Whose billable time is it, anyway?
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Burdick
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
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What is your time worth? To you, your company, clients and end users of your products and services?
When does the value that you perceive you bring to your company become less-than-valuable?
There is a fine art in bringing projects in on-time and at or under budget. And in this economy, that fine line is becoming razor sharp. Delighting customers and exceeding expectations may result from the economics of the project rather than cutting edge design that carries a high price tag and unappreciative end users.
This week, some project engineers and I were discussing how to tell when a project is complete. They related how they are continually striving to make the project outcome better, add more enhancements, ask more questions of the client, constantly refine the design and contents of the project…. until their managers start breathing down their necks wondering why the project hasn’t been completed.
Let’s face it. It’s the nature of the engineering discipline. Analysis, design, improvement, redesign. Plan-Do- Check-Act. To infinity and beyond. Except, very few clients hire engineers and technical specialists simply to think….and think….and think. If that were true, we could all go to the mailbox each day and receive a huge check for all the great thoughts we had during the week before. I don’t think so.
Billable time. You know what that is. And you know the rate that you or your company bills out your time. The question becomes whether or not your company recovers that cost in terms of profit on your project.
Civil Engineers enjoy challenges and are tremendous analytical thinkers. They do, however, sometimes confuse discussing a potential project with being engaged in business development (aka, “sales”). For you civil engineers who have been thrust into a sales role without understanding the dynamics of a sales conversation, beware. Engineers are notorious at spinning out ramifications of a design, constantly asking “what if?” of themselves and other engineers. And thinking they are “selling.”
How many times has an engineer from one company called up an engineer from your company (you, perhaps?) to kick things around… on a project that is neither approved nor funded? An hour later, on your company’s dime, you/ your engineer has provided lots of consultative design insights to the other engineer. And your company never is awarded the project, if they are even asked to bid on it. And for those companies who have been forced to rely on the bid process on public projects, your profit margins are being squeezed to bare minimum.
While this scenario has been more common in the manufacturing arena, it may become more prevalent as less staff attempts to provide more functionality within civil engineering firms.
While I’m not suggesting that you dumb-down your project design and/or management efforts, I am asking you to consider how many of your projects are brought in on-time and at- or under-budget? Do you hold things up or move things forward? Do you understand when you have arrived at the best solution, although it may not be the optimal one?
Ask yourself what the gross and net profit of these projects are to your company. What was your billable time and at what rate? What is your salary?
Now you can begin to calculate what your time is worth and the value that you bring to your company. Working in a vacuum outside the context of the bigger picture surrounding your role is not a viable strategy in any economy. Especially this one.
Think about it.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Add comment March 1, 2010
The Cost Of Finding A Job In The A/E/P Industry
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
This job seeker also told me that the cost of finding a job has become expensive! Paying to attend professional association meetings to continue his networking, travel costs to firms who won’t contribute to offset costs and exam costs to obtain a new registration or to renew registrations are just a few expenses that tax someone without a weekly paycheck. The good news is that some of the expenses incurred in your job search are tax deductible. Here is what I have found…but, please check with your tax consultant! Some of the costs that are tax-deductible include:
• Employment and outplacement agency fees.
• Resume services.
• Printing and mailing costs of application/search letters.
• Want-ad placement fees.
• Telephone calls.
• Travel expenses, including out-of-town job-hunting trips.
But you can’t automatically subtract your job-hunting costs from your income — just those that, when added to all your miscellaneous deductions, come to more than 2 percent of your adjusted gross income. And the expenses must be for a search within your current profession. If you are looking in a new field, you are out of luck.
In trying to minimize your financial cost you can suggest to firms that you would be available to interview by teleconference. Visit a local mailing center and for a minimal cost you can utilize their teleconferencing stations. As for traveling at your own expense for an interview…ASK THE COMPANY FOR ASSISTANCE! If they told you to travel at your own cost, then ask them to split it with you or ask if they can contribute in some manner. You won’t know the answer until you try! Firms, like job seekers, are all feeling the financial pinch. But, many firms will step up if you make the request. Hopefully they too understand the strain on the job search.
To continue your face to face networking, you need to approach your professional associations about a reduction in event fees. As in the travel situation above, if you don’t ask for help so you can continue to attend functions, then you won’t know if changes can be offered. Some associations have funds that are specifically designed to help in these types of cost challenges for their members.
