Author Archive
Civil Engineers and Architects: Work Burn-Out. Get Motivated!
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Carol’s profile & connect with her on LinkedIn
Whether you are employed or looking for a job, undoubtedly you have experienced work burn out. It is inevitable at some point. Most of us crave security: we want to know we can pay our bills and play along the way. That is usually enough motivation for me. BUT, there are days, I admit, that I find myself staring at the computer and the phone despite having a great deal of work on my desk.
Work burnout is not only a problem for you, but the effects on your projects, colleagues, department, company and clients can be irreparable. Getting back to work with true enthusiasm can be a job in itself, but is critical no matter what your financial state. Here are suggestions that may help:
- Take a break. If you can only leave the office at lunchtime- then do it! Get some space between you and your office. If you are not able to break during the day then leave work at a reasonable time.
- DO NOT TAKE WORK HOME WITH YOU! If you are looking for a job, then stop at the start of the evening.
- Prioritize tasks. Are you overwhelmed and stressed? De-motivation can occur when the tasks are many or too difficult and the light at the end of the tunnel looks like the proverbial train. Set priorities. Every task cannot have the same sense of urgency-even if clients are demanding it be so.
- Set intermediate goals and reward yourself when they are achieved. Motivation increases when rewards are received. Give yourself something positive when you meet a goal.
- Enlist the support of colleagues, friends or family. Perhaps you don’t want your office mate to know how unmotivated you really are…most of the time they have noticed. Talk about it with them. Most people are helpful and will be supportive.
- Tell yourself to be positive about work. Yes, we all participate in “self talk.” Usually it is negative but this time have positive conversations with yourself!
- Get back to work. Just jump in and before you know it goals will be achieved, projects will be completed and your motivation will come back.
When I asked several professionals how they pull themselves out of the burn-out track, they offered helpful ideas:
- Placing yourself at the place in time when you were most passionate about your work. Remembering specific experiences that made you thankful to be doing what you do.
- When you burn out… time to take a break and find yourself and what you love to do again… sometimes it’s returning to what you have always done, sometimes it is reinventing yourself, and sometimes it is returning to the roots of what you always loved but gave up to do something you’ve been doing for so long that now you are ready to return to past interests.
- Step back. Re-evaluate and find your desire for what you do.
- I segment my day (morning especially) into 50 minute periods with a 10 minute break that does NOT include answering email. A little Pilates, read the newspaper (not online), walk. Then another 50 minutes of focused work, etc. And when I’m really burnt out, I take a mental health day and simply enjoy myself reading, whatever. NOT thinking about work.
- If the opportunity exits, I would ask to be put on special projects. This has given me the opportunity to work with different people and feel like I’m contributing and solving problems.
- I find a way to help someone who’s just getting started in their career. To start with, the stuff I take for granted knowing just through experience makes me seem like a god to them and they absorb it like a sponge. I’m usually able to connect them with someone useful within my own network. There are many times through the years where this sort of “pay it forward” approach has come back to reward me ten-fold in addition to brightening up the day I initially helped them.
- I hit the refresh button and take myself on a “vacation” —- A walk , chat with a friend or a little reading or a little research into family history. It is the “away” time that allows me to refocus.
- Sometimes a change of workplace is required.
- We must take care of ourselves mentally & physically…whatever it takes for us to keep balance in our work & home life. Make the time to relax & do things that are fun for you…whatever you define it to be.
- One of the best ways I have found to eliminate burn out is to listen to classical music. It really helps to de-stress me – even on the very intense days. And, it gets the creative juices flowing. That is the most consistent way I can think of to get unstuck.
