filling all the best jobs and landing exponentially higher profit margins than yours? How easily to catch up with them? That seems theoretical, but otherwise. That is the welding expertise inherited and empowered to develop a worldly classed team.

The best leader for the world class team is not just the experienced but the one who attempts to employ and grow excellent welding engineers. The best leader would hire and train the people that are potentially even better than him. 

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20 Interview Questions You Should Ask Welding Engineering Candidates

Ask your welding engineering candidates those questions for easy and effective choice of the most appropriate ones!

Other interview questions that you may find useful:
40 Important Interview Questions You Should Ask Your Welder Candidates

HR professionals are often in such a burden of seeking out right persons dedicated to the company. They take good care of every manpower recruitment stages from job posting, short-listing to interviewing. Important interview questions are often sketched out. They are designed in ways to discover candidates’ traits, competencies, strengths, weaknesses, technical and behavioural skills, honesty, dedication, and more. When it comes to welding engineering, there are some key questions staffing professionals should ask to find out the most appropriate ones.

1. How did you become a welding engineer? (Because around 70% of ‘welding engineer’ titled positions have limited or no training in this field, this is a critical question).

2. Can you please describe your common working week as a welding engineer?

3. Which welding processes have you been formally trained in?

4. What have you learned from mistakes when being a welding engineer?

5. Which welding processes are you good at

6. What materials do you often weld?

7. What material thickness ranges have you worked with?

8. What is your biggest weakness?

9. Why should we hire you for this welding engineer position?

10. Can you describe types of welding training you have personally conducted?

11. What certifications or degrees have you got?

12. Can you illustrate how you have helped to save welding costs, or raise profitability of welding operations?

13. What do you consider as the broad responsibilities of an welding engineer in our industry?

14. Why do you apply for this welding engineer position?

15. What do you know about our company?

16. Did our pay offer attract you to this position?

17. What challenges are you seeking for in this position?

18. What can you do for us while most welding engineers can’t?

And below questions are for experienced welding engineer candidates.

19. Based on your skills, training and experience, how comfy are you in structuring and executing world-class welding in an automatic welding environment?

20. Based on your skills, training and experience, how comfy are you in structuring and executing world-class welding in the manual welding environment?

Bear in mind that some of above questions may not apply to some companies. That’s why you may consult an engineer in choosing or modifying the best questions. Still, generally, those questions are great.

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Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 3)

How to push up an effective welding workforce that excellently achieves production goals and specifications and becomes dedicated to the company? Let’s take lessons from a successful model and get the satisfying answer!

It will be a success if you manage to bring talents into the fold. And it will be a hit if you can develop an effective welding manpower. You can avail tips generously given by companies successful in building a talented welding team that work out their heart. Among them is Shapiro & Duncan Inc. – the third generation mechanical contractor with services in the mid Atlantic region. Its current manpower of 40 workers includes pipe cutters and fitters, plumbers, warehousing workers, truck drivers, and 6 pipe welders. 3 of them are the experienced with at least 4-year dedication to the company. The other 3 are newcomers with on the job for at most 90 days. Until 6 months ago, this company ran a three-welder shift, but as a matter of a work surge, it added another three-welder shift.

Let’s see how Shapiro & Duncan Inc. developed its welding team.

3. Give motivated candidates ample opportunities to become a welder

Will motivated young welders be worth a chance?

It is worth giving motivated candidates chances of being part of your company. This holds for many companies, including Shapiro & Duncan Inc. Some of this company best outcomes have been with the young without knowing what they wanted to do from scratch, but with enthusiasm and enjoying a kinaesthetic style of learning. Once they establish themselves in the trade, their outlook becomes bright. It is not overstating that pipe welding workers will always be able to land a job. Employment security and high wage are guaranteed if novice welders have good attitude and flame will to complete their training.

4. Don’t just stop with technical training

It is critical to develop your welders' soft skills!

Technical training is important though, it is not enough to make a powerful welding team. It just as important for new welders to develop behavioural skills and learn about the company culture.

However good you are, or how many times you have been around the block, everyone coming into this company has to live the company values, and work towards achieving the company goal. That is why Shapiro & Duncan partners every new welders with a veteran supervisor in the field.

Overall, while technical skills are critical to posses, especially in welding, work ethic, soft skills are just as important when it comes to employee advancement and company’s effective operation.

See also:
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 1)
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 2)

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Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 2)

How to push up an effective welding workforce that excellently achieves production goals and specifications and becomes dedicated to the company? Let’s take lessons from a successful model and get the satisfying answer!

It will be a success if you manage to bring talents into the fold. And it will be a hit if you can develop an effective welding manpower. You can avail tips generously given by companies successful in building a talented welding team that work out their heart. Among them is Shapiro & Duncan Inc. – the third generation mechanical contractor with services in the mid Atlantic region. Its current manpower of 40 workers includes pipe cutters and fitters, plumbers, warehousing workers, truck drivers, and 6 pipe welders. 3 of them are the experienced with at least 4-year dedication to the company. The other 3 are newcomers with on the job for at most 90 days. Until 6 months ago, this company ran a three-welder shift, but as a matter of a work surge, it added another three-welder shift.

