There is something interesting about the California civil engineering market that I have noticed for years. You can have 8, 10, or even 15+ years of experience, work on real projects, function at a high level, and still not have your PE license. In many...
Last night’s NFL Draft had a moment that felt very familiar from a recruiting standpoint. The Pittsburgh Steelers were reportedly on the phone with Makai Lemon, the USC wide receiver they expected to draft. And this was not just some fallback option. Lemon was one of the top...
You’re a civil engineering leader. You spent the entire day juggling client calls, proposals, project deadlines, staff issues, utilization, budgets, and trying to keep projects moving because your team is already stretched thin. It is now 8:30 at night. The kids are finally upstairs. And now it is time...
One thing I have learned after nearly 30 years recruiting civil engineers is that many engineers think they are doing business development when, in reality, they are doing client management. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. In fact, client management is extremely valuable. Keeping clients...
Dear civil engineering firms that are using AI to conduct candidate interviews: Please continue. Sincerely, Recruiters and companies that still believe humans should talk to humans. That may sound a little sarcastic. It is. But only because this trend deserves a little sarcasm. In a hiring market where civil engineering firms are...
A lot of civil engineers are familiar with the “5 Whys” as a problem-solving tool. You see a recurring issue on a project. You ask why it happened. Then you ask why again. And again. And again. Eventually, if you are honest enough and patient enough,...