What has helped you to get your motivation back on track?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
The Brazilian Infrastructure Boom
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
It was not too long ago that the infrastructure and construction boom in the UAE and the surrounding Gulf Region was all the rage. Take a look at this segment from a Discovery Channel special on Dubai to see what I am talking about:
Over the course of my conversations with civil engineering professionals I always like to ask what their take is of the marketplace and how things are going in their regions and where they see the next big area of growth (from both a disciplinary and geographical perspective). Over the course of the past week or so I have spoken with engineering professionals and executives at numerous consulting firms who alerted me to the fact that Brazil is booming and the demand for new and upgraded infrastructure is strong; as a result, they had recently, or were in the process of, setting up shop there. Now, that same demand can be said for the US as well, but as you well know, the Federal government all the way down to local municipalities are so strapped for cash that nothing much is being accomplished when it comes to improving our infrastructure. So while we sit around with our hands tied as our interstate highway system is at or exceeding capacity, while more and more US bridges become structurally deficient, and while the concept of a US high-speed rail system continues to receive much scrutiny and criticism, Brazil has a World Cup to host in 2014 and an Olympic Games to host in 2016; can you imagine the beating that their infrastructure will take (even if it is only for small period of time)? And with these major events come a true sense of urgency for all things infrastructure …and more importantly, the deep pockets to support them! Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) will likely lend $29B for infrastructure in 2012, and the Brazilian government is projected to spend $25.3B on their national rail network alone by 2014.
With the onslaught of visitors expected, the infrastructure will need to meet the demands. Airport expansions are underway often with monorail systems; construction of hotels, stadiums, commercial and retail centers is booming; rail, urban transit systems and traditional highway and roadway projects are abundant, and there is a healthy investment in water and wastewater infrastructure. And, according to an October 2011 article on Investopedia.com,
“The sporting events are just the beginning to Brazil’s infrastructure build-out. Last year, outgoing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, launched a $900 billion infrastructure plan which focused on improving transportation, electrical supply and the nation’s ports. Similarly, current President Dilma Rousseff, has also pledged to improve infrastructure via massive public works plans.”
With all of the investment in infrastructure, Brazil will be poised for economic growth for generations to come.
If it hasn’t already been pounded into your head by now, we are a global economy and as opportunities arise in overseas markets for a struggling civil engineering and construction community here in the US, why not take advantage of these types of opportunities? What has YOUR company done to get a piece of that pie? And from a career standpoint - if you are looking for adventure, what a great opportunity!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Understand Your Clients’ Motivations – Part 2
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Ten Haken
Author, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Strategies and Toolkit for the Sales-Engineering Interface
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
[This is the second of a two-part series. Part 1 was posted on 1/23/2012 on the Sales Aerobics for Engineers® blog. Click here to read it! http://bit.ly/wDZE3S ]
Do we really understand each other?
If you are a civil or other type of engineer involved in the sales process (which means all of you), or if you are a business development professional working for a civil engineering firm, sometimes client relationships really frustrate us!
Part 1 of this two-part series addresses what happens when our clients “go away” or disappear after what we feel is a sure-fire, slam-dunk win for us. A lot of time, it’s because we make assumptions about the way the sales close is progressing. From our perspective, not theirs.
Why else might our clients disappear during the business development or design/engineering process? Just when we thought we had them from “hello!”
One reason we are frustrated is that our customers do not make decisions in a straight line.
The straightest path towards winning business for your company is not that straight line. Of course you spoke with the CEO, another civil engineer, or their company’s business development professional, and said all the stuff you were supposed to say, created empathy and “connected”, determined what their focus and priorities were, and their timeline and budget for making the decision to do business with your company. So the next logical step should be to ask for their business and sign that contract.
Except it never quite happens that way, the majority of the time. Because there are a ton of other factors impacting your client’s ability to give you the thumbs up. And they are never going to share these factors with you, no matter how well you know them, how frequently you golf with them, no matter how many interesting bits of information you share with them.
Our customers do not make decisions the same way we do.
So while your company may have sold you on “how great they are” as a solutions provider, you are not the one making that decision to sign that contract, are you? Clear the business development process of all of your own biases and baggage. You bring a lot of “you” into the business of winning business for your company. Identify a number of potential, sometimes illogical, and certainly not straightforward, paths your customer may take on their way to signing that contract.