The emotional costs of finding a job is becoming a frequent discussion piece on many of the social media outlets. Besides lack of application follow-up from firms, many of those candidates that manage to interview and receive offers are finding limited relocation allowances and low salary offers. To attempt to place a number on the emotional costs of a job search would be out of my expertise. Treating your job search as a full time job when receiving limited positive feedback can be overwhelming and depressing. Be aware of the taxing nature and be kind to yourself.
What are you experiencing and what suggestions can you offer to others? How are you tackling the process and making it through?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
12 comments February 23, 2010
Career Goals: Don’t Sell Yourself Short!
Featured Guest Blogger: Anthony Fasano, P.E., CPC, LEED AP
Maser Consulting
Associate Civil Engineer and Professional Career & Leadership Development Coach
Click to Connect With Anthony on Linkedin and Facebook
Anthony is the author of a soon to be launched FREE service for engineers called A Daily Boost from Your Professional Partner. Click here to read about this service.
I have said in the past that it is extremely important to have career goals, which act as a destination for where you are taking your career. It is important when setting your goals, to take the time to figure out exactly what you want, nothing more, and nothing less.
Clearly defining your goal is extremely important. Use an analogy of driving to a destination. Is it easier to get somewhere if you only know the city or state or if you know the exact street address? Your goals act as that street address that constantly tells you where you are going.
In setting these clearly defined goals, you really need to figure out what you want. Many people will water down their goals during this process because they believe they are too lofty. By doing this, you are giving up on your goal before you even attempt to achieve it. Why? You have the ability to achieve absolutely anything you want to in your career. When you are setting your goals, just think about your current situation as scenario “A” and the goal you are seeking as scenario “B” AND DO NOT TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET FROM A TO B AT THIS POINT. When people think about the route they will have to take, that is when they often start the “watering-down” process. You can worry about action plans and steps you may take later, but when you are setting your goals focus on your desires, regardless of how unattainable you may think they are.
For example, let’s say you have a clearly defined goal of being promoted to Project Manager in the next 18 months. Attached to this goal is a rule that you set for yourself to work no more than 45 hours per week so that you can maintain your work-family balance. In reviewing that goal, you might say to yourself, there is no way I can get that promotion if I only work 45 hours per week, so you change it to 50. You have now altered your true goal and compromised your values by giving up your work-family balance. This decision was based on a LIMITING BELIEF.
In coaching, we help people with limited beliefs on a regular basis. A limiting belief is exactly what it sounds like; it’s a belief that you hold, that limits you in some way, shape or form. Limiting beliefs typically stem from your past. They may have developed from interaction with someone specific or a certain situation that deeply influenced you. In the above example, the limiting belief is that you cannot become a project manager by working 45 hours per week. Why not? Couldn’t you work more efficiently and delegate more? Limiting beliefs often prevent us from not only achieving our goals, but from setting true goals. When you run into a limiting belief, the best way to beat it is to question it!
Where does that belief come from?
How can I let go of that belief?
Now that you are aware of limiting beliefs start to identify, question and overcome yours today. Doing this will help you tremendously in achieving your lofty career goals!
What limiting beliefs are currently holding you back from achieving your career goals as a civil engineering professional?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Add comment February 16, 2010
The National Infrastructure Bank
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
Leaders of “Building America’s Future” in their letter to President Obama commended him for his efforts and wrote in part:
“We write to ask for your continued leadership on the creation of a National Infrastructure Bank, which will help rebuild our nation’s crumbling infrastructure, including our transportation, water and wastewater, broadband, power grid and other critical assets. As you know, the American Society of Civil Engineers identified more than $2.2 trillion in outstanding infrastructure needs. We cannot improve our infrastructure through the annual appropriations process alone.
We must renew our commitment to a National Infrastructure Bank that can help leverage public and private dollars, address regional and national needs and spur a rebirth in how our country invests in infrastructure. Building America’s Future, along with many other organizations, has educated the public about the outstanding needs throughout our country. Cities and states are struggling to find enough resources on their own.”
Critics are pontificating on the reasons why this will not work. One of their concern centers on the shortfall of the initial investment. Their thought is that we can’t find enough money to fully fund a trillion dollar need, so why fund with a “paltry” $60 billion? Secondly, critics are hung up on the term “bank.” Banks need to lend money and generate revenue, and therefore make investments that repay themselves. Since all infrastructure projects will not return large financial investment, then critics want the bank funding investment portfolio modified. Finally, the critics regard any federal organization as ineffective.
