I talk to a lot of civil engineers every week. A lot of good ones. A lot of really good ones. And one of the themes I hear over and over is loyalty. “I’ve been here a long time, and I have a lot of flexibility.” “I’m...
I am seeing more and more of this lately, and I do not think it is a coincidence. Civil engineers are starting to build practical AI tools to solve very specific problems inside the industry. Not vague “AI will change everything someday” type of stuff....
If you are trying to grow your civil engineering firm in a major metro but operating out of one office, you may be making hiring harder than it needs to be. I get it. Office space is not cheap. Build-outs are not cheap. Rent, furniture, technology,...
“We need someone who has already done this exact job.” Same title. Same responsibilities. Same type of projects. Same market. Same client base. Same everything. In other words, a lateral move. On paper, that request makes sense. If a civil engineering firm needs a Project Manager, Department Manager,...
I had an interesting conversation this week with a young civil engineer. He has about 2.5 years of experience, has his EIT, and plans to sit for his PE within the next year. Sharp guy. Motivated. The kind of young professional most civil engineering firms...
At some point in your career as a civil engineer, the game changes. You go from being the person who can design the work and manage the work to the person who can also help bring the work in. That is the seller-doer. And if you...
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...