Consider their revenue stream and prior years’ profit margins, the number of projects and commitments they already have on their own plate, the human assets on board to oversee and manage projects, the cost of logistics and raw materials, whether they have a diverse presence in the marketplace or whether they rely on a niche market. Where does your design solution fit into their overall business and market mix? How does your design solution solve a current business priority? (Hint: this is not the same as solving a discrete project’s needs)
We are too myopic in our client relationships. It’s not about you and them. It’s about you in relation to them and their business universe.
Where do you fit into their constantly shifting, dynamic business universe? Something to think about, isn’t it?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo Winner Announced
The Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo contest was spawned a few years back when the aggressive onset of social media and when the concept of corporate branding was at the top of every business owner or marketing executive’s “to do” list. No longer are logo’s seen on just business cards, brochures, and corporate stationary, but they are now subject to the scrutiny of electronic media – be it email signatures, corporate websites, corporate social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter, corporate recruiting sites, job boards, etc. With the amount of exposure companies get these days, the importance of a firm’s logo and how it is incorporated into the cumbersome electronic world for all to see, we felt that a Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo contest was warranted.
In judging the dozens of entries that we received, we looked at a number of different criteria:
A. Immediate impact
B. Is it memorable (in a positive way)?
C. Is it appealing to the eye?
D. Accuracy in depicting the services of the company
E. Effectiveness in depicting the corporate and employment branding initiatives of the company
Taking all the criteria into consideration, without further ado, this year’s winner of CivilEngineeringCentral.com’s Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo is:
With dozens of entries to choose from, there were a few front-runners, but Woolpert ended on top. This is Woolpert’s first time entering our contest, and with their recent re-design they scored very high on all the criteria.
“Woolpert is very proud to be the recipient of Civil Engineering Central’s Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo. As we wrapped up our 100th year in business, it is rewarding to see that rigorous efforts to update our logo are being recognized in the industry.” – Jocelyn Hodson, Woolpert
We would like to thank all of those firms who entered our 3rd Annual “Best Civil Engineering Firm Logo” Contest and we look forward to the next contest at the end of this year! CONGRATULATIONS WOOLPERT!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
New Year- Time To Get A New Job?
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Carol’s profile & connect with her on LinkedIn
Every new year many of us assess our job. As an architecture and civil engineering executive recruiter, I find January to be a very busy month! New year resolutions abound. Candidates tell me that they will not spend another year working for a company or supervisor that doesn’t appreciate them…at a job that is no longer challenging or exciting. They won’t continue to go to work each day to be surrounded by people they don’t respect. It is time for them to be energized.
What questions should you ask yourself to determine if it is time to explore a new opportunity?
-COMPANY
Is my current company growing, shrinking or staying the same size? Do the company leaders communicate with all employees about the “health” of the firm? Do they communicate about their strategy for growth for the company? Are my values the same as the firm’s? Do I respect the company leaders? How is the company viewed in the industry?
-SUPERVISOR
Does my supervisor have and exhibit the qualities I respect in a manager? Am I learning from him/her? Does my supervisor keep me motivated on projects and informed about my career path? Do I feel comfortable asking for help or discussing situations?
-COLLEAGUES
Do I have established relationships with others in the company? Do I look forward to working with these people or do I dread walking through the office or visiting the lunch room? Are my team members collaborative or self-serving? Are they supportive or challenging?
-WORK/PROJECTS
Am I able to work on projects that are challenging and diverse? Do I like the work that is presented to me? Do I have an opportunity to learn and try new skills? Do I have autonomy to do my work? Do I have the ability to contribute to the overall success of the firm?
-SALARY/BENEFITS
Do I receive a competitive base salary? Did my company change their benefit plan so I pay more for less? Am I receiving incentive bonuses for exceptional work?
There are many other questions to ask when deciding to make a job move. It is important to make an informed decision. Changing jobs is often more emotional than logical. Before wasting your time, a recruiter’s time, your current employer’s and potential future employer’s time– do your homework and evaluate your situation.
