When a Career Change Is Bigger Than a New Job

03 Aug When a Career Change Is Bigger Than a New Job

A few years ago, I had a conversation with a water and wastewater engineer in Texas.

We stayed loosely connected, but we had not spoken in about three years when he reached back out to me a couple of months ago. Apparently, I made a decent enough impression the first time around that he remembered me.

Either that, or every other recruiter he spoke with was completely terrible.

Let’s go with the first one, shall we? 😁

This time, he was ready for a change.

Not just a new job.

A real change.

He wanted to relocate to Michigan to be closer to family. He was tired of living in Houston, tired of the summer heat, tired of the traffic, and ready to find a company that felt more like the smaller, locally owned firm he had joined earlier in his career.

Unfortunately, that firm had been acquired.

Then the company that acquired them was acquired by an even larger company a couple of years later.

Because apparently civil engineering firms are now Russian nesting dolls.

He Knew What He Wanted, but Finding It Was Another Matter

This engineer had a good job, a family, and plenty going on outside of work. What he did not have was the time to research every consulting engineering firm in Michigan and determine which ones might actually fit what he was looking for.

Relocating is already complicated. Changing companies is complicated too. Trying to do both while working full-time and managing family responsibilities can feel like taking on another job.

There is a lot to figure out:

• Which communities make sense for the family
• Which firms perform the right type of work
• Which companies have the right size and culture
• Whether the local market will value the candidate’s experience
• Who the real decision-makers are
• Which opportunities offer long-term potential
• Whether the compensation and benefits make the move realistic
• How quickly the candidate and family could relocate

A person can easily spend dozens of hours researching firms and still not know what the companies are really like from the inside.

That is where we came in.

The Search Started With Listening

Before contacting anyone, we spent time talking through exactly what he wanted.

The location mattered because the entire purpose of the move was to be closer to family. The type of work mattered because he wanted to continue building on his water and wastewater experience. The company size mattered because he missed the feel of the smaller, locally owned consulting firm he had originally joined.

Culture mattered too.

He was not simply looking for another logo to place on his résumé. He wanted an environment where he could know the leadership, contribute meaningfully, and feel connected to the company rather than becoming another name inside a massive organization.

We talked through:

• The Michigan communities he would realistically consider
• The type and scale of projects he wanted
• The responsibilities he hoped to take on
• The size and structure of the ideal firm
• The leadership style he preferred
• The long-term career opportunity
• The compensation required to make relocation feasible
• The environments he wanted to avoid

Just as importantly, we discussed what he did not want.

That part often gets overlooked.

A successful search is not only about identifying attractive opportunities. It is also about eliminating the ones that would recreate the same frustrations the candidate is trying to leave behind.

We Mapped the Market Instead of Waiting for a Job Posting

Once we understood the target, we began mapping the Michigan consulting engineering market.

We identified firms in the areas he was considering and looked closely at their water and wastewater practices, office locations, leadership, project mix, company size, and potential need for someone with his background.

Some were companies I had spoken with before.

Some knew me through the civil engineering industry.

Others had probably never heard of me until my email landed in their inbox.

Either way, we contacted a couple dozen consulting engineering firms in the target markets.

The message was not:

“Here is a résumé. Are you hiring?”

It was a more thoughtful introduction explaining who the candidate was, what he had accomplished, why he was relocating, and what type of opportunity he hoped to find.

That distinction matters.

A good engineer may not match a job currently posted on a company’s website, but the firm may still recognize the value of speaking with that person. Sometimes a company can create an opportunity, accelerate a hiring plan, or shape a role around someone whose background solves a real need.

That is one of the advantages of approaching the market directly rather than waiting for the perfect posting to appear.

The Market Responded

We were able to generate interest from four or five firms that wanted to speak with him.

Most remained interested after the first interview.

That gave the candidate something valuable: options.

He could compare firms, leadership teams, project opportunities, cultures, locations, and long-term paths rather than feeling pressured to accept the first company willing to talk.

The conversations also helped him clarify his own priorities.

Sometimes candidates begin a search believing one factor will matter most. Once they start meeting companies, they realize another issue carries more weight.

Maybe the largest company is not the best fit.

Maybe the highest base salary does not outweigh a weak commute or limited advancement path.

Maybe the smaller firm offers stronger leadership, more meaningful responsibility, or the environment the candidate originally hoped to find.

The interview process is not only about companies evaluating candidates.

Candidates should be gathering information too.

There Were Twists and Turns

Like most searches, the process was not perfectly linear.

