Engineering skills for jobs in South Africa – No 1 approved

Engineering skills for jobs in South Africa guide

We know recruiters use software to pick up on ATS keywords. ATS keywords are the specific engineering skills words or phrases that appear on the job ads as requirements for specific engineering jobs in South Africa. These are the make or break keywords of your resume, and without these engineering skills present on your resume, your application may get overlooked completely.

Soft engineering skills are the personality traits that help make the hard skills flow, such as technical work. Example: Your (soft) skills for problem-solving and attention to detail will come in useful in computer hardware architecture (hard skill).

Cultivate soft engineering skills that benefit your career and do what you can to pick up hard skills if you lack them, such as freelancing, volunteering or taking a free online course.

Skills for engineering jobs in South Africa

Looking for engineering jobs in South Africa starts with engineering skills. Take the following steps to improve your employability:

Read through the job description carefully;

Write 2 lists each of the required hard, and soft skills listed in the ad;

Draw up your personal list of a hard and soft skills, which should be in your education and experience sections on your resume;

See which skills appear on the job ad and your own list;

Make sure they are added to your resume and interview preparation for this application.

Below, we will list all the important Engineering skills of these 15 Engineering jobs in South Africa:

Cable technician
Chemical Engineer
Chemist
Civil Engineer
Computer Engineer
Database Developer
Electrical Engineer
Electronic Technician
HVAC
Industrial Engineer
IT Technician
Mechanical Engineer
Python Developer
Quality Control
Solutions Architect

Hard and soft engineering skills needed in the following engineering jobs in South Africa

Cable Technician

Cable technician jobs in South Africa include duties of installing cable systems, both data and voice, for devices such as home routers and residential television systems. Cable technicians will typically troubleshoot possible problems with the cable system, and work high on poles or digging and setting ground cables.

Hard skills required in cable technician jobs in South Africa:

System testing
Inspection of cable lines
Disconnection of cables
Installation of cables
Repair of cables
Troubleshooting
Keeping records
Internet connection
Client education
Upselling
Driving

Soft skills of cable technicians:

Self-efficient
Critical thinking
Decisiveness
Solving problems
Interpersonal skills
Being able to work motivated and unsupervised
Organized
Good at time management
Communication, speech and written
Good stamina, fit and healthy
Collaboration

Chemical Engineer

Chemical engineering in South Africa forms an integral part of the manufacturing industry by means of planning, testing and improving production methods, developing chemical manufacturing processes, designing equipment, and setting up strict health and safety procedures.

Using physics and chemistry, biology, and math, chemical engineers come up with improvements and problem-solving during the production, use or manufacturing processes.

Hard Chemical engineering skills:

IT
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Mathematics
Management
Computer skills
Resource management
Project management and optimization of production
Testing materials and working in factory environments
Designing equipment configuration
Process design

Soft engineering skills:

Leadership
Problem-solving
Self-motivated
Decisiveness
Organized
Efficient Time management
Active listener
Collaboration and interpersonal skills
Criticality
Creativity
Communication, speech and written

Civil Engineer

Civil engineering jobs in South Africa fall in the categories of planning, designing and overseeing the building and maintaining of construction sites and infrastructure, e.g. power plants, roads and bridges, railways, harbors and airports, water and sewerage systems, irrigation and dams.

Civil engineering in South Africa helps create, improve, maintain and protect immediate environments. In civil engineering jobs, duties include the management, planning and design of construction projects, plus offering technical knowledge to project drawings and designs.

A responsibility is cost calculations in preparation of financial projections and to work with the project manager regarding work schedules.

Civil engineering hard skills:

ETABS
AutoCAD
STAAD Pro
Physics
Mathematics
Autodesk Revit
Structural design
Geotechnical engineering
Project management
Water resources engineering
Civil engineering soft skills: Organized
Collaboration
Management
Time management
Interpersonal skills
Attention to detail
Problem-solving
Communication, written and speech
Critical and creative thinking

Computer Engineer

Computer engineers are responsible to evaluate, design, and maintain computer hardware and system software. The computer engineer designs, develops, and tests, network systems, and circuit boards, computer hardware and IT processors.

