As a fresh graduate, when looking at online job listings and forums to send in applications, you can find lists that state more than 43,000 engineering jobs in Singapore. Although this seems like a lot, in fact, this number continues to grow every day, as Singapore persists in becoming a Smart Nation.

But due to a high number of jobs and the expanding engineering industry, there’s also a lot of information about the different areas of engineering available in Singapore, relevant (and other) roles and the recruitment processes.

To address your job-hunting concerns, we’ve summarised the information and come up with a list to help you understand how to make landing an engineering role easier on yourself, and even future opportunities available to you, whether it’s further training or academic studies.

Let’s dive in!

Choosing an area of work

Areas to consider: Engineering graduates are welcome in many areas, from aerospace and automotive engineering, to chemical and electronic engineering. Railway engineering is even an option! They’re also greatly valued in industries where machines and technologies are heavily involved, such as manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and telecommunications.

To find out more about graduate areas of work, click here!

Things to consider: Depending on the industry and area of work you want to go into, engineering roles can vary from developing nanotechnologies and electronic devices, all the way to constructing structures like refineries and fields of solar panels.

Some companies to consider: ST Engineering is a popular aerospace company, alongside SIA Engineering. Meanwhile, chemical engineering is monopolised by the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore, while Singapore Rail Engineering is the go-to railway engineering option for graduates interested in that particular field. Infrastructure development specialist, Black & Veatch, is also known to offer engineers unique opportunities in the construction engineering arena.

Moreover, engineers are integral to FMCG companies, such as Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever, L’Oréal and Nestlé, where they’re needed to maintain and improve manufacturing processes. On the other hand, telecommunications firms like Singtel, Huawei Technologies and Starhub also need engineers to oversee and upkeep their systems, facilities and networks.

However, if electronic device engineering and nanotechnology research is your cup of tea, you can consider Micron Semiconductor, Emerson and Infineon Technologies, or the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), respectively.

Landing a full-time role in an engineering company

Why: No matter the field or industry, one thing all employers have in common is a desire to onboard valuable graduates who can contribute to the company. In the context of the engineering industry, what this means is that engineering recruiters look for candidates with a good mix of technical knowledge and commercial awareness.

Take note: Firms in the engineering industry tirelessly work towards higher productivity and efficiency, while keeping costs down, so they’re always on the lookout for a combination of technical and business skills.

Larger companies: The hiring process varies greatly between large organisations. While firms like Hewlett Packard (HP), Accenture, Siemens and FDM Singapore onboard candidates through graduate training programmes, other big companies, like Surbana Jurong, feature more relaxed and casual processes, and hire graduates directly into roles.

However, take note that the recruitment process for these companies can be very intense, with local graduates jockeying for limited spots with renowned multinational corporations (MNCs), like Dyson, alongside seasoned professionals and expatriates. To get a leg up over other applicants, customise your resume, and highlight relevant previous work experiences and skills gained through internships, industrial placements or part-time jobs taken up over summer breaks.

Smaller companies: SMEs like Eastcompeace Technology, Smitech Engineering and HOPE Technik generally have about 200 employees or so. Due to having fewer resources, they tend not to have the same strict training structures in place compared to MNCs, and instead hire graduates directly into specific entry-level roles.

But don’t just brush this off as a bad thing! For one, you’ll have more opportunities to work on cross-departmental tasks and learn on-the-job. What’s more, they can offer job security, as they’re still growing and gaining traction through comprehensive loan programmes from SPRING Singapore.

Qualifications and skills

Why: It’s true that the engineering industry welcomes graduates from all disciplines for commercial positions, like that of sales or project engineering. However, more specific engineering roles, such as automotive and pharmaceutical engineering, require relevant qualifications.

For instance, most employers looking for automotive engineers need candidates to have at least a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent thereof, such as Electrical Engineering. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical engineering positions typically require backgrounds in chemical engineering or biomedical engineering.

Qualifications: Some employers are particular about the education level of their applicants. While some employers, like Infocom Technology and Schlumberger, take on candidates who hold relevant Bachelor of Engineering Master of Engineering degrees, others, such as A*STAR, only entertain Master of Engineering degree holders.

That’s not the end, though! Home-grown MNC Shopee requires their machine learning software engineers, as well as algorithm engineers, to hold PhDs in Computer Science or related fields.