There were scheduling issues, follow-up conversations, questions about roles and responsibilities, and moments when one opportunity seemed more promising than another.

We helped manage the communication and kept the process moving.

That included:

• Coordinating interviews
• Following up with firms
• Clarifying candidate interest
• Addressing concerns
• Helping compare opportunities
• Keeping everyone informed
• Working through compensation and timing
• Narrowing the process toward the candidate’s preferred option

This is where having someone manage the process can be especially helpful.

The candidate still has a full-time job. The companies are managing projects, clients, staff, and their own hiring priorities. Without consistent communication, even a promising opportunity can lose momentum.

A good search process requires follow-through.

The Best Opportunity Was About More Than Work

Eventually, the candidate narrowed everything down to his top choice.

He accepted a position with a company he was excited about, doing the type of work he wanted, in the location where he wanted to raise his family.

That is a win.

The outcome was not simply a new title or a different salary.

It was a career move connected to a much larger lifestyle decision.

The new position helped him move closer to family, leave a city he no longer wanted to live in, and join an organization that felt more aligned with what he valued.

Those are the searches I find especially rewarding.

Most of Our Work Is on Behalf of Engineering Firms

About 95% of the time, we work on behalf of consulting engineering firms that hire us to identify and recruit talent.

A client may need a Project Manager, Practice Leader, Office Leader, Senior Engineer, Survey Manager, or executive. We help define the target, research the market, approach candidates, and manage the search.

That remains the core of our business.

But every once in a while, we are able to help an individual engineer make a significant career and lifestyle change that would be extremely difficult to navigate alone.

This type of candidate-driven search is not appropriate in every situation.

The person needs to have a strong and marketable background. The geography needs to offer realistic options. The goals need to be clear. The candidate also needs to be committed enough to participate actively in the process.

When those pieces come together, though, it can work extremely well.

Relocation Requires More Than Sending Résumés

A relocation search is rarely as simple as applying to a few jobs online.

A candidate may be unfamiliar with the local consulting market. Firms may not immediately understand why someone from another state is interested. Employers may question the seriousness of the move or worry that the candidate will change course.

Those concerns need to be addressed clearly.

A successful relocation search usually requires a coherent story:

• Why is the person moving?
• Why this specific market?
• How committed is the family?
• What timing is realistic?
• What type of work does the candidate want?
• Why does the experience translate to the new region?
• What would make the move worthwhile?

When those answers are clear, employers are much more likely to engage.

A Recruiter Can Help Create Structure

One of the biggest benefits of working with a recruiter during a major career change is having someone create structure around the process.

The candidate does not need to research every company alone, guess whom to contact, or try to manage five different interview processes while still performing well in the current job.

A recruiter can help:

• Define the target market
• Identify likely employers
• Position the candidate’s background
• Make direct introductions
• Generate opportunities that may not be advertised
• Coordinate conversations
• Maintain momentum
• Provide market feedback
• Help compare the options objectively
• Work through the practical details of a transition

The candidate still makes every decision.

The recruiter helps make sure those decisions are based on real information and legitimate opportunities.

Some Career Moves Are Really Life Moves

A new job can affect much more than the hours spent at work.

It can determine where your children grow up.

It can move you closer to parents, siblings, or lifelong friends.

It can reduce stress, improve a commute, change the cost of living, or provide a different pace of life.

It can also reconnect someone with the kind of company culture they have been missing.

That is why a major career change should not be treated casually.

The goal is not simply to leave.

The goal is to move toward something better.

Start With a Realistic Game Plan

If this story sounds familiar and you are considering a relocation or a significant career change, the first step is not necessarily updating your résumé and applying everywhere.

Start by getting clear on what you are trying to accomplish.

Ask yourself:

• Where do I genuinely want to live?
• What type of work do I want to continue doing?
• What responsibilities do I want next?
• What size company fits me best?
• What kind of culture am I looking for?
• What am I unwilling to repeat?
• What compensation do I realistically need?
• How quickly could my family make the move?
• Is my background strong enough to generate interest in that market?

From there, you can determine whether the opportunity is realistic and what kind of strategy makes sense.

Relocating is a process.

Changing companies is a process.

Doing both at the same time can feel overwhelming.

But with a clear target, good market intelligence, and someone helping manage the moving pieces, it becomes much more manageable.

If you are a civil engineer considering that kind of change, feel free to reach out. We can talk through what you are looking for, what the market may offer, and whether there is a realistic game plan to help get you there.