Engineering professionals reveal what they think success looks like

Are you hoping to kick the New Year off with an exciting new career? Whether you’re looking to gain a promotion in your current role, or want to find a job somewhere else, a new study from the UK independent job board, CV-Library, reveals the key metrics that engineering professionals believe make someone successful at work.

The study of 2,000 UK professionals found that engineering professionals see being trusted at work, earning a good wage and managing people as key measures of success, with the top 10 key wins including:

• Being trusted to get on with your job – 75%   
• Earning over £50k – 45.5%   
• Managing more than 10 people – 22.7%   
• Having a company car – 15.9%   
• Not having to report into anyone – 13.6%     
• Having 35 days of annual leave a year – 13.6%   
• Working from home when you want – 11.4%   
• Having your own office – 6.8%   
• Being able to travel abroad for work – 4.5%   
• Being in charge of hiring and firing – 4.5%   

Lee Biggins, founder and CEO of CV-Library, comments: “It’s great to have clear goals at work, but it’s important to be realistic. If your employer doesn’t offer company cars or the opportunity to travel then it’s no good measuring your success on these areas – unless you’re prepared to look for a new job entirely.

“If in doubt, talk to your boss about your aspirations. Find out whether you’ll be able to meet your objectives in your current role. In most cases, hard work and determination pays off, but if you’re early on in your career, a little patience never goes a miss too.”

Interestingly, the findings show some stark differences between the preferences of engineering professionals and the rest of the nation when it comes to success at work, with key findings including:

• Engineering professionals favour earning over £50k more than the average Brit (45.5% vs 36.1%)   
• Engineering professionals favour having a company car more than the average Brit (15.9% vs 7.6%)   
• Engineering professionals favour working from home less than the average Brit (11.4% vs 21.3%)   

Biggins continues: “Naturally, we all have our own objectives when it comes to work and what we want to achieve. By having a clear idea of what’s important to you, you’re more likely to find a job that’s going to fulfil your needs. With the New Year a matter of days away, now’s a great time to take stock of where you’re at in your career and potentially explore a new opportunity.”