Mechanical Engineering at BMW M Model - Research Paper Example

Career Research Paper (Mechanical Engineering at BMW M model) Part 2 INTRODUCTION Mechanical engineering is mainly related to design, development and construction of a system. It is one of the streams of engineering, which requires detailed knowledge of electricity, mechanics and other related aspects. The field of mechanical engineering has high relevancy in manufacturing or producing different objects or units. This field of engineering has a lot of scope in the automobile industry. Individuals with a graduate mechanical engineering degree can start their career in automobile industry. A mechanical engineer is a specialist in the field of mechanics and can use the degree for seeking jobs at distinct industries. Mechanics is associated with designing and working of machines and can be ascertained as the main department of all other branches of science. A degree in mechanical engineering can be helpful to obtain a job in automobile industry, wherein an opportunity to design cars and other vehicles along with conducting various research and development activities can be gained. As a mechanical engineer, students may get assistance in planning and designing vehicle parts. Therefore, it can be stated that mechanical engineering profession is of great importance in the automobile sector (Murthy 1-18). With this concern, the research paper intends to analyze the current demand for new hires in entry-level jobs relating to one of the companies operating in the automobile industry i.e. BMW Group. The company is regarded as one of the biggest manufacturers of cars, which provides job opportunities to those students who are pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering or searching job in the respective field. The various methods followed by the students in finding jobs in automobile sector have also been discussed in this research paper. Apart from this, utmost focus has been levied upon depicting the possible career growth path along with the compensation expected by the students at the entry level job and expected pay after gaining experiences (BMWGroup “A World of Opportunities”). DEMAND FOR NEW HIRES IN ENTRY-LEVEL JOB The demand for mechanical engineers is high in automobile industry, as they possess the ability of playing the role of automotive engineers as well. A mechanical engineer can cover the entire job roles of an automotive engineer. Both mechanical and automotive engineer are required to design vehicles for the concerned companies to whom they are employed. A mechanical engineer has the skill to design various components and parts of the vehicles and above all, they also perform additional roles of ensuring greater safety and quality of the vehicles being manufactured. Moreover, mechanical engineers are responsible for modifying the models of the vehicles along with their various parts by maintaining safety standards and quality. Apart from the various external activities perform by the engineers; they also need to handle various internal activities of a vehicle, for example, the design of steering, power of vehicle and other similar actions. The automobile industries is developing significantly because with the improvements made in technologies and urging the need for innovation to survive in the global market. The demand for new models of vehicles has increased in order to meet the changing preferences of the customers towards such products. This certainly resulted in redesigning of the existing models by introducing additional features to the same. The need for innovation and incorporation of changes in the operational procedures has resulted in increasing the demand for the mechanical engineers. These are certain reasons for which the mechanical engineers can start their career in automobile industry. According to Occupational Employment Statistics of Bureau of Labor Statistics (2013), the type of industries employing the mechanical engineers has been presented in the form of the following tabular representation: Figure 1: (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment Statistics”) In relation to the above context, BMW Group offers opportunity to the young graduates with mechanical engineering qualification to become a part of the company and start their career. The company provides more value to the individuals’ passion for automobiles and sufficient skills possess by them in the field of mechanics. Apart from the entry level job, the company also offers various programs for the young graduates that may help the individuals to enhance their skills further. Notably, the company offers vocational training, which is fully based on the learning of mechanics and its application in the automobile industry. Apart from this, the vocational training is also being provided with the objective of enhancing the skills of the individuals that are essential for their career growth. Apart from the training provided to the trainees, the company offers internship to them as well. A Drive program is also provided that assists the recruited candidates to acquire detailed information about the company. Besides, the program also helps the candidates to understand the organizational structures and various processes of manufacturing that follow by the company. More importantly, the above discussed program supports to build a network within the organization as well as understand the products being manufactured to preserve the brand image of the company. Automobile sector demands for experienced candidates, as they hold more knowledge in handling various issues related to designing and redesigning products and also taking effective decisions. BMW offers entry-level job to the individuals with a minimum of three years of experience in the same field (Department of Training and Workforce Development, “Career planning”). METHODS TO GET THE JOB Automobile sector offers huge job opportunities to the mechanical engineers. To get an entry level job in an automobile industry, it is essential for the candidates to get the details about the basic qualification that is seeked by the concerned company. Generally, automobile industries offer jobs in various areas like manufacturing and project planning among others. Therefore, according to the job profile demand by the companies, the candidates need to design CV, which can be submitted through the online websites of the companies or by physically visiting office premises. Moreover, candidates need to develop and enhance the work related skills in order to obtain a better position and gain employment opportunity in the desired organizations. With regards to the field of mechanical engineering, it is important to possess a logical thinking along with technical knowledge to meet the job roles of the automobile industry. It is important to have or develop strong interpersonal skills to communicate and sustain in the diversified work culture. Notably, BMW possessed a diversified work culture; therefore, it is important to understand different cultures persisting within the company to get a desired job position (Department of Training and Workforce Development, “Career planning”). Several automobile industries often conduct yearly recruitment drive and for this purpose, they put various advertisements in the leading newspapers. Therefore, the candidates who are interested to pursue their career in automobile industry require keeping a record of daily published vacancies. In order to clear or go through the recruitment drive, it is important for the candidates to prepare for the interview and acquire