Hard skills needed in computer engineering jobs in South Africa:

Computer skills
Edge Computing
AI (Artificial intelligence)
ML (Machine learning)
Hardware and software
Data types and structures
Classification algorithms
DL4J (deep learning for Java) toolkit
Computational development
Computational mathematics Computer hardware architecture
Object-oriented programming languages

Soft skills of computer engineering jobs in South Africa:

Team player
Interpersonal
Problem-solving
Patience
Decisiveness
Leadership and management
Communication, speech and written Project management
Time management
Critical thinking
Creative thinking
Technical

Database Developer

Database developers, database designers, or database programmers monitor database performance, create, administer and do troubleshooting for computer databases that process bulk amounts of information, and keep it secure.

Database developers use computer software to organize and save data, and they provide ongoing support.

Hard skills of a database developer:

NoSQL (CouchDB, MongoDB)
.NET
ETL
Hadoop, Spark
SQL, Oracle, Java, C++, C#, PHP, MySQL
SSRS, SAP Crystal Reports Optimization and integration of SQL queries with applications
Programming
Database structures and tables design
Developing views, functions, and stored procedures
Database automation, security and integrity

Soft skills of a database developer:

Efficient
Organized
Self-motivated
Decisiveness
Collaborating
Interpersonal skills
Problem-solving
Time management
Communication, written and speech
Analytical thinking

Electrical Engineer

Electrical engineering in South Africa includes design, developing and testing, plus supervising of electrical equipment manufacturing, including the electrical systems of automobiles and aircraft.

The fundamentals of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism are used to develop products and systems such as navigation systems, radar or electric motors, communications systems, or power generation equipment.

Hard engineering skills required by electrical engineers:

Circuit designing
Electrical measurements
Orcad
P Spice
Eagle
PCB designing
PLC
AutoCAD/Microstation
PLC (Programmable Logic Controllers)
EIT
Programming (C/C++/Java)
Linux
Revit
Microcontrollers (8051, ARM, AVR, PIC etc.)
NFPA Standards

Soft engineering skills required by electrical engineers:

Decisiveness
Learning actively
Willingness to travel
Training, education
Team player
Organized
Accuracy and precision
Attention to detail
Problem-solving with complex challenges
Initiative

Electronic Technician

The electronics technician’s job description in South Africa include reading manuals, installing new equipment, servicing and inspections, the diagnosing, modifying and repairing of existing electronics, plus their upgrades.

Electronic technicians assist with the development of new or updated electronic systems, training, and recruitment.

Electronic technician jobs in South Africa list these hard skills:

Installing
Diagnostic software
Computer competency
Troubleshoot
Systems of analog and digital
Test case writing
Breadboard assemble
Design and sketching
Prototyping
Assessing
Testing
Repairs
Maintenance design
Calibration
Mechanical aptitude
Electronic technician jobs in South Africa list the following soft skills:
Communication, speech and written
Problem-solving
Decisiveness
Creative
Adaptable
Open to collaborate
Interpersonal skills
Detail minded
Time management
Organized
Efficient
Analytical

HVAC

HVAC technicians (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) are required to install, maintain and repair air conditioners, refrigeration and other indoor air quality systems.

HVAC hard skills:

Repairing
Installation
Government regulation knowledge
HVAC systems and safety standards
Equipment testing
Tools
Controls
Electrician
Sales
HVAC soft skills:
Communication, written and speech
Interpersonal
Learning actively
Troubleshooting
Customer service
Collaborating with others
Stamina
Detail minded
Good judgement and perception

Industrial Engineer

Industrial engineering jobs in South Africa deals with our most pressing need for waste elimination and increase profits. Industrial engineers design production procedures and layouts that boost productivity, reduce cost and wastefulness – all within the frame of the company’s quality standards.

Hard skills of industrial engineers in South Africa:

Production and processing
Data analysis and visualization
Process analysis
Statistical analysis and modeling
Material handling
Inventory control
Factory planning
Methodologies: Kaizen; Lean/Six Sigma; Root Cause Analysis; Time and Motion Studies; FMEA; 5S
Accounting: Cost analysis; Business accounting Return on investment
Software: Microsoft Office; Microsoft Access; Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP); Excel: VBA, Macros, Automation;
CAD Software: AutoCAD, Solidworks, Revit, Inventor;
Programming: C, Java, Python, Matlab, R;
Statistical: SPSS, Minitab

Soft skills of Industrial engineers in South Africa:

Detail minded
Analytical
Organized
Time management
Communication, written and speech
Critical thinking
Problem-solving
Team player

IT Technician

IT technicians ensure smooth running of computer systems. They install, support, diagnose and maintain hardware and software systems through remote access or site visits.

