You work in engineering. You have knowledge, experience, and responsibility. And yet, sometimes something doesn’t quite sit right. Not because things are going badly, but because you feel there’s more possible.

A career check isn’t a big, heavy process. It’s a conversation. One moment where you step back from your day-to-day work and take a look—together with someone else—at where you are now and where you could go next. For many engineers, this leads to surprisingly clear insights.

What we most often see in these conversations

Although every career is unique, the same themes come up again and again in conversations with technical professionals:

Growth
Not everyone wants to move into management. Not everyone wants to remain a specialist. What does come up often is the question of whether someone is still learning. New technologies, more complex challenges, greater influence on design or processes. Many engineers realize their growth has stalled—without having seen it that clearly before.

Culture
The work itself is fine, but the environment doesn’t feel right. Too little ownership. Or, on the contrary, too little structure and direction. In a career check, culture suddenly becomes concrete, because you articulate what gives you energy—and what doesn’t.

Challenge
Routine can be comfortable, but it can also dull your edge. In conversations, it often becomes clear that the work is no longer technically stimulating, even though the person still has ambition and curiosity. That insight alone can set a lot in motion.

What engineers gained concrete insight into

A few real-world examples:

• A mechanical engineer discovered he wasn’t “ready for something else,” but ready for more complex projects with greater influence on early-stage decisions.

• A software engineer realized he drew energy from collaboration and alignment, rather than working in isolation—something he had never clearly articulated before.

• A process engineer saw that his strength lay in improvement and optimization, while he was increasingly being used in an operational role.

No major conclusions—just clarity.

How a consultant looks along with you

During a career check, a consultant doesn’t look at vacancies, but at you. They ask deeper questions about experience, drivers, work style, and ambitions. Sometimes possibilities emerge that you hadn’t considered before—simply because someone looks at your situation from a bit of distance and knows the technical job market well.

It’s not about directing you, but reflecting. Not about telling you what to do, but about showing what’s possible.

Why this isn’t a job interview

This is important: a career check is not a job interview. You don’t have to decide anything. You don’t have to say “yes” to anything. There’s no pressure to take next steps.

That’s exactly what creates space for an honest conversation. No preparation. No obligations. Just taking a look together: does what you’re doing now still fit where you want to go?

Taking a moment can deliver more than you expect

Many tech professionals enter the conversation thinking, “Let’s see.” And leave with more direction and a clearer picture of their next step. Not because everything suddenly has to change—but because you’ve taken the time to look at where you are and which opportunities logically connect to that.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what you need to move forward again.

Ready to spar about your own career?

Schedule a career check by emailing recruitment@trinamics.nl and discover what your next step could be.