PSMJ’s just-released book, Build Your AEC Dream Team: Strategies for Successful Design Firm Recruitment & Retention, offers valuable tips on how to attract and hold the talent your firm needs to attack business opportunities and delight clients. In this summary of Chapter 2, you’ll see that it all starts with establishing a comprehensive, well-structured recruitment plan and knowing how best to approach the “impossible hire” that every AEC firm seems to struggle finding. Here are areas your firm’s recruiting team needs to dial in.

Define & Document Your Recruitment Goals & Strategy

We’ve encountered firms that rely on loose policies and gut instinct to guide their recruiting program. This isn’t sufficient in today’s business climate. This first strategy details the importance of assessing your workforce needs, setting clear objectives, aligning the recruitment program with your overall business strategy, and creating a detailed, comprehensive plan that is discussed, debated, written down and updated regularly.

Focus on Building a Strong Brand

An overlooked component of AEC recruiting is the importance of being known among peers and potential new hires. Leaving one firm for another is a risk, so it is imperative to be well known in your markets and among competitors to ensure that recruits know who you are and feel comfortable that you’re a serious, credible destination. You can build a strong brand by doing good work for clients, but you also need to get the word out through an active content marketing/thought leadership program, including bylined articles, public relations, strategic paid media, social media blanketing and more. It’s important to be visible everywhere it matters.

Assign a Leader & Define Their Responsibilities

The most effective recruitment programs are definitive about who is leading the effort, while carefully detailing and defining their responsibilities. Many candidate pursuits have gone awry because of miscommunication over who was in charge of what.

Involve Leadership

In addition to having a leader, the program needs its upper leadership to take an interest and be involved in the hiring process. There are several reasons this is important, including:

• It shows the candidate how much the firm values them.

• The top executive is best suited to articulate the firm’s mission and vision.

• It illustrates confidence, credibility and competence.

Instill a Recruitment Culture

Just as you’d like every person in your firm to contribute to marketing and business development, each employee should also be a part-time recruiter, no matter what their role is in the firm. Part of the recruitment strategy should be to train all employees to stay alert for potential new hires; to be able to articulate the firm’s needs, mission, vision and cultural outlook; and to report back to the head recruiter about any interactions or leads that could help the hiring cause.

Refine & Expand Candidate Sourcing Channels

The evolution of business in recent years, underscored by advancements in technology, offers firms myriad ways to refine and expand their candidate sourcing channels. Yet many still rely on the same methods they’ve used for decades. Simple logic suggests that the bigger the field of potential hires, the better chance you have of finding the right person to fill a needed role in your firm. This is why it is imperative to assess your current candidate sourcing approach, then refine and expand it as needed. This section outlines how to create and fill a talent database that you can tap when needs arise, and also discusses the concept that “poaching” from competitors is not unethical or wrong.

Capitalize on a Strong Referral Program

One of the sections that inspired the most insight from the experts we consulted for the book is about employee referral programs. As noted, studies show that referred candidates have higher retention rates and a better cultural fit. According to the Talent Board, a non-profit organization focused on the promotion and benchmark research of a quality candidate experience, 78% of companies across all industries say that employee referrals yield the best ROI in terms of time-to-fill, quality of hire and retention. PSMJ’s 2022 A/E Recruiting Study found that 59% of AEC firms regularly use an employee referral bonus to find and recruit design/technical professionals. This is up from 48% in 2013 and 44% in 2017. This section also discusses the importance of being a firm that your employees feel comfortable recommending their friends and peers to join.

Recruit Continually at Colleges & Universities

Anecdotally, we find that most firms at least dip their toes into college recruiting, attending job fairs and tapping relationships and career centers. We also believe that most could do it better. Sometimes firms will only put time and effort into recruiting at colleges and universities when they have entry-level job openings, but shut it down when they don’t. Making the most of job fairs and creating a student ambassador program are two strategies to consider.