a strong knowledge about the company’s profile. In order to get the job, the candidates must bear an adjusting mentality and follow a flexible approach. Change is evitable in nature and therefore to get and sustain the job, candidates should not resist change rather enhance skill according to the prevailing situations. Apart from the qualification, the candidates must possess additional skills that help in distinguishing them with other candidates. Mechanical engineering is such a field, which requires improvements with the change in technologies and thus, the candidates having full knowledge related to the field are preferable (Department of Training and Workforce Development, “Career planning”). BMW Group offers various entry level job opportunities to the candidates of mechanical engineering. The candidates can directly apply to the drive program wherein they are provided with annual training, which is accompanied with the respective jobs. The program is provided to the successful candidates who have cleared the recruitment process. The company also offers various skill development programs to the mechanical candidates that further enhance their competency level. COMPENSATION For any organization, human resource is regarded as the main source apart from material, machine and money. Each factor of production contributes equally in the organizational process. In order to retain the potential employees, every organization tends to maintain its wage and salary structure. The salary structure of an organization certainly acts a motivating factor to enhance the loyalty level of the employees. Apart from this, it also assists the organization to attract new candidates. A well-structured compensation system has a positive effect on the productivity of the existing employees and thus emerged as a motivating factor for the new comers. The compensation system of every organization should be flexible enough, so that it becomes easier for the new candidates to understand the existing structure (Fogelman and McCorkle “Human Resource Management: Employee Compensation Guide”). Beginning Compensation. The mechanical engineers are responsible for designing the vehicles according to the increasing demands of the customers. Apart from this, they also perform the role of redesigning and assisting in solving various issues related to customer’s complaints. The salary structure of a company is designed by its management authority and thus they are required to analyze various factors related to geographic location and the type of products being manufactured. According to the report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment estimates and the mean wage estimate for job in mechanical engineering can be better understood from the below depicted tabular representation. Figure 2: (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment Statistics”) The hourly wage and annual wage for the occupation is given in the figure 3. Figure 3: (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Occupational Employment Statistics”) Compensation includes both financial and non-financial benefits. Furthermore, it includes the salary paid to the employees and extra benefits provided to them towards the attainment of the desired organizational targets. These benefits can be measured in the form of providing bonuses or incentives and medical benefits such as insurance among others based on performance. The compensation structure of an organization directly affects the overall rate of recruitment. Apart from this, the compensation package also results in enlarging the retention rate and the loyalty level of the employees attached with a particular company (Ref). Compensation Compared To National Average Of All Jobs. For a young graduate searching for entry level jobs, compensation plays a crucial role in making effective decisions. With rapid technological advancements, people are identified to be serving more with the expectation of obtaining several significant benefits. It has been quite evident that the companies often face challenges in attracting new talents. In such case, compensation can be used as a tool to attract and retain them for a longer period by offering the candidates a good sum of salary along with other non-financial benefits. This will not only improve the performance of the employees, but also increase the profitability of the company at large. Before taking decisions regarding choice of company, it is likely to perceive that an individual compares the salary structure of companies prior to joining. A comparison of the salary and wage structure of different companies would certainly assist the candidates in taking accurate decisions (CareerBuilder, “National Average Salary for Mechanical Engineers”). On the other hand, the mean average salary that is offered to the mechanical engineers of BMW is $88,868 (CareerBuilder, “National Average Salary for Mechanical Engineers BMW”). Thus, in comparison with the average of the total working mass, BMW is offering good sum of compensation to its employees. This works as positive encouraging factor for the young mechanical engineers to start their career with BMW Group as a company. Apart from the compensation benefits, BMW offers various reward benefits to its employees, which further motivates the existing employees in improving their respective performance level. The reward management system is the other important factor, which also has the ability to attract the young engineers to join BMW (BMW Group, “What We Offer Employees”). For any automobile company, it is quite essential to promote the innovation factor and implement modern technologies in the manufacturing process. Thus, for this reason, the demand for the hard working individuals is maximum in this present day context. For any graduate, starting career with BMW will not only be beneficial for the company but it also improvers the practical skills of the candidate himself/herself. Performance is a matter of concern for any company like BMW and thus for this reason, it is being rewarded to encourage the employees. The company offers performance based pay to the employees, which is much more as compared to the requirements (BMW Group, “What We Offer Employees”). Compensation after Three To Five Years Experience. The salary structure of the individuals generally varies based on the experiences gained from working with the organizations. It is worth mentioning that if an individual works in a company continuously for more than three years, then he/she is likely to expect hikes in salary and increase in job responsibilities. Apart from this, gaining experience in the same company also results in career development. In similar context, BMW Group offers extensive career opportunities to the individuals with a minimum of three experiences in automobile industry. Apart from this, the company offers challenging projects to the experienced candidates along with proper working environment, further ensuring a proper and structured team. The company demands for experienced individuals who may contribute towards the growth of the company. An expert in the fields of automobile has an opportunity to share his/her knowledge with others joining the company (BMW Group, “Opportunities for Professionals”). CAREER GROWTH PATH For an individual who has just started with a career, it is crucial to design a career plan that will ensure a career growth along with enhancing the skills. The ability of an individual to learn from the organization and to apply them in work is also a part of career growth of individuals. Career growth of an