Soft skills employers look for: On top of an eye for detail, the ability to adapt and learn quickly, interpersonal and communication – both written and verbal – skills are essential. Moreover, apart from having problem-solving and analytical skills, being able to work in teams is also vital, as most engineers work on issues together in teams.

Work can also get tedious and dry at times, so having a healthy amount of enthusiasm and self-motivation are needed.

Tip: In the future, you can also consider training to become a chartered engineer, and be part of the Chartered Engineer (Singapore) Registry. This programme was set up to help distinguish professional engineers.

But if you would like to pursue further studies instead, click here to find out some options you can take up!

The application process

Why: Most engineering firms, like KONE, Arup and Illumina, prefer applicants to send in their online applications through career pages or job portals, so be sure to monitor the relevant resources regularly.

On the other hand, smaller firms much like Hoe Hoe Engineering do accept speculative applications over email.

Take note: Once your application has been processed, you’ll be invited for a series of interviews (both general and technical), tests (numerical, personality, verbal reasoning, etc.), and, in the case of larger employers, a day at the assessment centre.

The best time to apply

Why: Unlike some industries, like the investment banking and investment management sector, engineering employers don’t always stick to fixed application deadlines. Instead, they observe “open” recruitment cycles where they recruit and onboard successful applicants as positions become available on a rolling basis, until all vacancies are filled.

Take note: Some MNCs, like Cognizant and Visa, do keep annual deadlines, as their graduate programmes need to be coordinated on a regional or international level.

Training and development opportunities

What: Due to rapid technological advancements, training and development is a high priority in the engineering sector. To this end, employers, from the smaller Yeo Hong Construction and Engineering, all the way to renowned Siemens, typically offer professional courses, graduate schemes and certified on-the-job programmes (COJTC) to help continually develop engineers.

Take note: Although the government has placed emphasis on the Continuing Education and Training (CET) programme, there’s nothing wrong with approaching your seniors to ask for more training opportunities, like shadowing them for a day!

Working life and hours

What: An engineer’s job and scope and working hours is very dependent on their chosen area of work. For instance, a control engineer might work a steady nine-to-five role behind equipment on a desk, and occasionally venture into plants to plan maintenance and troubleshoot issues.

Civil and construction engineers, on the other hand, spend more time in the field, supervising construction projects and liaising with stakeholders to report on their progress.

No matter the field, engineers tend to have relatively good work-life balance, unless extra hours are needed in the case of approaching deadlines… or you’re a network engineer called to work on a downed network service line.

Take note: The increasingly globalised nature of the sector, coupled with reopening borders, means that you may have to travel abroad for client meetings, or to fulfil extended overseas placements.

Highs and lows

Highs: As a new hire, you’ll get the chance to work with experienced engineers in multidisciplinary teams and explore cutting-edge technology relatively quickly. You may also find personal satisfaction in solving intellectually and practically challenging problems and benefitting society.

Moreover, in certain fields, such as civil and construction engineering, you’ll literally be able to see the results of your labour, when the project is completed.

Lows: Constant travel, while exciting, can get taxing, and occasionally result in cases of travel burnout.

But what may be considered worse is having to deal with strict regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs). While necessary in order to comply with health and safety laws, it does still often lead to tedious paperwork.

And lastly, there’s the underlying possibility of projects getting abandoned halfway, which is especially common in the software and electrical engineering field. Regardless of reason – which can vary from new advancements to a sudden withdrawal of funds – it can be frustrating, especially if much work has already been put into it.

Other jobs can engineering graduates can consider

Why: Studying for an engineering degree exposes you to a range of transferable skills, such as problem-solving, logical thinking and solid numeracy skills. This makes engineering graduates very desirable in other sectors like finance, banking and consultancy.

Take note: There’s no need to leave the engineering industry if you don’t want to. For instance, if you want to move into management later, you can begin your career journey in a technical position before moving on to a more business-oriented field.

Alternatively, there are other, more commercial roles in the engineering sector, such as operations management, technical sales and supply chain management. To get to know more, click here!

The one piece of good news about choosing to work in engineering is that the application process is just as straightforward (yet competitive) as other white-collar industries. However, just like in any other jobs, engineering roles have their challenges, such as long working hours and possibility of travel burnouts. But if you’re looking for a challenging industry and you have the aptitude to gain the necessary education certificates, then engineering can offer you a very rewarding career!