Kasper Munkholm
Project Manager and Partner
Your job requirements may be the reason the position stays unfilled
Requirements for a technical role easily turn into a long list: the right degree, experience from your industry, familiarity with a specific control system, and ideally a project similar to the one you are facing. With today’s shortage of engineers and technicians, very few people may meet the entire list, and most of them are already in permanent jobs. That is why it pays to look at which requirements must be met from day one, and which a new employee can learn along the way.
Table of contents
The engineer shortage in numbers
The statistics point in the same direction. In the autumn 2026 recruitment survey from the Danish Agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR), 23 per cent of recruitment attempts in iron, metal and automotive ended without a hire. In construction, the figure was 18 per cent. The figures cover job postings from December 2025 to May 2026.
The same survey shows that 12 per cent of recruitment attempts were filled by a candidate who did not have all the desired qualifications at the time of hiring. In other words, some companies are already hiring people who do not fully match the requirements.
Nor is the supply of new engineers set to grow anytime soon. According to the Danish Society of Engineers (IDA), intake on engineering programmes fell from 6,165 in 2025 to 5,995 in 2026. And in the latest business survey from the Danish Association of Consulting Engineers (FRI), published in October 2026, 62 per cent of the companies surveyed reported a shortage of engineers.
Recruitment attempts that did not go as planned
Share of recruitment attempts, December 2025 to May 2026
Iron, metal and automotive: ended without a hire23%
Construction: ended without a hire18%
Filled by a candidate without all the desired qualifications12%
62% of the consulting engineering firms surveyed report a shortage of engineers
6,1655,995 admitted to engineering programmes in 2026, down from 2025
What a new employee can learn quickly
If a candidate has a solid professional foundation and has solved tasks similar to yours, much of the job is often the same as what they have done before. What is missing is typically what is specific to your industry, your facilities or your tools, and that can be learned on the job.
For example:
- Experience from another industry. An electrical engineer with PLC or high-voltage experience from industry or energy can get up to speed on what sets a data centre apart from a transformer substation.
- A different CAD program or version. The candidate may know an older or newer version than the one you use, or an equivalent program.
- On-site quality apps. Several programs exist for documenting inspections with photos and notes. Once you have used one, the next is quicker to learn, even if you are not an expert from day one.
- The control system at an operating facility. It saves commissioning time if the candidate already knows the system, so it is a reasonable wish. It is rarely a requirement that should rule out an otherwise strong candidate.
Data centres are a good example of why this matters. Demand for people with data centre experience exceeds the number of people who have it. Candidates with the same professional skills from other types of facilities, however, can be found.
If you still cannot find suitable candidates, it may be necessary to look beyond Denmark’s borders. We have filled positions in Denmark and abroad since 2011, and you can read more about it here: Technical recruitment
What must be in place from the start
Not everything can be learned on the job. The professional foundation, meaning the education and experience within the discipline, must be there. A mechanical engineer does not become an electrical engineer in a couple of months, regardless of industry.
Experience with responsibility is also hard to learn quickly. If the person is to lead a team or be lead on a discipline, they need to have held that role before. It is worth asking in depth here, because we often see candidates describe their responsibility more modestly in their CV than it actually was in practice.
Language is a third area. We have seen a candidate who had worked abroad, yet whose language skills still did not hold up for the task he was to perform. If the employee needs to communicate with clients, suppliers or contractors in another language, test it in the interview.
Finally, there are requirements that follow from legislation or your clients’ demands, such as authorisations and certificates. Those are not negotiable.
What can be learned and what must be in place
Can be learned on the job
What is specific to your industry, facilities and tools
- Experience from another industryE.g. an electrical engineer from energy moving into data centres
- A different CAD program or versionAn equivalent program is quick to switch to
- On-site quality appsOnce you have used one, the next is quicker to learn
- The facility's control systemA reasonable wish, but rarely a reason to rule someone out
Must be in place from the start
What cannot be learned in a couple of months
- The professional foundationEducation and experience within the discipline
- Experience with responsibilityIf the person is to lead a team, they must have held the role before
- LanguageThe level the task requires with clients and suppliers
- Authorisations and certificatesRequirements from legislation or clients are not negotiable
How to divide up your job requirements
A simple approach is to split the requirements into three groups:
- Must be in place from day one. The professional foundation, statutory authorisations and the type of responsibility the role demands.
- Can be learned during the first months. Industry-specific knowledge, your systems and your internal procedures.
- Nice to have. Experience from exactly your type of facility or familiarity with your regular suppliers.
What happens if the candidate does not have it from the start?
Ask the question for each requirement and sort it into one of three groups.
-
Must be in place from day one
The task cannot be done without it
-
Can be learned during the first months
Takes a few weeks to get up to speed
-
Nice to have
Saves time but is not decisive
Ask this question for each requirement: What happens if the candidate does not have it from the start? If the answer is that they will need a few weeks to get up to speed, the requirement belongs in group 2. We have written more about how to describe a technical role before the search begins.
Someone needs to see what the CV covers
A CV shows job titles, industries and years. It rarely shows what the previous jobs actually involved. To find the candidate who has most of what you are looking for, someone needs to read the CV as a series of tasks and assess whether they cover what the role requires.
At our company, the recruitment consultant screens the candidates. When needed, one of our project managers with a technical background takes a closer look at the candidate’s experience and assesses where the gaps are and whether they can be closed. We have described how to assess a technical candidate in a separate article.
Common pitfalls
- Industry as a default requirement. If "experience from our industry" is in the requirements because it was in the last posting, you may lose candidates who would do the job well.
- Requiring a specific manufacturer. If the candidate has worked on a different PLC platform or with another brand of equipment, the gap is often smaller than the wording of the requirement suggests.
- The wrong compromise. When a position has been open for a long time, it can be tempting to relax the professional foundation rather than the industry requirement. That is usually the wrong way round.
- Candidates who undersell themselves. Some candidates describe their experience more modestly than it is, while others do the opposite. Both call for someone to ask follow-up questions.
Contact us
If you have a position that has been advertised for a long time, we are happy to talk about your job requirements and where the candidates can be found. Read more about our technical recruitment, or contact us directly.
FAQ
STAR’s autumn 2026 recruitment survey shows that 23 per cent of recruitment attempts in iron, metal and automotive and 18 per cent in construction ended without a hire. At the same time, according to IDA, intake on engineering programmes fell from 6,165 in 2025 to 5,995 in 2026.
It depends on the role. If the candidate has the professional foundation and has solved similar tasks, the industry-specific part can often be learned on the job. Industry experience is always an advantage, but it should rarely outweigh professional competence.
The professional foundation, statutory authorisations and certificates, experience with the responsibility the role involves, and the language level the task requires.
Ask specifically when the candidate has worked with something similar, how and in what context. The answers show whether the gap to your task is small or large.
Often, if the tasks are similar. An electrical engineer from the energy sector has many of the same skills a data centre requires. The industry-specific knowledge comes with time.
Go through the requirements and split them into what must be in place from the start and what can be learned. Often a single requirement rules out most candidates, and it is not necessary from day one.