We cannot afford another eight years of inactivity and political battles.
These infrastructure repairs are desperately needed. This is our industry’s future and we support this initiative.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Add comment February 9, 2010
If You Had To Do It All Over Again, What Would You Change?
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Burdick
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Internet Business Development Strategies for Manufacturers, Distributors and Service Companies
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
If you had to do it all over again, what would you change?
Would you even have entered civil engineering or architecture? If you knew then what you knew now? Especially after 2009?
Some of us (facetiously?) would say we would take LESS course work if we had to do it all over again.. Perhaps so we could party more? Study more? Work out more?
Getting serious, though, based on what you know now, what would you change about your undergrad and graduate education line-up, based on what you wish you knew then?
I know that the biggest shock to me as a biology/physical anthropology dual major was the lack of direction I was provided in terms of career options available to me after I graduated. I wasn’t exactly looking for the proverbial “handwriting on the wall”… although a few scribbles would have been greatly appreciated. So I went into laboratory research, killed more than a few cell cultures, developed expertise in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, decided to go to grad school and figured out in short order that a life of lab research simply wasn’t for me. I liked the teaching part and the interacting with folks. Somehow I landed on the business side of pharmaceutical research and realized (and was constantly told) I had the “gift” of translating business-speak into scientific/technical/ops speak. That’s the short story.
This week, in my Sales Aerobics For Engineers blog, I interviewed Masha V. Petrova, PhD, of MVP Modeling Solutions: a real, live engineer. The subject, “what they DIDN’T teach you in engineering school,” is so relevant that I must refer you to it. I certainly did post it on this site.
HOW WOULD YOU FILL IN THE PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL GAPS AT THIS POINT IN YOUR LIFE? Have you taken the time to identify the gaps? These gaps may include gaps in your professional organization as well as in your professional resume.
Perhaps you work for a company full of braniacs who are unable to translate what’s on their mind (literally) into simple, non-technical phrases so that customers “get it” and have confidence in what you/your company are all about. What type of training, coursework, perspective would it take in terms of education to get you/your colleagues from the company’s Point A to the customer’s Point B? How can you/your company retrofit to span that gap? Right now?
If you were asked to teach a course on civil engineering or architecture at your university or community college, what would you bring to the table, now, that you felt you didn’t receive when you were in the same shoes are the students? I believe it’s called wisdom. And professional perspective. And being honest and upfront. Your thoughts?
What’s the missing link(s) in terms of engineering education that prevents you and your company from being as globally competitive as you could be? Why don’t engineering and architecture educators “get it”? Yes, I know engineers are resistant to change. However, educators have made the choice to communicate to others. So at the very least they are committed to cross-training their brains.
If you are a member of a professional organization, how can you impact today’s engineering and architecture students? How can your organization showcase stewardship and outreach to fill in the gaps in engineering and architectural education, at the grade school level as well as to graduate and post-graduate students?
I know you understand that the ability of engineers to work in both technical and business worlds is the true fulcrum of revenue generation and competitive edge in today’s economy. And the “how to” achieve this end point is not going to be provided to you in terms of some sort of recipe for success.
Technically-oriented individuals, such as engineers, tend towards being myopic and prescriptive by nature. However, would you describe yourself as needing to be led around by the hand in order to understand the big picture? Something tells me you would be offended by that description of self. However, do you impact or react? Are you proactive or do you wait for others?
I don’t think you’ve gotten to where you are today by richoting around like a pin-ball in a game machine. You take what you do seriously. Very seriously.
So what would you now choose to do to make up for the gaps in your own professional development? What would “that” look like: taking courses, teaching, outreach to grade schools, greater involvement in the stewardship of your professional organizations?
In doing these activities, you get to do it all over again… for yourself and for others.
How about giving it a go in 2010?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
1 comment February 2, 2010
“Engineering Stress”
Social networking sites, like LinkedIn and FACEBOOK have also provided an opportunity for many of us to take a break, decompress and correspond (quickly) with our colleagues in a non-stressful environment.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
6 comments January 26, 2010
How About Asking Yourself What’s Right?
Featured Guest Blogger: Anthony Fasano, P.E., CPC, LEED AP
Maser Consulting
Associate Civil Engineer and Professional Career & Leadership Development Coach
Click to Connect With Anthony on Linkedin and Facebook
Anthony is the author of a soon to be launched FREE service for engineers called A Daily Boost from Your Professional Partner. Click here to read about this service.