Stress Data & Technology

Successful AEC recruiters are leaning in on tech to make informed decisions and optimize the hiring process. Ways to do so include:

• Track Metrics

• Invest in an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)

• Learn and Use A.I.-Powered Tools

• Practice Virtual Recruitment

• Use Predictive Analytics

Employ Recruiters Judiciously

Professional recruiters – in-house or from outside – can be like gold, or they can be your greatest frustration. Research them thoroughly, choose them wisely and monitor them closely. It’s also a good idea to ensure that they have some industry experience. Two key points are weighing the pros and cons of contingency vs. retained recruiters, and the benefits of in-house recruiters.

Provide Good Pay & Benefits

Yes, it’s a no-brainer. But then why isn’t everyone doing it? It is critical to know the degree to which compensation factors in a recruit’s decision, as well as whether your firm truly is competitive in terms of salary and benefits. Thorough research, understanding your people and being creative can get you where you need to be.

Promote Work-Life Balance & Good Work Environment

Also obvious, but another area where many firms fall down. It’s important to address – head-on – the flexible work conundrum, suiting the results to your firm’s culture. You must also communicate your commitment to work-life balance and work environment, offer rewarding works and a desirable culture, and – perhaps most importantly – emphasize professional development.

Embrace Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Despite the stigma that has developed around DEI in the political spectrum recently, it is not only an ethical imperative, it can also drive innovation and success. Companies in the top quartile for ethnic and cultural diversity are 36% more likely to outperform on profitability, according to McKinsey & Company. Establishing aspirational principles and designing a workable, fair DEI policy – and honoring it – are key.

Ensure a Positive Candidate Experience

A positive candidate experience is crucial for attracting and retaining top talent. Glassdoor reports that 80% of candidates who have a positive experience are likely to reapply (if not hired) or refer others to the company. It’s also important for word-of-mouth reputation. Methods you can use to improve the candidate experience include:

• Clear, Concise Job Descriptions

• A Summary Statement of Mission and Vision

• Streamlined Application Process

• Frequent, Clear and Transparent Communication

• Personalized Candidate Experience

• Respectful, Professional Interview Process

• Feedback Mechanism

• Realistic Job Previews

• Post-Interview Follow-Up

• Well-trained Recruiters

• Never Ghost Them!

Develop a Structured Onboarding Process

The Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) reports that organizations with a standardized onboarding process experience 50% greater new hire productivity and 69% higher retention. AEC firms should strive for a formal onboarding structure that is well-coordinated, well-thought-out and adhered to diligently. (See page 5 for more on onboarding.)

Stress Employee Retention

The best way to be effective at recruiting is to avoid having to do it too much. This is an obvious fact of business that too many firms seem to disregard. Firms with excessive turnover are destined to struggle with recruiting because they’re likely to be overwhelmed with it. Build Your AEC Dream Team provides you with the tools you need to:

• Accept the Importance of Work-Life Balance

• Train and Develop Staff

• Help Employees Climb the Ladder

• Offer Broad Ownership

• Conduct Employee Surveys

• Consider Radical Retention Policies

Perform Continual Evaluation & Re-evaluation

An area where many firms fall short is in evaluating – and re-evaluating – the effectiveness of their recruiting program and process. Here are some tips:

• Analyze Recruitment Metrics

• Benchmark Against Industry Standards

• Review Job Descriptions and Requirements Regularly

• Assess Diversity and Inclusion Initiatives

• Evaluate the Role of Technology

• Reassess Sourcing Strategies

• Stress Continuous Improvement and Adaptability

Build Your AEC Dream Team: Strategies for Successful Design Firm Recruitment and Retention delivers practical, proven approaches to rethink and re-energize your recruiting, and construct winning teams. Drawing on insights from industry experts and case studies of successful firms, this book gives you a blueprint for developing a robust, strategic recruiting program tailored to the unique needs of the AEC industry. AEC firm principals, recruiters, and talent management executives learn how to craft compelling job descriptions, leverage technology and social media, conduct effective interviews, make irresistible offers, and create an exceptional candidate experience.

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