The Art of Technical Hiring: Screening Candidates Who Work with Power Dividers and Signal Distribution

Looking to hire RF engineers who actually know how to work?

There’s an engineering talent shortage. Positions stay open longer as companies compete to hire technical staff.

The Issue:

Too many hiring managers don’t know how to screen effectively for technical roles.

When it comes to hiring engineers who will work with power dividers and combiners, you need to know what you’re doing.

Here’s everything you need to know about screening candidates who work with power dividers.

What You’ll Learn:

1. Why Technical Hiring Is So Competitive Right Now
2. Understanding Power Dividers and Signal Distribution
3. What Skills Should Every Signal Distribution Candidate Have?
4. How to Screen Candidates Who Work with Power Dividers Step-by-Step
5. Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Technical Talent

Why Technical Hiring Is So Competitive Right Now

There aren’t enough qualified candidates to fill open positions.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects electrical and electronics engineering jobs will grow 7% between 2024 and 2034. This is much faster than the average for other occupations.

But there simply aren’t enough qualified candidates with the skills to fill those roles.

RF engineers who specialize in analog circuitry are hard to come by. If your company needs experts on signal splitting, combining, and distribution, you need to know how to spot them.

And when you do hire the wrong person…

You’ll likely experience project delays. You risk damaging expensive equipment. Your team will become frustrated when working on projects that aren’t moving forward.

Understanding Power Dividers and Signal Distribution

Hold on, what does power division have to do with anything?

Engineers that work with power dividers are experts in signal distribution.

A power divider is a circuit that splits an RF signal into two or more output channels. When used as a power combiner, multiple input signals can be combined and distributed to a single load.

Power dividers used in signal distribution must maintain signal integrity between ports. That means paying close attention to:

• Impedance matching
• Insertion loss
• Isolation between output ports

Engineers commonly use power dividers for things like:

• Antenna feed networks
• Test and measurement equipment
• Broadcast distribution systems
• Telecommunications infrastructure
• Radar and satellite communications

Jobs that require knowledge of power dividers tend to be highly specialized. Look for candidates with direct experience in the specific industry you’re hiring for.

What Skills Should Every Signal Distribution Candidate Have?

Don’t know the first thing about signal distribution? That’s ok. Here are some key things to look for when screening candidates:

Relevant Technical Experience

This one should go without saying, but make sure candidates have experience with the type of work you’ll need them to do. Anyone can learn RF fundamentals like impedance, VSWR, and s-parameters.

Ask candidates how a power divider works. What about a power combiner? How are the two different? You’re looking for candidates that can articulate the tradeoffs between isolation, bandwidth, and power handling.

Experience troubleshooting RF systems is critical.

Only 8% of employers said entry-level candidates were ready to work immediately. But 85% of employers using skills-based hiring find candidates are ready to contribute as of day 1. Skills screening works especially well for technical positions.

Problem Solving Skills

The ability to troubleshoot doesn’t just happen. Can the candidate articulate how they approach problems?

You may want to provide candidates with a scenario involving signal loss. See how they work through the problem. The right candidate will ask questions before making assumptions.

Communication Skills

Can they communicate complex topics simply?

Just because someone is an RF engineering wizard doesn’t mean they can effectively communicate their ideas. Many times these engineers will need to work with project managers and clients who aren’t technical.

Hire slower by including skills testing as part of your interview process. As you filter candidates, learn more about their capabilities using real-world job simulations.

How to Screen Candidates Who Work with Power Dividers Step-by-Step

Ready to start screening? Here’s a process that works:

Step 1: Write a Detailed Job Description

Go into as much detail as possible. What types of power dividers will they work with? Will they work with combiners? Include the frequency ranges and power levels they’ll work with on a daily basis.

Posting generic job descriptions will get you generic responses. Be as specific as possible.

Step 2: Administer Technical Assessments

Don’t trust resumes. Utilize an assessment that tests candidates’ skill competency.

You can design assessment tests that include the following:

• Design challenges that relate to signal distribution networks
• Troubleshooting scenarios
• Analyzing S-parameters from a network analyzer measurement
• Determining which components to use and why

Skills tests allow you to filter out candidates that won’t be a good culture fit or don’t have the skills to do the job.

Step 3: Ask Smart Interview Questions

Prepare a list of technical interview questions based on the candidate’s experience. What kinds of projects have they worked on? Listen for specific examples that demonstrate how they overcame challenges.

Good interview questions include:

• Tell me about a time when you optimized a power divider network for minimal insertion loss.
• Walk me through how you would approach impedance matching for a broadband application.
• What factors do you consider when selecting components for high-power applications?

Learn as much as you can about the candidate from these questions. Listen carefully to their answers.

Step 4: Test Candidate Competency

If possible, have candidates come into the office to work through a basic demonstration. Set up some equipment they would use every day and have them demonstrate basic measurements.

This is the best way to verify someone has hands-on experience.

Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring Technical Talent

Here are a few hiring mistakes we see too often:

Hiring Managers Place Too Much Emphasis on Education

Where someone went to school doesn’t define their ability to do a job. Skill-based testing allows you to assess competency regardless of educational background.

Hiring Too Quickly

Just because you need to fill a position doesn’t mean you should settle. We understand the pressure to fill positions as soon as possible. But rushing through the hiring process often leads to bad hires.

A bad hire can cost your company months of productivity. Don’t sacrifice the quality of your screening process to save a few weeks of hiring time.

Not Looking at Culture Fit

Just because someone is a great engineer doesn’t mean they will fit your company culture.

Teamwork is essential. Make sure candidates are collaborative and can work across functions.

Skipping the Skills Test

Hiring managers aren’t engineers. You may think you know what to look for when interviewing an RF engineer. But there’s only so much you can learn from someone sitting across from you in an interview.

Skills tests allow you to learn about the candidate’s ability to do the job. Get your candidates doing real work simulations.

Wrapping It All Up

Hiring talent to work with power dividers and do signal distribution takes patience.

But when you take your time to verify candidates can do the job, everyone benefits.

Remember:

• Create a detailed job description with specific criteria
• Administer technical skills tests to candidates
• Prepare candidate specific interview questions
• Bring candidates in to verify competency

Each of these steps is critical to your overall screening process. Take your time. Skip rushed decisions.