The Moment That Catches People Off Guard Counteroffers feel personal. They feel like validation.Recognition.Proof that you matter. But here’s the reality. Counteroffers are not random.They are strategic. What Actually Happens Behind the Scenes Recently, I worked with two civil engineers who both had the exact same experience after giving notice. Multiple meetings Emotional...
The Most Misleading Title in Civil Engineering What does “Project Manager” actually mean at your firm? After 25+ years in executive search focused exclusively on civil engineering, I can tell you this with complete confidence: There is no universal definition. I’ve worked on hundreds of PM searches across the...
The Question That Reveals Everything There’s a question I heard recently that stuck with me. Simple. Direct. A little uncomfortable. “Who is your replacement?” That one question tells you everything you need to know about how a firm thinks about talent. Because if there’s hesitation…If there’s no clear answer…That’s not...
“Future-Forward Workforce Shortage: It’s Not a Mystery - It’s Math”via Engineering Inc (Powered by ACAC).I came across this article recently and thought it nailed something many folks in hashtag#civilengineering feel every day, but don’t always articulate well.The core takeaway:The civil engineering talent shortage isn’t a...
The Story Stops Working After a While There’s a lot of debate around job hopping in civil engineering. And to be fair, context absolutely matters. Life happens. Relocating to be closer to family A company going under A legitimate lack of backlog One bad boss that makes your life miserable That stuff is...
The Phrase I Hear Every Week If you spend enough time talking to civil engineers, you’ll hear this one constantly: “I’m looking for growth.” Sounds simple enough. But here’s the problem.That word means something very different to engineers than it does to a lot of employers. And that disconnect is...