Frequently Asked Questions
You may have questions about the industry and the current state of the marketplace. Whether you’re seeking your next leadership role or considering making a key/strategic hire you might be wondering about the best way to start and/or some of the issues you might face.
We’ve outlined some responses to some of the questions we’re most frequently asked by people working in our industry here.
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Candidate
See our CV writing guide in our resources section click here
The market in civil engineering is buoyant currently with a significant number of major projects underway currently. By their intrinsic nature there will always be a finite number of leadership/strategic positions. How you explore the market and maximising your value proposition for a business will be key to your success.
See our interview preparation guide in our resources section click here
We have a methodology to explore the market confidentially for people in leadership roles which has a proven track record of success. Get in touch to discuss how we can help with your next career move.
Competition for leadership roles is fierce often both internally and externally. These steps may help in placing yourself in the optimum position for advancement:
Assess the criteria and skills required – What are the criteria you’ll be assessed against? Do you have the skills required? Consider also that skills you may excel at in your current role may be of less significance when advancing. (For example; team-work skills may be of huge significance mid-career but may diminish in importance as you advance and may not be as important as the ability to develop/implement strategy and vision)
Overachieve in your current position – Being known for consistently producing exceptional results will get you noticed.
Model an individual in the position you seek – Think about modelling the steps of an individual in the role you seek. How did they get there?
Consider a mentor – A mentor may have experience you are lacking and may help you navigate situations as well as pushing you out of your comfort zone.
Client
See our leadership role specification guide click here
Top performers in leadership positions may have attractive career paths in front of them in their existing business. It’s therefore imperative to articulate attraction points for your business and how the role on offer contributes to executing your business plan. Get in touch to discuss how we can help with this and other aspects of the process.
People in leadership positions will be expecting questions around their management style, strategic-thinking ability, commercial acumen and decision-making. Tailor your interview questions to the specific circumstances of your business currently. If changes at middle-management level will be required ask questions specifically around how they’ve dealt with this or a similar type of change previously.
See our client executive interview guide
Candidates who are not active in the market need to be treated differently to those who are. Significant time will need to be spent outlining the scope of your opportunity both in terms of the business and the role itself taking time to align it with a candidates motivations and career-drivers.
Planning succession for leadership positions is vital to any organisation’s success. Consider the following:
- Start early – Integrate management development programmes with plans for succession. Identify and flag internal talent early.
- Test capability – test potential candidates’ capability by putting them in charge of new projects or initiatives.
- Benchmark – Assess internal candidates against what might be available in the external market.