I recently completed a certified professional coach training program at the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC) and it was an amazing experience. I have to say I was extremely nervous going into it, being a civil engineer with a technical background, however I instantly fell in love with coaching and it is now totally natural for me.
As part of the training, one of the books we were required to read was “Breaking the Rules” by Kurt Wright. The book focuses on being your best and how people and organizations can achieve their maximum potential. The author states that being at your best cannot occur until you gain real-time access to your intuition or your “right brain.” This was extremely scary to me being a civil engineer who operates mostly from the analytical portion of the brain or the “left-brain”, however as I read the book I became fascinated with the message.
The left and right hemispheres of your brain process information differently. The left side of the brain processes information linearly, from part to whole. It processes in a logical order; prior to drawing conclusions. The right brain processes in reverse from whole to part. It starts with the end-result or solution. It sees the big picture first, instead of all of the details. Everyone tends to have a dominant side of the brain; however, the thinking process is improved when both sides of the brain participate equally known as whole brain thinking.
Engineers, and pretty much all of human civilization are always looking for “What’s wrong”? We are always analyzing situations to try to identify a problem so that we can fix it. The author of the book states that by asking “What’s wrong?” questions, you cause all of your thinking to be done by the analytical part of your brain. Asking “What’s wrong” questions constantly puts you into a negative state of mind.
So what’s the alternative? How about start by asking the question “What’s right?” For example, let’s say you meet with your team on a certain project that is taking much longer than it should and likely will be over budget. We are programmed to ask the team “What’s wrong?” and start discussing all of the problems on the project and try to figure out how to fix them. What if you were to start by asking the team “What’s right?” By reviewing all of the things that are working for the team, you can focus on applying some of your success to the lacking portions of the project, while maintaining a positive attitude and atmosphere within the team. This brainstorming exercise will foster use of the right brain and move the team members towards whole brain thinking.
The thought behind the “What’s right?” mentality is that people are at their best when they are doing what they are good at and what they love to do. By focusing on people’s strengths you can ensure that they are extremely productive and engaged in what they are doing and thus the organization will be more effective as a whole. So next time you are faced with a problem or a challenge, stop, be creative, access your right brain and explore all of the things that are right about the situation and see where that leads you!
Do you or anyone that you know follow the “What’s right?” mentality regularly? How has it worked for you?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
12 comments January 19, 2010
Do you work for your clients or do they work for you?
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Burdick
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Internet Business Development Strategies for Manufacturers, Distributors and Service Companies
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
I must really ask you this question. Because your 2010 Business Plans are now set and the quarterly numbers are created and the forecasts and targets are locked in stone. The business gun has officially gone off and you are racing towards the annual fiscal – and professional – finish line. And of course everyone has do make up for 2009. It’s gotta be better in 2010. Really.
Whoa there, folks. Take off your blinders. As you trample through the ongoing rush for prospecting, customer retention and business development – and all the technical, engineering and support functions – you kinda left something at the starting line. Your customers.
After all, no one ever closed a deal without the customer’s willingness to sign a contract. Oh, and write a check, too.
How much business have you ever closed using the line: “I need you to sign the contract by the 30th of this month so I will make my quarterly projected revenue?” Or how about this enduring closing line: “If you prefer, you don’t have to phase in this project over the next 18 months. Why don’t you commit for the total amount right now, so I can achieve 25% growth for my annual projected business goals?”
By now, you must surely get my point: you work on behalf of your customers and not the reverse. How many of you actually honor this statement? Or do you rely on manipulating commitments so that the customer’s square peg fits into your company’s round hole of strategic business projections?
Ultimately, there are too many folks focusing on closing the sale: product or service placement. If you are working within a customer retention model, it’s not about closing the sale and placing service. It’s about everything you do on behalf of your clients to support their online and offline decisions before the sale, as well as after the sale. In fact, your support may have nothing to do with any sale whatsoever.
By now you are probably griping that I am asking you to give away free consulting services on the whisper and a promise that you will, eventually, get a piece of business out of this “relationship building” exercise. I am not advocating advanced schmoozing or “freebieism.” However, if you understand the organizational environment in which your customer is trying to make a decision, it’s going to reduce your sales cycle.
If you think I have lost my mind, guess again. Customer support doesn’t start after the sale is closed. In fact, if you are not part of your clients’ decision making team, you should be striving to create the expertise that causes them to ask you to their table. And not just as the “expert” in the consulting services category you are selling.