One thing is for sure: If you “can’t take this.. not another day” at your current job, then start exploring your options!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Top 10 Blog Posts of 2011 from CivilEngineeringCentral.com
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
For the 2nd consecutive year the CivilEngineeringCentral.com blog has amassed over 51,000 visitors…not too shabby considering that in 2008, the blog’s first year of existence, we had just over 16,000 visitors!
Thanks to all of our readers for reading, sharing, contributing and commenting. The goal of this blog is to discuss a wide array of topics specifically as they relate to the civil engineering community. Typical topics include project management, civil engineering job search, hiring, civil engineering projects, education, marketing, civil engineering career paths, career advancement, client development, social networking for civil engineers, civil engineering infrastructure, licensure and certification, training and development, etc.
Beyond the home page of the blog which receives the most visitors, below is the list of the Top 10 Blog Posts of 2011:
1. Hiring and Job Interviews Gone WILD! A Few True Tales from the Civil Engineering Job Search Archives
2. Are You Having as Much Fun as This Guy?
3. The Civil Engineering Boss Who “Knows it All”
4. Top 9 Most Recent “C’mon Man” Moments in Civil Engineering Recruiting
5. Civil Engineering “Dream” Projects
6. Conversation With a Civil Engineer
7. Civil Engineers: Laid Off? Now What?
8. Is Your Civil Engineering Firm Getting Squeezed?
9. Negotiating the Non-Sense in Your Non-Compete
10. Civil Engineers: It’s Time to Get Organized from A-to-Z
From the bottom of our hearts here at CivilEngineeringCentral.com, we truly thank you for the time you take to visit our blog. May you and yours have a safe and joyous Holiday Season and an amazingly prosperous 2012!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Happy Holidays From CivilEngineeringCentral.com
We would like to take a moment to thank all of those who help make CivilEngineeringCentral.com a successful and relevant venture:
Don
Matt O. & Dusty
Anthony
Babette
All Of Our Guest Bloggers
All Of Our Customers Who Advertise On Our Site
All Of Our 2300+ Followers On Twitter
All Of Our 750+ Facebook Fans
All Of Our 5760+ LinkedIn Group Members
All Of Our 51,000 Annual Blog Visitors
All Of Our Friends & Family Who Continue To Support Us
HAVE A HAPPY & SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON & MAY ALL OF YOUR HOLIDAY WISHES COME TRUE!
Birds of a Feather Flock Together: Why Homogeneity Is Not So Good
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Ten Haken
Author, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Strategies and Toolkit for the Sales-Engineering Interface
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
Do you tend to stick to your own kind when having business discussions? Do you feel misunderstood, marginalized, victimized, and alone amidst the drift of sales spiel and techno-babble? In other words, is cross-functional communication on your list of things not to do during those dreaded Monday morning meetings… let alone on your list of things you never would target to do?
You know what they say about hybrid vigor in nature! A little diversity goes a long way towards the longevity of the species. Otherwise you may end up non-communicating yourself right into an endangered species status.
Yes, I know you feel you are special, that people should and do clamor for your professional expertise. And, in desiring your expertise, they should put up having to feel like they are on the outside looking in when you speak to them. How about speaking with them in dialogue? How about suspending the lingo from the wonderful world of architecture and engineering in order to be understood by your clients and, just possibly, your peers as well?
OK. If you are talking about load points in a truss system, you must be specific. However, if you gaze at everyone’s eyes while delivering this discourse – rather than a dialogue – are they interested in what you have to say or have they written you off as someone who best fits in with the flock? When your customers, and even your peers, write you off as someone who would prefer to stick to their own kind, they perceive you as a commodity. Yes, a commodity and a stereotype of what a technical professional is “supposed” to be all about. You know, only comfortable sticking with and speaking to their “own kind.”
Which doesn’t exactly make you globally competitive. Or even locally competitive.
