NORTHBOROUGH, Mass., July 9, – Finding and hiring management talent remains one of the biggest challenges for A/E firms today. The dearth of available leadership and management talent has firms scrambling to hire.


It is definitely an “employees” market today, says John Kreiss, President of SullivanKreiss, an executive search firm that specializes in recruiting for Architecture, Engineering, Planning, and Landscape Architects. Traditional forms of hiring including networking and job boards is not supplying the industry with enough talent.


“There are a number of reasons for this talent shortage”, says Kreiss. “There are fewer people replacing the baby boomers. Many new graduates also chose to go into technology during the dot-com era leaving the A/E industry with even fewer people.”


Kreiss also says that because it’s so difficult and expensive to find new hires, it’s important for firms to strongly consider who gets placed in management roles to prevent needless turnover.


“Many architects and engineers went into the field because they like to design,” says Kreiss. “Management, however, requires different skill sets especially “communication/soft skills.”


Kreiss says that it makes sense that the biggest demand from his clients is for people who have strong leadership/communication skills. “With demand for talent being as competitive as it is, firms simply can’t afford to have someone with poor people skills leading to low morale and high turnover. There are just too many options where people can work where they want and will not tolerate working for jerks,” says Kreiss.


He offers several questions to ask candidates when qualifying candidates for managerial positions including:


Tell me how the people who report to you would describe you?


How do you handle conflict?


Tell me about a challenging situation with an employee who worked for you. How did you handle it?


Kreiss also recommends having management candidates meet with people at the staff level during the interview process and getting feedback from this group of individuals before deciding to hire. “Does the candidate treat people at the staff level with respect or does he/she treat them like yesterdays garbage?”


SullivanKreiss is a strategic ally to its clients by way of its dedication solely to the building and design industry. Its expertise is in identifying and recruiting top-notch technical and business development personnel to fill critical positions for its clients.

If you’d like to hear more about this topic, or to schedule an interview, please contact John Kreiss at ext. 17 or by e-mail at

To sign up to receive the SullivanKreiss monthly e-newsletter that offers insight into recruiting, employee retention, and other human resources issues, visit www.sullivankreiss.com.

Source: SullivanKreiss

CONTACT: John P. Kreiss, President FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tel.: ext. 17
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Website: www.sullivankreiss.com