Over the past couple years I have noticed an interesting trend and I am curious to read your thoughts. This trend is: The haphazard awarding of titles to those who do not have the responsibilities to match. Once-upon-a-time a young civil engineer, somewhere, with just a few years of engineering experience, was given the title of…
Are You Happy? Or Are You Really Just Scared?
What I love about my job as “headhunter” is the daily interaction I have with civil engineering professionals across the United States discussing their careers. I love learning about the projects they are working on, all they have accomplished, and what motivates them. I love hearing about their kids or activities they enjoy outside of…
How to Find that Elusive Purple Squirrel
Stop searching. They don’t exist. Seriously. Waiting for the perfect civil engineer to walk through your office doors can be detrimental to your business and will lead to stagnation, stress, and disappointment. So often times I find employers suffering from “paralysis by analysis” as they struggle in identifying candidates that have the 20 exact skills they are…
Civil Engineering: Taking a Hard Line on Soft Skills
Successful real estate investor Barbara Corcoran once said: So as we leap into 2017 with both feet, make the development of your soft skills a priority. Here are a few reasons why your soft skills are so important: Business Development: Your track record and resume of successfully completed projects may look stunning on glossy marketing…
Hiring 55+: That Silver Hair May Be A Silver Lining
Back in 2012 I started a discussion on LinkedIn, and then wrote a blog in response to that discussion that revolved around the employment of those 55 and older. The idea that employers shy away from hiring those with 35+ years of experience is disheartening and unfortunate, and in fact, in the line of business that I am…
Honesty & The Exit Interview
Exit interviews are rarely an enjoyable experience – for the company, or for the employee. Now, from time-to-time “high fives” are given when sub-par, poorly producing employees resign. Or employees skip out to their car and begin gleefully singing and offering up a rapid fire of fist pumps in the air excited about moving on to a new…
Civil Engineering Employees Should Embrace Company Ownership
Privately held civil engineering firms can attract staff by offering the benefit of ownership through Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs). Privately held firms give stock to motivate and reward employees. Companies also offer staff the chance to purchase company stock. Work hard and own a piece of the company, which translates to employees sharing in…
The "We’ve Always Done It This Way" Mentality
As a search consultant I have the opportunity to speak with dozens of civil engineering professionals across the country on a daily basis. I speak with key executives in the C-Suite, Project Engineers, and to every level of civil engineering professional in between. After learning about their skill set and their contribution to…
Attracting & Retaining Talent :: It’s a War Out There
In November of 2013 Carol & I were invited to host a breakout session at the Rusk O’Brien Gido + Partners Growth & Ownership Strategies Conference in Naples, FL. The Breakout Session that we hosted was titled “Attracting & Retaining Talent :: It’s a War Out There.” The topic was marketed as follows: The day…
Salary Compression: Engineers Penalized For Loyalty
Salary compression has several definitions. It can be described as a pay inequity when new employees receive salaries higher than those salaries being paid to the current employees in similar jobs. Whether at an Executive Vice President level or Project Manager role, it can be demotivating to an existing employee. As we all know, salaries…