individual is linked with proper planning on course of time. The planning of career should be made in such a manner that enhances the strengths of an individual and minimizes the weakness that will further result in successful career growth. A career planning is a continuous process that helps individuals in managing the learning process and development activities. A systematic career plan has been shown in the figure-4 below. It is very essential for an individual to understand self-esteem and career objectives. For any young graduate, it is very crucial to understand the need of a career growth. The actual position of the individual helps to recognize the position, the candidate want to attain in near future. The next step involves searching for more opportunities. In case an individual is already working in an organization for a long period, then the individual needs to identify various opportunities for growth within the organization. An individual with experience has more scope of growth within the organization because they have better understanding of the goals and objectives of the organization. After identifying various opportunities of growth within the organization and outside, it becomes essential for the employee to take decisions regarding career growth. Figure 4: (Department of Training and Workforce Development, “Career planning”) A career growth also results changes in the roles and responsibilities of employee and so as an employee, one need to take decisions regarding the changes that are likely to occur after a career growth. Finally the individuals need to take decisions regarding the training required for further enhancement of skill (Department of Training and Workforce Development, “Career planning”). BMW Group offers an extensive opportunity to young mechanical engineers to join their company and start career at an entry level. The candidates who are able to qualify for the job are also given vocational training within the organization that enables the candidate to enhance their competency and skills. The company runs special training drive program under which the selected candidates are provided with systematic training annually. The training program of the company helps the candidates to understand the internal structure of the organization, which further assists them in understanding their job role at large. A better knowledge of job role helps the employees in better performance that ultimately results in success for the organization. The drive program is an introductory training program for the entry level candidates and guides the individual to set their personal network within their organization. To start with career it is very essential for the fresher’s to select a company and position according to their personality and competency. A career growth requires understanding of strength and weakness of self that is essential for career growth. BMW offers job to the individuals according the experience and educational qualification possessed by them. The company also organizes various programs for the career growth of an individual within the organization. The vocational training talent program has been designed by the company to give a ensure development for career of the people working with the company. It improves the performance of the employees that further enhances their skills on individual basis and prepares the employees for the future challenges (BMW Group “The Best Way to Start Your Future”). BMW offers entry level job to young graduates of mechanical engineers and so candidates should take the advantage of this opportunity by starting career with the company. After being selected by the company for entry level job, the company offers initial training to the candidates that help them to better understand the goals and objectives of the organization. This will further help them in enhancing their skills that improves their performance level. The improved performance of the employees is further rewarded by the company, which subsequently results increase in productivity and profit margin at large. The automobile companies that are a growing immensely that demands for young and energetic people who can better serve the company. Apart from the job opportunity offered, the company provides allowances to the employees that help them to retain the employees of the company. An individual, who starts career with automobile industry at an entry level, gets sufficient opportunity within the organization for career growth. Being a part of the company for more than five years not only results increase in annual salary but also ensure a shift to a higher position for them within the organization. The lateral shift within the organization is beneficial for the employees who want to continue their career with the same company. Apart from this shifting to a higher position results expansion of the job roles and responsibilities. This further opens opportunity for the employees to work as a team leader in the future. CONCLUSION From the above discussion, it can be comprehended that mechanical engineering has a wide spread opportunity in BMW Group. The company offers entry level job opportunity to the young engineer graduates. The automobile industry is subject to changes and so need to implement new technology is quite immense with the increase in competition. For this reason the company offers job opportunity not only to the fresher’s but also to the experienced individuals. The candidate with mechanical engineering degree can start their career with BMW Company. For career growth an individual need to make career plan according to the opportunities available in the market. BMW Group offers various training program to the entry level candidate that further helps to enhance the skill of the candidate. Apart from the drive program provided to the candidate, various vocational training programs are also provided that improves the technical skills of the employees at large. The company also offers career growth to the employees by enhancing their skills and knowledge. Employees working in the organization for long period are also provided opportunity to move to a higher position with the increase in job roles and responsibilities. Apart from financial benefits, BBMW also offers additional non-monetary benefits to the employees in order to increase their loyalty further enabling maximum retention of employees within the same organization for a longer period. Mechanical engineers have a greater scope in the company because the average annual salary of employees is higher as compared to the national average salary. Works Cited “A World of Opportunities”. BMW Group. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “Career Planning”. Department of Training and Workforce Development. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Fogleman, Sarah L. and Dean McCorkle. “Human Resource Management: Employee Compensation Guide”. What Is A Compensation Package, 1-4. Print. “National Average Salary For Mechanical Engineers”. CareerBuilder. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “National Average Salary For Mechanical Engineers BMW”. CareerBuilder. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “Occupational Employment Statistics”. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “Opportunities for Professionals”. BMW Group. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “The Best Way To Start Your Future”. BMW Group. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. “What We Offer Employees”. BMW Group. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. Read More