Successfully transitioning from university to a professional engineering career is a critical moment for any graduate, and the application process requires strategic preparation beyond just academic competence.

Many students struggle to understand what employers truly seek in a new engineer and how to showcase their potential effectively.

This episode unlocks the secrets to a standout graduate application, sharing direct insights on core soft skills like communication and teamwork, the role of mentorship, and the career growth trajectory within leading firms.

Learn about the value of different-sized companies, from large-scale multi-office execution to a hands-on, personal approach, and the importance of professional development and diversity initiatives. Host Dusty Rhodes is joined by two exceptional industry leaders: Michelle O'Hagan, Group Graduate Recruitment Manager at PM Group, and Bill Bates, Director at DBFL.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Why graduate programs are essential
Big vs small company advantages
Soft skills employers demand now
Successful career progression examples
How to make your application stand out

GUEST DETAILS

Michelle O’Hagan is the Group Graduate Recruitment Manager at PM Group, a leading global project management and engineering company known for delivering complex capital projects worldwide. She manages the full graduate recruitment lifecycle across PM Group’s international offices, ensuring the company attracts top emerging talent. Michelle's extensive experience, including prior roles at Deloitte UK and Citi Bank, makes her an expert in understanding what drives success in early engineering careers.

Bill Bates is a Director at DBFL Consulting Engineers, one of Ireland's leading civil, structural, and transportation consultancies. Bill is responsible for overseeing the Civil Engineering team and has extensive experience in the design and delivery of major infrastructure and development projects across the country. As a Director, Bill is deeply involved in DBFL's Graduate Development Programme and the career progression of their staff, making him a key resource for understanding the pathways to Chartered Engineer status and professional success within the Irish engineering sector.

Connect with AMPLIFIED

Website: engineersireland.ie
Search podcast player: "AMPLIFIED" or "Engineers Ireland"
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get podcasts

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

Confidence, talking about themselves, talking about their other aspects, their engineering career is only at the start, so they have very little to talk about in that. But I want to know what they've done to date. Tell me about themselves. - Bill Bates

The actual programme itself is a two year programme, but it runs in parallel with your job. So you're permanent from day one, you don't have to re-interview for a role on completion of the programme, which a lot of graduate programmes in our industry does. - Michelle O'Hagan

Be confident in your own ability, but be able to show humility and be able to listen to all others perspectives. - Bill Bates

Communication going into project management, being a strong and effective communicator is essential. Being clear, concise and well structured - Ena O'Driscoll

KEYWORDS

#EngineeringGraduates #GraduateProgramme #CareerDevelopment #SoftSkills #StandoutCV

Leaving Certificate students have an exciting opportunity to explore the diverse realities of an engineering career and discover practical strategies for success as they fill out their upcoming CAO forms.

Ena O'Driscoll, Mechanical Engineering student at MTU Cork and Student Ambassador at PM Group, alongside Sean Ryan, Automation Engineering student at SETU and Student Engineer at Jabil, share their university experiences with host Dusty Rhodes. Early STEM encouragement, fostered through school programs and family ties, significantly influences career choices.

The discussion highlights the importance of paid internships for developing real-world problem-solving skills and building an invaluable CV. Finally, it offers practical advice for creating standout applications by emphasizing leadership roles, volunteering, and project work, while also stressing the need to balance academic demands with societal involvement through networking and mentorship via groups like the Engineers Ireland Young Engineers Society.

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

Engineering career choice STEM encouragement
Paid internships practical experience benefits
CV building leadership & volunteering standout
Time management balancing studies & activities
CAO strategy Level 7 & Level 8 options

GUEST DETAILS

Ena O'Driscoll is a Mechanical Engineering Student at Munster Technological University (MTU) Cork. Ena is an excellent example of maximising university studies by actively engaging with industry. She gained valuable professional experience through an internship and placement with PM Group, a leading international project delivery firm. Following her successful placement, Ena has continued her association with the company and the wider engineering community by serving as a Student Ambassador at PM Group, demonstrating a strong commitment to promoting engineering and bridging the gap between academia and professional life.

Sean Ryan is an Automation Engineering Student at South East Technological University (SETU) Waterford. Sean is currently applying his technical expertise as a Student Engineer at Jabil, a global manufacturing services company. He possesses a strong academic background complemented by valuable practical experience, including previous work as a controls engineer at Integer. Sean is highly engaged within his university community, having served as a peer-to-peer mentor and senior mentor to support first-year engineering students. Sean is also Chairperson of the Young engineer society south east. Hailing from a farming background, Sean brings a unique perspective to problem-solving and engineering challenges. Outside of his studies and work, Sean is an active rugby player for both his college team and a local club.

