INDUSTRY BLOG

How to Land an Engineering Job after Space Layoffs — Tips from Recruiter Melissa James

Space Tech Expo USA spoke with Melissa James, a senior technical recruiter with 28 years of experience and deep roots in Silicon Valley’s semiconductor space. Melissa worked across the telecom, internet, SaaS, aerospace, fintech, and defense industries.    

The U.S. space industry is currently facing a wave of layoffs, affecting numerous engineers. Given your extensive experience in recruiting for engineering positions, what advice would you offer to engineers seeking new job opportunities?

With AI being the wave of the future, I encourage engineers to incorporate start-ups in their career search. A couple of fantastic sites to peruse are www.builtin.com and www.workatastartup.com. 

What’s the best way for a candidate to inform a hiring manager that they’ve been laid off? This can be a tough conversation for those who have recently lost their job. How would you recommend approaching this topic during an interview?

Inevitably, during an interview, a hiring manager or recruiter will ask the candidate what has spurred their job search. It does not have to be a tough conversation. Unfortunately, lay-offs are announced daily. Recruiters and hiring managers are often aware of which companies have recently downsized. The recruiter will ask during the pre-screen if the candidate was affected by a layoff, alleviating pressure from the candidate to disclose. 

You’ve worked across various industries—including internet, telecom, SaaS, aerospace, fintech, and defense. Do you find that any of these industries are particularly rigorous in their hiring process? If so, why? 

Without a doubt, the defense industry is the most rigorous. Often, defense roles require some form of security clearance. The level of clearance will determine the parameters of the recruiter’s candidate search. Cleared candidates must be validated by the US government to access confidential data pertaining to the position. The higher the clearance, the more steps the candidate must go through to obtain said clearance. In some cases, it can take months to get approval. It’s a similar process to acquiring a work visa. 

In your LinkedIn profile you say that you “see sourcing as a treasure hunt”. What essential qualities do you look for in an engineer? 

Yes, I love a good treasure hunt! It really depends on the job description per company. Prior to commencing my search, I’ve had an intake call with the hiring manager. During the intake call, I discuss the “top 5” skills with the hiring manager. Some refer to the “top 5” as dealbreaker skills or must haves. Those are the qualities I focus on when searching for engineers. Once I begin my pre-screen calls, I listen carefully to the candidate’s communication style. I ask the candidate to describe a project they are particularly passionate about. I want to hear the excitement, the passion in their voice, their method of articulation. Nowadays, engineers not only interface with other engineers, but with clients, sales, supply chain, manufacturing, and stakeholders. Clear and concise communication is essential, both written and oral. 

Are there any unique or standout features in a candidate's CV that really impress you? 

Recruiters prefer a resume that is short and sweet. We are most impressed by a resume listing necessary data but leaves room for elaboration during a screening call or interview. A resume does not need to be pages long. For instance, stick to the basics: company name, length of time at the company, job title, 3-5 bullet points of the job, specific engineering skills, degree, university. I’m always intrigued by a resume that includes a summary of a special project a candidate has worked on, whether at university or previous employer. 

What’s the best way for engineers to convey their story to hiring managers? What aspects of cover letters do you find most intriguing? 

This may come as a surprise: cover letters are not needed! A brief introduction is appreciated, of course. Social platforms like LinkedIn give candidates the About Me section to highlight career successes. Every recruiter I know research candidate LinkedIn profiles. If the resume doesn’t have the LinkedIn link, we will ask for it. Most applicant tracking systems now ask for the LinkedIn profile link as part of the application process. 

Are there any employment details or personality traits that might be red flags for hiring managers seeking a space engineer?

The biggest red flag USED to be employment gaps, sometimes called “job hopping”. Over the last 5 years, there has been a tremendous shift in employment. During the pandemic, people lost jobs, went from in-office to working from home, or took contract positions due to lack of full-time/permanent roles being available. This changed everyone’s resume history. We have seen a lot of resumes with short stints at companies. This change is due to people working on a contract basis or suffering a layoff. In the past, recruiters and hiring managers would consider that a red flag. It’s no longer a red flag. The world had to re-evaluate. Now we take the last 5 years into consideration. Absolutely everyone was affected by the pandemic and experienced losing their job.

Red flags associated with personality traits:

Negativity – speaking negatively about previous employers, managers, co-workers 
Victim mentality – implying bad luck follows you 
Blame game – blaming others for failure 
Arrogance – looking down on others 
Sanctimonious – having too high an opinion of oneself 

You’d be amazed at some of the personality traits/flaws that come across in a 30-minute pre-screen call!

And finally, how do you envision the space industry’s recruitment process in 10 years’ time?

All processes will be automated; however, I strongly believe recruiting, regardless of industry, will always require a human touch. Robots cannot make the connections that people can make when it comes to matching a candidate to the right job and company.