Because thought leaders are accessible to the breadth and depth of their constituents.
Yes, we know you are very, very smart and have invested in some very expensive education. If you can’t communicate outside your flock, then how do you know you are headed in the right direction with your customers? You are on the inside, looking out, rather than at the head of that chevron. And the last time I checked, thought leaders lead a diverse mix of followers because they communicate across disciplines and levels of knowledge.
They inspire.
I spend a lot of time working with technical professionals on communicating their value to both their internal and external customers. And that value translates directly into their ability to positively impact their company’s revenue stream. And their company is run by a diverse mix of individuals, collaborating for the sake of business development and revenue generation.
Sticking to your own kind and seeking homogeneity in your professional relationships may be comfortable to you. But it won’t sustain your business over the long haul.
I strongly recommend you move at least 1 millimeter outside your comfort level.
Interested in continuing this dialogue? My book, Do YOU Mean Business? will be available 2/2012. Click on the link http://www.doyoumeanbusiness.com to continue our discussion and receive updates.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
We would like to take a moment during this Thanksgiving holiday to thank each and every one of our loyal visitors who read, share, and often contribute and respond to our blog each and every week. We would also like to thank our special guest bloggers who always bring relevant and noteworthy topics to the table for our readership.
On behalf of the entire CivilEngineeringCentral.com crew, we wish you and yours a Happy & Safe Thanksgiving holiday !
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Civil Engineers: Laid Off? Now What?
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
Each month at Precision Executive Search we reach hundreds of civil engineering professionals across the country in our recruiting efforts. Beyond the normal recruiting conversations that are had I try to probe the minds of my candidates about different things they are seeing. During the month of October we wanted to find out what all those civil engineers who have been laid off are up to. Beyond just looking for a new job, have they left the industry altogether? Or have they maybe started their own consulting business? Based upon the information we found out through our conversations, and based upon a poll that we posted on LinkedIn asking these very questions, here is what we came to find :
•About 63% are pursuing a new job
•About 12% have left the industry and are trying something different
•About 25% have started consulting on their own
It is the 25% that I would like to discuss.
While taking a bike ride on a crisp and colorful autumn morning with our children along the Schuylkill River Trail I was talking to a friend of mine who has been in technology sales with AT&T for over 15 years; he mentioned that he would love to try something new. His job has become stagnant, the company has really changed, there is a lot of red tape, and he is beginning to yearn for something new; the thought of trying something new is a hard pill to swallow though since he has been at it for so long now. What he said was this,
I almost wish I would get laid off so my hand would be forced to do something different.
Regarding those 20% I mentioned above who are have started their own consulting practices- these folks may be the future leaders of the industry; they may be the ones that start hiring people and getting people back to work; and they may have just started a business that will one day break into the ENR top 100. That’s the silver lining I see in all of this…for those folks that started their own consulting practices, their hands may have been forced, and if they take that opportunity to go “all in,” that pink slip they were handed may turn out to be the best thing that has ever happened to them! And if you think it can’t happen, check out these firms:
Aging & Growing Gracefully:
Greeley & Hansen – started with 2 partners in 1914 and now have over 300 employees in 16 offices across the United States
Louis Berger Group – started in 1953 by Dr. Louis “Doc” Berger with a sole office in Harrisburg, PA, now an international consulting firm with thousands of employees
Just Getting Started:
Pacheco Koch Consulting Engineers – started in 1990 with 2 partners in Dallas, TX has since blossomed to dozens of employees in 3 offices throughout the state of TX
Borton Lawson – opened their doors in 1988 and now have 160+ employees in multiple offices throughout Pennsylvania
These firms were all conceived for different reasons and motivations. If your reason is because you were laid off, then so be it; NOW IT IS TIME TO TAKE THE BULL BY THE HORNS! I wish great success to all the new entrepreneurs our there who have decided to hang their own shingle, and maybe one day I will be blogging about how YOUR firm has thrived and how that may inspire others to follow in your footsteps!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
