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5 mins with Luke Thompson, our Mechanical & Electrical Recruitment Specialist
5 mins with Luke Thompson, our Mechanical & Electrical Recruitment Specialist
about 1 year ago By Team
At Design & Build we’re very fortunate to have a team dedicated to understanding all they can about the people, companies and trends within their recruitment sector. This is not by chance. Our consultants know that building trust starts with researching and sharing our gained knowledge across the Australian talent marketplace.
This week we have sat down with Luke Thompson, our Mechanical & Electrical Recruitment Specialist, to get a deep dive into what’s happening in the M&E market and share some advice for M&E candidates.
Take it away Luke…
According to Federal Government's JobOutlook.com.au website, there are likely to be around 8,000 Mechanical & Electrical job openings over the next 5 years (that's about 1,600 a year). As a recruiter, what are your thoughts on the growth of the Mechanical & Electrical talent pool?
It's great to see that the M&E market is expected to continue its buoyancy. I’ve personally been very busy over the last couple of years. It would be interesting to see what level of seniority these positions would be at. We’re seeing lots of young, talented engineers coming through from the likes of UTS & UNSW. Conversely, there is still a distinct lack of talent at the Senior end of the market, especially D&C Contractor focused Engineers.
What advice would you give to an experienced Mechanical or Electrical Engineer who is entering the talent market for the first time in several years?
If you’re coming into the employment market for the first time in a number of years, the first thing that you could be tempted to do is start firing resumes across to positions on SEEK. My advice would be to be a bit more careful about where you’re sending your resume, and ideally speak to a few agencies and then choose one recruiter to work within finding your next position.
It makes a lot of sense for 3 key reasons…
- If you’ve sent your resume out to 5 different agencies, you’ll have 5 different agencies calling you – sometimes about the same job.
- It’s attractive from an employer’s perspective – it’s more common than it should be for employers to receive the same resume from multiple job agencies. You want to maintain a level of exclusivity really.
- If you work with just the one recruiter, they’ll be able to spend more time drilling down into the main motivators in looking for a new position, and more closely matching the companies that would suit you best.
What are some of the standout strategies employers within the Mechanical & Electrical industry are utilising to attract and retain the best talent?
More and more companies in the mechanical & electrical industry are spending time and money on their digital presence in order to help with both talent attraction & their overall perception of the market. If you’ve got a professional on-line presence, this can definitely help with talent attraction. Recruiters also play a huge role in companies identifying & attracting top talent.
Even with all the money being spent on transport infrastructure, Sydney can still be a nightmare in getting to and from work.
I’ve seen more companies encouraging flexible working hours & working from home options for their workers. People care about flexible working, and companies offering this will see positive effects on both their attraction and retention of employees.
A client asks you in a consultation meeting "Luke, what is the number one motivator Mechanical & Electrical candidates have to change jobs?", what do you say?
Whilst every one person is different, the main motivator I see from the people I place into permanent positions is career progression – whether that be into more senior positions, or the ability to work on larger more interesting projects.
What are the top 3 Mechanical & Electrical opportunities you are working on right now and what makes them unique?
The first is a Senior Mechanical Engineering role with a tier 1 mechanical contractor. This is a particularly interesting one due to the focus being predominantly in the data centre market, one which is growing in NSW.
Secondly, I’m working on a Senior Electrical Engineering role with a tier 1 electrical contracting company where the right candidate will get exposure to some of the best projects in both Buildings & Infrastructure.
The final great role I’m working on is a Senior HVAC Construction Project Management role with a tier 2 company. These guys are clinical in the execution of their jobs, utilising all of the latest Building Information modelling into their design & construction processes.
Are you an M&E professional with a burning career question? Or a building contractor looking for the best talent? Connect with Luke today on luke@designandbuild.com.au or 0468 958 529.