Let’s see how Shapiro & Duncan Inc. developed its welding team

2. Cement relationships to find out talents

Foster connections to detect talents!

For successful effort of manpower recruitment, the company starts with hiring ads in local newspapers, trade magazines and on its website. Plus, it leverages community relationship. For instance, it develops connections with local welding schools, and such association as Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC). When ABC kicked off a welding and pipe-fitting apprenticeship, Shapiro & Duncan got involved. Its relationships also extend to government agencies like the D.C Department of Employment Services. Those relationships allows it to quickly and effectively bring talents into the fold.

The main difference between the welder recruitment process and processes for other trades is that welders are required to overcome the hands-on testing. The novice welders are offered with a week on the job before Shapiro & Duncan tests them. For those with past welding experience, the company may test them just right away. Its hiring process is proved effective. On the in-house GMAW test, its candidates have to weld a joint on the Schedule 80 pipe to ASME’s B31.1 power piping code. The weld is required to be perfect without pits or cracks. Following one week of training, the pass rate is 90%.

Here technical training takes place in a controlled environment for absorbing essentials of welding before those skills have to be used under more demanding conditions in the field. That basic learning involves welding 2 pipe sections together on a workbench with all the equipment and tools in place; welding pipe sections with 9 feet off the ground and in a tight space. Shapiro & Duncan gives their new hires the chance to get it just right in the fabrication shop before sending them out in the field.

It can be seen that welding workers are now in hot demand, especially, those with experience and skills. Amid skill shortages, many employers refuse to give a pay rise. This is making it harder to attract and retain talents. One of effective response to this problem is to foster relationships with related agencies and associations, such as training centers, staffing agencies. By so doing, employees can look for right persons, even if they are at entry level. Those newbies with motivation and passion will create many values to the company if the employers offer proper training and orientation. What they have is youthful energy, a strong burning desire to conquer challenges and chase their career. What they lack is experience and skill. So it is partly up to employers who can completely set their heart on fire, give them bright outlook and appropriate coaching.

See also:
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 1)
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 3)

Read More

Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 1)

How to push up an effective welding workforce that excellently achieves production goals and specifications and becomes dedicated to the company? Let’s take lessons from a successful model and get the satisfying answer!

You may also be interested in:

7 Easy Ways of Motivating Your Welders
6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders
How to Retain Your Experienced Welders

It will be a success if you manage to bring talents into the fold. And it will be a hit if you can develop an effective welding manpower. You can avail tips generously given by companies successful in building a talented welding team that work out their heart. Among them is Shapiro & Duncan Inc. – the third generation mechanical contractor with services in the mid Atlantic region. Its current manpower of 40 workers includes pipe cutters and fitters, plumbers, warehousing workers, truck drivers, and 6 pipe welders. 3 of them are the experienced with at least 4-year dedication to the company. The other 3 are newcomers with on the job for at most 90 days. Until 6 months ago, this company ran a three-welder shift, but as a matter of a work surge, it added another three-welder shift.

Let’s see how Shapiro & Duncan Inc. developed its welding team.

1. Develop a challenging and rewarding environment at workplace

Make all your worker efforts rewarded!

Welders in its fabrication shop are expected to end up an 8-hour day with 100 inches of welds or more completed. 99% of the time, its welders are able to attain that daily production goal as well as specification. How can this company get that satisfying result? Indeed,…

According to its longest tenured welder – Richard Youngbar, the key to this job success is to keep down the shield and keep welding. He is persistently motivated and quick to take the initiative. Youngbar has been dedicated to Shapiro & Duncan Inc. for over 10 years. His specialization is in gas metal arc welding (GMAW). As the most veteran welder, he also acts as the informal mentor to those newer to this welding team.

Youngbar and his team welders apply Fab Man - a custom-tailored project management software program, for staying on top of the work-flow. This software serves as a tool-kit for short interval planning (SIP) and time entry. Each welding workers clocked into this program at the start of his workday and chooses work orders which display how much time is allocated to challenge each weld. The welders are motivated to beat these times  bearing in mind that they are in charge of completing a weld that addresses the specification. A spool map showcases a drawing of what needs doing. When completing a work order, they clock out and choose a new one.

This way is another word of work planning. Indeed, with a specific planning, goal to be attained, workers find it easy to promote themselves.

For quality control, it is important to watch the welders when they are working. Look at closely every joint. Some complex weld might have to be sent to a vendor for an ultrasound or X-ray inspection, but for the most part, visual inspection is the standard determinant for whether its welders meet fabrication expectation. Also, the company gives individual welders pointers to help them perform the appropriate root pass, keep uniform bead, and most importantly, stay within the expected specs.

Building a challenging employment, this company manages to push up its employees, make most of their capability, help them with strength promotion and weakness improvement. Not only intended for a stimulating and inspiring environment, Shapiro & Duncan Inc. motivates its workers with worthy rewarding. Because they add value to the company, they would see value back. Specifically, aside from a commitment to its employees and equipping them the resources they need to do their job, it fosters good communication with them. Everyone here treat each other just like a family, and try to have some fun at free time every day. Admirably, Shapiro & Duncan Inc. has lost just one welder within the past 10 years.

