{"id":9224,"date":"2025-07-15T12:31:02","date_gmt":"2025-07-15T16:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/?p=9224"},"modified":"2026-03-26T08:24:01","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T12:24:01","slug":"7-in-demand-skills-to-help-electrical-engineering-students-and-early-career-engineers-get-hired","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/7-in-demand-skills-to-help-electrical-engineering-students-and-early-career-engineers-get-hired\/","title":{"rendered":"7 in-demand skills to help electrical engineering students and early-career engineers get hired"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Hiring demand for electrical engineers is high and growing. According to LinkedIn\u2019s latest data, there are <strong>over 600,000 electrical engineers in the global workforce<\/strong>, yet open positions are still tough to fill. Why? Among other reasons, many candidates don\u2019t have the right mix of technical and professional skills that employers are actively seeking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, <strong>what are companies actually looking for<\/strong>? Using hiring data from LinkedIn Talent Insights, here are seven essential skills that can help students and early-career engineers land their first role and excel once they\u2019re hired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><strong><em>Siemens\u2019 new Expedite \u2014 Skills for Industry microcredential is designed to help students gain and verify key skills for today&#8217;s engineering workplaces.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.org\/specializations\/expedite-skills-for-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learners can enroll now<\/a>\u00a0on Coursera or\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/academic\/expedite-microcredential\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">visit our website<\/a>\u00a0to learn more.<\/em><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Expedite \u2013 Skills for Industry\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YjnannE1QcU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#1 Electrical wiring<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Electrical wiring is one of the most common skills across electrical engineers, with <strong>over 154,000 professionals<\/strong> listing it on their profiles. It appears in <strong>nearly 14,000 active job postings<\/strong>, showing that even as industries evolve, companies still rely on engineers who understand the fundamentals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Wiring is the foundation of every system, from power grids to industrial equipment. While considered a baseline skill, mastering wiring early gives you a practical advantage and helps you collaborate effectively with installation and maintenance teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#2 Electrical design<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>over 31,000 open jobs<\/strong> requesting electrical design, this skill is in significantly higher demand than wiring or even systems design. Why? Companies need engineers who can design systems, select the right components and ensure regulatory compliance, among other tasks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether you\u2019re planning circuits or laying out full electrical infrastructures, electrical design helps you contribute at a higher level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#3 Control systems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Control systems knowledge is exploding in demand \u2014 LinkedIn&#8217;s data on job listings shows that it has grown <strong>69% in just the past year<\/strong>. As industries embrace automation, companies need engineers who can design and optimize the systems that power factories, energy grids and smart technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building control systems expertise positions you for the future, making you someone who can solve complex, real-world problems in automated environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#4 Commissioning &amp; troubleshooting<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Designing is one thing \u2014 making sure it works in the real world is another. That\u2019s why skills like <strong>commissioning and troubleshooting are growing fast \u2014 up 38% this year alone<\/strong>. Employers value when early-career engineers can roll up their sleeves and debug a system when something\u2019s off. These hands-on, problem-solving skills help you stand out as someone ready to work on real-world systems from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#5 Systems design<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Today\u2019s problems aren\u2019t isolated. Whether it\u2019s electric vehicles, smart homes or industrial machinery, you\u2019ll be working on big-picture systems that mix electrical, software and mechanical components. And the job market shows it \u2014 <strong>nearly 10,000 roles are actively looking for engineers with systems design skills<\/strong>. Employers need engineers who can think beyond components and see the full picture. Learning systems design helps you become that kind of engineer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#6 Computer-aided design (CAD)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While engineers may work with a variety of more advanced tools, CAD remains a key skill in the job market<strong>. Over 110,000 engineers list it as a skill.<\/strong> CAD proficiency signals that you can draft clear layouts, interpret schematics and work within standardized workflows, which is essential in industries like utilities, construction and manufacturing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>#7 Communication &amp; team collaboration<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Technical knowledge alone isn\u2019t enough. According to <a href=\"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1002\/jee.20581\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this study<\/a> published in the <em>Journal of Engineering Education<\/em>, <strong>communication and teamwork are ranked as the two most important soft skills <\/strong>for engineering graduates. In industry, projects happen in teams, not in isolation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From presenting your ideas to collaborating across departments, your ability to work with others is as valuable as your technical skills. Building collaboration and communication early on helps you stand out \u2014 not just as an engineer, but as someone employers want on their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to start building these skills<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With <strong>over 67,000 open roles<\/strong> targeting electrical engineers right now, demand is high \u2014 but employers are selective. They\u2019re looking for candidates who bring the right mix of technical skills and professional know-how to their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why Siemens created the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/academic\/expedite-microcredential\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Expedite \u2014 Skills for Industry microcredential<\/a>. Designed for students and early-career professionals, this program helps you build and verify the exact skills companies are hiring for \u2014 so you\u2019re ready to contribute from day one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coursera.org\/specializations\/expedite-skills-for-industry\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sign up for Expedite here<\/a><\/strong> and start building your career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Drawing from LinkedIn Talent Insights, we share seven essential skills that can help students and early-career engineers land their first role and excel once they\u2019re hired.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":106400,"featured_media":9225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[165,156,1997,1960,1976,1999,499,1998],"industry":[],"product":[],"coauthors":[1954],"class_list":["post-9224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-students","tag-academic","tag-computer-aided-design-cad","tag-early-career","tag-electricalengineering","tag-expedite-skills-for-industry","tag-job-market","tag-students","tag-top-skills"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/11\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1435077289-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9224","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/106400"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9224"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9224\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9379,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9224\/revisions\/9379"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9224"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9224"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9224"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=9224"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=9224"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/academic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=9224"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}