An open notebook with a pen resting on a blank page beside a coffee cup, suggesting the pause before a considered decision.

The Difference Between Hiring for Skills and Hiring for Judgment

The strongest senior hires you’ll ever make are the ones where you screened for judgment. The costliest failures are the ones you screened for skills alone. Almost nobody interviews for the first, and almost everybody thinks they already do. This is the last piece in a series about senior hiring in the Western New York …

A woman listening attentively to a candidate during a job interview, illustrating the diagnostic value of listening in the first ten minutes.

What a Principal Should Listen For in the First Ten Minutes of an Interview

  The resume tells you what the candidate has done. The first ten minutes tell you who’s actually sitting in front of you. Most principals spend that window asking instead of listening — and miss the whole interview. In my last post, I made the case that most AEC firms run senior interviews as a …

Two professionals having a candid conversation across a table in a modern office, illustrating a senior-level job interview.

The Biggest Mistake AEC Firms Make When They Finally Land the Interview

In a market where the best people aren’t looking, getting a strong candidate in the room is the hard part. Most firms then spend the next hour undoing it. Getting a good senior candidate to sit down with you right now is an achievement. I wrote last time about why the best people in Western …

Thruway and 190 in Western New York, a focus area for the region's record transportation funding.

Why Western New York’s Best Engineers Are Staying Put — and What It’s Costing Them

A record state construction backlog is the strongest retention tool WNY engineering firms have ever had. For the engineers it’s keeping in place, that’s worth a closer look. Every June, the calculus shifts a little. The spring scramble to get projects moving for the construction season has settled into a rhythm. This is the stretch …

Hiring manager interviewing engineering candidate at an architecture and engineering firm

What FBI Negotiators Can Teach AEC Leaders About Hiring Architects and Engineers

In today’s competitive Architecture, Engineering, and Construction fields, attracting top talent goes beyond offering fair pay. It requires understanding what professionals seek in their next job. This article, inspired by FBI negotiation techniques, shows how empathy, smart questioning, and genuine conversations can improve your hiring process. Rather than treating interviews like interrogations, learn the importance of creating collaborative discussions that connect with potential candidates. Discover how to build an environment where top talent feels valued, leading to successful hires and long-term employee retention. Are you ready to enhance your recruiting strategies? Keep reading!

The “Fake Local” Recruiter Trick (And Why It Matters for Western New York Companies)

Searching for an AEC recruiter in Western New York might lead you to firms that look local but aren’t. Many national recruiting companies create city-specific pages designed to rank in Google, even if they have no real presence in Buffalo. In an industry where relationships and regional knowledge matter, that difference can impact hiring outcomes more than many firms realize.

Leadership versus results concept with Buffalo Bills colors - heart and football graphic

Is Being Loved Enough?

Everyone is talking about Coach Sean McDermott’s termination. I won’t add to the buzz about this topic specifically, but it did make me wonder about the leadership versus results tension we see in business all the time. What about managers who are loved by their teams but aren’t delivering the results ownership needs? In this …

The Onboarding Mistake That’s CostingYour Company Top Talent (And How to Fix It)

Picture this: Your team just hired a stellar project manager with 12 years of experience. Their resume was flawless, the interviews were inspired, and you’re already imagining them crushing it on your biggest projects.

Fast forward three months—and they’re gone. Sound familiar?

We’re about to explore why technical training without personal connection is a recipe for turnover, what your new hires are really thinking (but not saying), and exactly how to build relationships that make top talent want to stay.

Architecture team working together

Beyond Learning Styles: Enhancing Team Performance in Architecture

Are you leveraging the most effective training strategies for your engineering and architecture teams? It’s time to rethink the traditional notion of learning styles and focus on what truly works.

Recent research reveals that the popular belief in learning styles—such as “I’m a visual learner and need to see how to do it”—doesn’t necessarily lead to better learning outcomes.

Why ‘Job Hoppers’ Might Be the Best Hire for Your Next Construction Project

Construction hiring is in full swing. But hiring managers should be cautious about placing too much emphasis on the duration of a candidate’s previous employment.

Candidates with shorter stints at their previous companies are often labeled as “job hoppers.” Read how this view may be outdated and could lead to missed opportunities in identifying the right talent.