Connect with AMPLIFIED

Website: engineersireland.ie
Search podcast player: "AMPLIFIED" or "Engineers Ireland"
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you get podcasts

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering?
Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/
Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

My secondary school was actually really good in terms of promoting STEM. Every couple of weeks we'd have different people come in and talk about different areas - Ena O'Driscoll

I'm on currently working as a controls and automation engineer student for Jabil healthcare, which is ideal because it's only two minutes walk from my college and I'm able to go in there part time and the hours are flexible which is amazing - Sean Ryan

We were given real work to work on from day one. It started with helping other engineers, carried out a study. We were able to find that quadrant that was the problem and implement that change.- Sean Ryan

I've always enjoyed Maths, Physics, anything problem solving wise. I've always wanted to be an engineer since probably around 14. I interviewed one of my dad's best friends who's a civil engineer. I got into the mechanical side because of my godfather. - Ena O'Driscoll

KEYWORDS

Engineering studies, STEM promotion, student engineers, automation engineering, mechanical engineering, industry experience, internships

Managing billion-euro construction projects across multiple continents requires more than technical expertise—it demands strategic planning that can unite diverse teams around complex, evolving designs.

From Formula One theme parks in Dubai's desert heat to Sweden's groundbreaking European Spallation Source research facility, construction planning specialist Enda Grimes has spent two decades mastering the art of breaking massive projects into manageable pieces.

Now leading his own consultancy Strata, he reveals how digital rehearsals, AI-powered data analytics, and one often-overlooked foundational skill are transforming how Europe's largest construction projects come to life

THINGS WE SPOKE ABOUT

• How breaking mega construction projects into smaller, team-owned pieces enables successful delivery.
• Why engineering principles provide the strongest foundation for strategic time planning.
• How using digital rehearsals BIM models can safely plan logistics before physical execution on site
• How AI and data management are transforming construction planning
• Why communication skills and practical site experience matter for career advancement
• The value of international experience and cultural adaptability in engineering career progression

GUEST DETAILS

Enda Grimes is Director and Owner of Strata, a construction planning consultancy he founded in 2016 that manages projects valued up to €2 billion. His career spans some of Europe's most complex construction projects, including serving as Head Planner for Skanska on the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Sweden—the world's largest research facility of its kind—where he developed contract programs for this state-of-the-art super-microscope facility. Previously, Enda spent over five years as Planning and Bid Manager with John Paul Construction/Absal Paul in Dublin, leading strategic technical submissions and commercial strategies.

His international experience includes planning the $600M Formula One Theme Park in Dubai and the €145M Criminal Courts Complex PPP in Dublin with PJ Hegarty & Sons. Enda specializes in translating complex construction requirements into executable plans using cutting-edge planning, modeling, and visualization technology.

Connect with Enda:

PUBLIC CONTACT DETAILS
Website: https://stratadigital.io/

Social Media:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/enda-grimes-86539a25/?originalSubdomain=ie

MORE INFORMATION

Looking for ways to explore or advance a career in the field of engineering? Visit Engineers Ireland to learn more about the many programs and resources on offer. https://www.engineersireland.ie/

Engineers Journal AMPLIFIED is produced by DustPod.io for Engineers Ireland.

QUOTES

• Engineering is a really good base for time planning, and if you can understand the technical challenges and relate that to time, you know, you get a lot of respect. - Enda Grimes
• It's made up of multiple project teams. If you're able to isolate each component piece to the individual project teams and let them deal with them on a project by project basis, it's a lot easier. – Enda Grimes
• What is a digital rehearsal? It's about building something digitally and rehearsing it and then putting it in practice in real life... the whole purpose is to plan out those works in a safe manner, to make sure that it works. - Enda Grimes
• I learned that sometimes to be Irish is a good thing in international projects because we're good at talking. We're probably have a good way about us with people, and you're able to bring different cultures together. - Enda Grimes
• I think practical experience is really important actually. There is a shortcoming in our education process at the moment. It's too theoretical, and that connection to industry is lost. - Enda Grimes

KEYWORDS
#Engineering principles #strategicplanning #constructionprojects #FormulaOnethemepark #Europeanspallationsource #projectexecution #timemanagement #digital tools #BIM #digitalrehearsal #communicationskills #career progression #internationalexperience #practicalexperience #leadership