A mechanical engineer with ten years at a manufacturing plant can walk into most production floors and be productive by week two. Hand that same résumé to a company hiring for R&D, and it might not even clear the first screen, not because the candidate isn't sharp, but because R&D hiring and traditional engineering hiring are, in practice, two different sports wearing the same uniform. I've placed both kinds of engineers. The traditional hire is judged on execution: can this