Hard skills needed by IT technicians looking for jobs in South Africa:

IT troubleshooting
Computer and IT skills
Enterprise computer systems
Software bug diagnostics
Hardware and technical
Most current knowledge of computer operating systems LAN & WAN
Technical support, onsite or remote
Inspecting equipment
Conceptual Project management

Soft skills needed by IT technicians applying for jobs in South Africa:

Interpersonal
Team player
People person
Social skills
Organized
Manages time well
Decisiveness
Problem solver
Critical thinking

Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical engineers are required to analyze mechanical and thermal devices, find repair solutions or improvement innovations. In a mechanical engineering job, the engineers design and manufacture transport, heating, and cooling systems, industrial machinery, tools and automation robots.

Mechanical engineering hard skills in South Africa:

Budgeting
Technical report writing
Data collection
Design Leader
AutoCAD
SolidWorks
Analytical minded
Math
Research
Maintaining equipment
Testing products
Mechanical engineering in South Africa and the soft skills needed:
Client experience
Detail minded
Organized
Adaptable and flexible
Friendly
Teamwork
Accuracy

Python Developer

Python developers have back-end understanding, write, and test code. Python developers are responsible for debugging programs and integrating applications with third-party web services. To ensure software design requirements are met, Python developers write effective unit tests, and other test cases.

Python developer hard skills:

Project management
Experience with REST API and web services
Comprehension databases, SQL, and ORM libraries
Core Python expertise
Experience of web Python frameworks Flask or Django
JavaScript, HTML, CSS
Experience in AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning
Agile frameworks
Open source experience
Cloud management
OOPs concepts & patterns
Debugging
Quality Control
QA (quality assurance)
Computer skills
Project management
Python developer soft skills:
Detail minded
Decisiveness
Analytical skills
Creative thinker
Critical thinker
Customer service
Leadership
Problem-solver
Communication, written and speech
Interpersonal
Team player
Managing time well

Solutions Architect

Organizations hire solutions architects when they need a complex, technology-based, problem solved. Solutions architects will analyze technology environments, and evaluate the specific needs of a business. They then design and build new, or modifying existing technology architecture to meet that need and test software integration to ensure perfect functionality.

Solutions Architects use the following hard skills in jobs in South Africa:

Data and Cloud Security
AWS Cloud Infrastructure
System, Platform, and Account Migrations
Information Architecture
Application Architecture
Enterprise Solution Architecture (ESA)
Technology Architecture
Business Architecture
Virtual Environment Design and Implementation
Authentication Systems
Enterprise Computing and Networking
Jobs in South Africa for Solutions Architects require the following soft skills:
Communication, speech and written
Decisiveness
Leadership and management
Project management
Managing time well
Problem solver
Creative thinker
Critical thinker
Presentation
Interpersonal
Team player
Technical

TIP: Hard skills are typically added in the Educational and Experience sections of a resume.

Soft and hard skills are often mentioned in the experience section in reference to how you used them in previous positions. The soft skills will be how you managed to do the job from a personal capacity and the hard skills will be what you did in the position.

Engineering in the South Africa job sector includes the following:

Audio Engineer
AWS
Biologist
Business
Business Intelligence
Cable Technician
Chemical Engineer
Chemist
Civil Engineering
CNC Machinist
Computer Engineering
Consultant
Database Developer
Electrical Engineering
Electronic Technician
Engineering
Engineering Internship
Engineering Student
HVAC
Industrial Engineer
IT Technician
Lab Assistant
Lab Technician
Machine Learning
Manufacturing Engineer
Mechanical Engineering
Project Engineer
Python Developer
Quality Control
Quality Engineer
Salesforce
Science
Software Developer
Solution Architect
Supply Chain
Technical Writer

TIP: Consider all the professional engineer skills and talents you personally have that are relevant to the specific position’s requirements.

Select at least 10 of your strongest engineer skills, both hard and soft, and add them to your experience and education sections to convey a whole picture. Understand that the skills must be used as keywords on your resume, cover letter and interview.