Hiring and Retaining Engineers - The OEM Approach
Automakers want to be a vehicle buyer's first choice. That same sentiment carries over to recruitment as each of the Big 3 - DaimlerChrysler, Ford, and General Motors - wants to be the first to strike the right recruitment cord with engineers.
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DaimlerChrysler in North America plans to hold steady within the Chrysler group. About 2500 product engineers handled the work in 2000, and the same number of professionals will handle engineering tasks in 2001.
"But that could change based on business conditions or product needs," said Michael Jessamy, Director-Technical Operations Group Human Resources for DaimlerChrysler North America.
 DaimlerChrysler hires engineers for all phases of product development. Here DaimlerChrysler engineers perform environmental and emissions testing in the Emissions Laboroatory. A unique altitude chamber allows engineers to recreate mountain-driving tests by simulating altitude, temperature, humidity, and vehicle loads. |
Even with no plans to expand the number of product engineers, there will be job openings to fill - most related to retirements, according to Jessamy. "We have a fairly low attrition rate," he said. (The overall turnover rate for engineers is 2.6%.)
While job fairs, websites (such as monster.com and daimlerchrysler.com), engineering conferences, employee referrals, and help-wanted advertisements generate new hire leads, campus recruiting still ranks as a vital supply source. Daimler-Chrysler's college recruit list includes Carnegie Mellon Univ., Univ. of Detroit-Mercy, Howard Univ., Univ. of Illinois, Lawrence Technological Univ., Michigan State Univ., Michigan Technological Univ., Univ. of Notre Dame, Ohio State Univ., Penn State Univ., Univ. of Puerto Rico, Purdue Univ., Tennessee State Univ., and Wayne State Univ.
This year, the Chrysler group used 80 interns, most in engineering assignments. "We typically want at least a college sophomore year completed, and we usually want either a mechanical or electrical engineer major. We also prefer that the student has a 3.0 grade point average or higher," said Jessamy. (An intern's wage ranges from $500 to $1000 per week, depending on experience and school status.)
Throughout the summer, interns are encouraged to take advantage of networking opportunities - typically after work social functions that spotlight time with supervisors and mentors. During the internship, each intern usually takes a tour of more than one assembly plant and spends time at the proving grounds. This corporate show-and-tell time is designed to give students a big picture look at DaimlerChrysler work-life.
"For the intern you ultimately want to hire, it's very important that that person can put a face and a feel to the company rather than just a corporate logo. The twist is we're not just a business entity, but the sum of all our people," said Jessamy.
 DaimlerChrysler engineers can conduct tests - like simulating conditions of the Sahara Desert - in the company's Climatic Test Center. The lab setting illustrates the types of testing someone with an engineering background can do at the DaimlerChrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, MI. |
Even though entry-level positions are appropriate for college graduates, certain engineering assignments require a special skills set that develops from job experience. One method of increasing an engineer's capabilities is additional schooling paired with on-the-job experience. The Chrysler Institute of Engineering (CIE) is a two-year program designed for a college undergraduate who has already been accepted for an engineering master's degree. For those accepted into CIE, DaimlerChrysler pays tuition and a wage.
The basic framework of CIE is that an engineer attends classes to earn a master's degree while completing six work rotations: assembly plant, body/chassis, powertrain, scientific laboratories, vehicle development, and proving grounds. "We're really trying to develop good, solid engineers. This program (in existence since 1931) helps us with recruiting as well as retention," said Jessamy. (Every CIE participant is assigned a Chrysler employee as a mentor.)
Chrysler also offers an Engineering Graduate Trainee Program. The 16-month program is intended for hires with a master's degree in mechanical or electrical engineering. Training typically includes four work assignment rotations.
"We want our employees to feel that they have a personal investment with us and that we have a vested interest in them," said Jessamy.