To add it up, when the two sides – employers and employees, enjoy win-win benefits, anything called motivation, hard work, productivity, revenues can be handled well without much sweat.

See also:
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 2)
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 3)

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7 Easy Ways of Motivating Your Welders

It won’t be that difficult to motivate your welding workforce if you leverage those effective ways.

You may also find below information helpful:
6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders
Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model

You are too much of a frustrated employer? You have put lots of time, money and efforts in manpower recruitment, but what have you gained at the end of the day? Your welders have got bored at work? They are not hard working enough to skill up and improve productivity? They have no intention to better their welds? Instead, they just want to finish the minimum required jobs and make no more progress? Whatever, as an eagle-eyed employer, you should detect such signs and define ways to motivate them. Here suggest some effective ways that you could utilize for more engaging worker participation.

How do welders look and feel with unfair pay?

1. Pay. If a shop doesn’t make good pay, it won’t attract and retain good welders. Even if they work to learn rather than working to earn. To say nothing about the fact that today's welding workers have been in hot demand, which come with their higher marketability. Also, if you want good welds, then pay more money. Workers often consider pay their work motivation. It isn't dramatic but 99% of them won't work for you as long if you give them unfair wage. Money is not the most important though, it helps with their life handling and their family mouth feeding. It comes with no surprise that many employers put too much pressure on welders without fair rewarding. That being so, how can they expect their welders are loyal to them? Most of workers weld for money. Then treating them that way will just earn employers consequent losses of talents. The more pressure you place on welders, better come with more money. Overall, it will be the best if you offer a fair pay, performance based bonus and wage rise aside from health benefits. Prioritize your workforce and they will then give you all what you want, whether productivity or loyalty!

Safety for your welding workforce!

2. Safety. It is a must that shops are safe to work in. Weekly safety meetings are required to better employees’ safety knowledge and avoid any work accident whether it is really small or not. Note that those meetings are not kinda boring lecture with a sleepy group. Welders must be engaged in the discussion.

Create a clean, uplifting work environment

3. Clean work environment. Employees can feel low when working in a dark and dull, dirty and untidy environment with stuff lying around. It will be more depressing without good lighting. A well lighted and clean environment will be more uplifting than a dirty, dispiriting work area.

Just like doing exercise, job training would feed the brain, cleanse the mind of bad vibes

4. Continuing education or job training. Just like exercise, job training will feed the brain and clean the mind of bad vibes. Your workers can let go of their boredom, continue their work with motivation and innovative ideas. If the welder training isn’t available at a nearby college, then training should take place elsewhere, whether it is from welding equipment makers or at a training institute. Most employers see the value of training though, it is said that its value might be actually under-appreciated. As per a Harward Business Review publication, the employer-offered training can make an unimaginable impact on job satisfaction, just about the same as 18% pay rise. This finding was from a study on around 5,000 workers by the University of Madeira. Evidently, training isn’t free, but its cost is much lower than giving employees an 18% wage increase. One way to maximize the training benefits is ‘Training the Trainer’. That means, certain employees trained by the professionals (also, external training) will become the trainer for other workers. It is an old story that employers have struggled with the ‘brain drain’ that happens when veteran workers retire or quit without passing on their knowledge to others. This way can fill that communication gap. Not all, Training the Trainer is highly scalable when adding new trainers to the company.

Tell less, talk more!

5. Employer accessibility. This is one of killer ways to foster labor relation. The stronger labor relation is, the more satisfied welders are. Satisfied workers will be more dedicated to the company and by its side to weather whatever storm. Then as an employer, you should have more hearty talks with employees, not only about work but also how they are and how their family are doing. Be an attentive listener and let their voice heard. Everything from heart will touch heart.

What are your welders expecting for?

6. Expectations. If the company pays well, gives good benefits and develops a good environment, then its employers shouldn’t be afraid to let the workers know about their satisfactory production expectation. Welders happy with the company will quickly correct themselves when it comes to being late at work or slacking off.

He is your loyal welder. But he also has a family to dedicate to and life events to attend and interests to be explored!

7. Work-life balance. Welding workers are not machines. They are human beings. They will get sick, their family will get sick, they will want to attend life events, they will want to explore their own interests. If employers do demand overtime hours, holidays, then they are better prepared for a fair compensation. Those are heartfelt words of a welder that others share the same with. Not just hearing the voice of other management or the like, employers also need listen to opinions and demands of welders themselves and/ or team leaders who are familiar and understand well their welding members. Otherwise, they will just leave their employees with frustration. Just like this case. Boss threw on a Saturday work day after voluntary overtime working of 10 hours already that week. The welder worked Saturday without any complaints until he came home and got a fever that lasted until Tuesday. That meant he missed Monday. The boss, instead of asking for his health improvement, made a rude comment about him making up missed time on Tuesday. It's more frustrating that it was his first missed day in four months.

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