The engineering sector 

Engineering is a broad and exciting field with a diverse range of career paths following graduation.

Traditionally engineers worked across five broad disciplines – chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical and structural. However, today there are many more specialised subgroups such as 

• biomedical engineering
• aerospace engineering
• environmental engineering
• agricultural engineering

These subgroups are growing and delivering exciting job opportunities for engineers.

The opportunity

A national principle civil contractor required an engineer on a temporary basis in a regional NSW location. 

The issue was the project location was approximately 2.5 hours drive from Sydney, with multiple projects being delivered in the region. 

The solution

One candidate we had sourced had just arrived in Sydney from India. This candidate was available for work immediately and eager for an opportunity in NSW.

Typically, it’s difficult to place engineers with overseas experience as the qualifications and standards don’t necessarily match up to Australian/TfNSW standards.

However, this particular candidate stood out for many reasons. On interviewing the candidate, they were/had:

• a civil engineering degree recognised by Engineers Australia
• full Australian working rights
• flexibility to work in NSW (no location commitments)
• principle contractor overseas experience
• a polished and effective communicator 

Upon delivering the positive feedback to the client, they interviewed him and agreed to give him an opportunity as a site engineer on a temp basis, reporting into a strong project team to get him up to speed on TfNSW specs and standards.

Hiring on a contract basis means the risk is low, due to: 

• candidate temping on a time sheet
• no long notice periods
• no upfront recruitment fee

The result

Within 4 weeks of working on the project, the client expressed they wanted to extend his temp contract. A permanent role was offered after a 3 month mark of temping, and a promotion to project engineer. 

Our approach

There is a risk in recruiting candidates without local experience. However, due to the skills shortage, if the candidate ticks every box but local experience, giving them a chance to prove themselves on a temp basis can produce positive dividends. Clearly, finding a diamond in the rough helps ease the project pressure for resourcing.

About CGC Recruitment

Are you looking to hire on a contract basis?  CGC Recruitment is a specialist construction, infrastructure, engineering, and architecture recruitment consultancy. We view our clients as our partners and work closely with them to meet their business needs. We work with some of Australia’s largest construction brands through to specialist SMEs and boutique consultants. We have proven experience delivering permanent, contract and retained recruitment solutions, consistently providing the right candidates for the right roles at the right time.

If you have an active role you’d like to discuss or just want to talk to a specialist consultant, please contact us. Alternatively, you can complete our online client form and a member of our team will contact you.