Wonder why, above all, you still are regarded as the “sales rep” or the “engineer” no matter how much training, certification and technical degrees you own? Could be that you are selling YOURSELF short in the long run if all you are doing is focusing on placing your consulting engineering services with the customer.
Perhaps your best 2010 business development strategy may be to focus on understanding all of the factors that impact your client’s being able to make a business decision on your proposed solution. They may know they need your solution, and understand why (after all, you’ve done your homework on that score, haven’t you?). However, how many times after how many presentations and lunches and relationship building heart-to-hearts does a proposal simply languish? How many times do you or your customer feel like a salmon swimming upstream trying to get this proposal through the corporate channels for approval?
Could be that it’s not all about closing that sale? Perhaps taking the time to learn the context of the decision is the greatest tool you can put into your 2010 toolbox.
Think about it.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
4 comments January 12, 2010
World’s Tallest Building Opens -How Tall Is Too Tall?
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
The Burj Dubai – Arabic for Dubai Tower – opens today, January 4, at a supposed height of 2,717 feet. Construction began on September 21, 2004, with the exterior of the structure completed on October 1, 2009.
Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, LLP (Chicago) are listed as the architect and engineer of record. Bill Baker, the Chief Structural Engineer for the project, invented the buttressed core structural system in order to enable the tower to achieve such heights economically. Adrian Smith, who worked with Skidmore, Owings and Merrill (SOM) until 2006, was the Design Partner on the project. Turner Construction Company was selected as the construction project manager. Under UAE law, the Contractor and the Engineer of Record are jointly and severally liable for the performance of Burj Dubai. Therefore, by adoption of SOM’s design and by being appointed as Architect and Engineer of Record, Hyder Consulting is legally the Design Consultant for the tower.
The total budget for the Burj Khalifa project is about US $1.5 billion; and for the entire new “Downtown Dubai”, US $20 billion. The metal-and-glass spire is touted as a “vertical city” of luxury apartments and offices. It boasts four swimming pools, a private library and a hotel designed by Giorgio Armani.
According to the Burj’s developers, they are “confident in the safety of the tower, which is more than twice the height of New York’s Empire State Building’s roof. Greg Sang, Emaar’s director of projects, said the Burj has ‘refuge floors’ at 25 to 30 story intervals that are more fire resistant and have separate air supplies in case of emergency. And its reinforced concrete structure, he said, makes it stronger than steel-frame skyscrapers.”
Engineer Baker reported that the Burj developer continued to push the design higher even after construction began, eventually putting it about 984 feet taller than its nearest competitor. This push came from Dubai’s determination to “reshape itself into a cosmopolitan urban giant packed with skyscrapers.”
How tall is too tall for a building? How complicated is too complicated for a bridge? What do you think?
AP photo/Kamran Jebreili
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
7 comments January 4, 2010
Bring On The New Year – Please!
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
This past year has been challenging for many in the A/E/P community and everyone associated with it. At least once a day I am asked “Where do you see the market heading in 2010? Do you see the job market picking up?” After 20+ years recruiting civil engineers, architects and planners I look into my crystal ball and my past civil engineering blogs and try to answer. The answers usually depend on the daily changing news from my clients and various news sources. Do I see an increase in hiring from my clients? Yes. However, these needs are very specific. They are either strategic discipline hires or for candidates who meet their requirements exactly. There is little to no flexibility in candidate experience.
Our community is watching President Obama and the US Congress. Workforce planning has become a guessing game for operations and human resources executives. Should firms hire for potential jobs or for projects awarded that have tentative start dates? Or, should firms implement overtime for existing staff and hold on making new hires? Tough questions. In either case, job seekers at all levels are discussing where to go next or what to do.
Many of us have minimal control over whether firms move forward in bringing on new staff. So let’s take control over what we can manage. If you are unhappy with your job, need a job or have let your job search go stale – take control and make or redesign a plan. If you need new clients – make a new plan. Whether you gain education, identify a recruiter to assist, join new associations for networking or apply to specific companies who have projects in your area of interest…just take action. Our January newsletter author, Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP, CPESC, CPSWQ, poses the question “What will it take for you to make 2010 a ‘Career Year’?” This is a worthwhile read.
As 2009 comes to a close, I have one thing left to say, “Bring on the New Year – Please!”
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
2 comments December 29, 2009