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Luke Thompson's Jobs
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Senior Fire Designer
AustraliaThe Company This company are a privately owned Aussie tier 1 business who pride themselves on doing things the right way. They've been in the market for over 30 years, and provide one of the best working environments in the Fire Contracting industry. They have an impressive pipeline of marquee tier 1 D&C jobs and a strong team of engineers, drafters & project managers. Cracking business to work for, northern Sydney location with parking on-site. The Role We're looking to recruit an experienced fire services engineer. You'll sit on a team of 7, initially working on a number of tier 1 projects. After you've settled in, you'll be given the opportunity to step into a lead role on a major job. You'll be doing Wet fire design, as well as getting trained on dry system engineering as well. If it's something you would be interested in,this position will, down the line, progress into more of a Project Management role. The training & development you'd be exposed to is second to none. The Requirements To be a good fit for this position, as well as having a great attitude, we're looking for the following At least 3/4 years experience working in fire services, ideally within a D&C contractor. Experience with performing hydraulic calculations & listing pipe. Solid understanding of Wet fire design, with being happy to be trained on dry fire as well. An interest in project management. If you would like to apply for the position or discuss it further, click "apply", call Luke on 0468 958 529 or e-mail him at luke@designandbuild.com.au
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Electrical Foreman
AustraliaThe Company We have a rare opportunity to work for an outstanding tier 2 electrical contractor in Sydney. They have a strong and well developed pipeline of commercial, high-rise residential & aged care construction projects with sites across Sydney. They have a high performing, rewarding family-centric culture, The position This position will be involved with managing large electrical construction projects. Typical responsibilities will include; Conducting all site inductions and lead tool box talks Attend coordination meetings with project stakeholders. Site manage electrical building services projects The Benefits Gain exposure to a great variety of different projects across multiple market sectors. Days off on your birthday,family friendly culture Work for a company that care about your career progression, giving you the chance to grow into The Person Electrical trade background with decent tenure. Experience across building service electrical projects At least two years experience as a Site Manager For any questions relating to this role or other opportunities with D&B and our clients please contact Luke Thompson on + 61 29376 8200 or click apply. Your application will be treated as strictly confidential.
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HVAC Site Manager
AustraliaThe Company This tier 1 company have an excellent reputation, they deliver high quality installations & refurbs in the HVAC space. They offer strong salaries based upon your level of experience, have a very solid construction manager overseeing project teams and have a very health pipeline of projects throughout Sydney The position: The key responsibilities associated with the job will include; Conducting all site inductions and lead tool box talks Lead OH & S amongst all trades & subcontractors Manage tradesmen Attend coordination meetings with project stakeholders. The Benefits Join a tier 1 company with a great reputation for delivering very high quality work. Internal career progression opportunities. Competitive salary package that is dependent upon experience. Healthier work / life balance. The Person It is imperative that you have exemplary communication skills & stakeholder management expertise. An easy-going yet professional attitude to your work – no ego’s. Ideally 3 – 5+ years’ experience working as a Site Supervisor or Site Manager working on commercial HVAC projects - $4 million + Trade qualified To apply for this position please click "apply now" or contact luke on 0468 958 529, or by e-mail at luke@designandbuild.com.au. If this isn't quite right for you but you are looking for a similar position, don't hesitate to get in touch.
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Electrical BIM Modeler
SydneyThe Benefits Really enhance career your by working on Sydney's best projects. Spend more time with the family with an accessible Inner West location with lots of parking. Flexible work from home options. Get rewarded for your work - market leading salaries. The Company They're one I really enjoy recruiting for. They're a tier 1 electrical contractor with a very good reputation for working on some of the largest & most interesting projects in Sydney. They work across multiple market sectors & are a leader in the fields of Electrical & Communications. The Position Day to day, you will be drafting electrical services using Revit MEP. These will include; lighting, small power, security, dry fire & data/comms. You'll be creating "as-built" drawings, so working to a high level of detail. The team you'll be working on is made up of another 5 BIM Modeler's and 5 Engineers, with a BIM Manager & Engineering manager for support. The requirements To be a good fit for the position, it's important that you have at least 2 years experience drafting a wide range of electrical building services projects using Revit. If you feel this job could be for you, please contact Luke Thompson on 0468 958 529 / luke@designandbuild.com.au or click apply. Any inquiries made will be kept confidential.