Limited employment opportunities within the architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) and facilities management industries are creating strong competition among professionals for ideal career roles. Helbling's executive search consultants outline their suggestions for making yourself stand out in the highly competitive landscape.

1. How To Dif ferentiate Yourself
In An Interview
~
Sami
L.
Barry
&
T homas
M.
Dunn
T
alent
management
is
one
of
many
challenges
facing
organizations
involved
in
architecture,
engineering
and
construction
(A/E/C)
and
facilities
management.
As
a
professional
within
this
sector,
you
may
be
presented
with
a
similar
issue
-­‐
career
management.
Limited
employment
opportunities
are
creating
strong
competition
for
ideal
career
roles,
making
good
interviewing
skills
more
critical
than
ever.
That
is
why
it
is
important
to
understand
how
to
appropriately
prepare
for
interviews
and
how
to
differentiate
yourself
during
and
after
meetings
with
potential
employers.
As
retained
executive
search
consultants,
Helbling
&
Associates
is
well
aware
of
the
importance
of
interviewing
skills.
From
our
experiences,
we
have
developed
the
following
suggestions
for
making
yourself
stand
out
in
this
highly
competitive
landscape
to
get
the
career
opportunity
you
really
want.
Before an interview: Prepare appropriately
Gather
your
thoughts
on
how
to
summarize
your
professional
career,
highlight
specific
achievements,
and
articulate
how
your
experiences
(along
with
your
skills
and
competencies)
could
bring
value
to
the
organization
and
to
the
role.
View
yourself
objectively
and
allow
yourself
to
be
self-­‐critical
in
a
positive
way.
This
portrays
a
high
level
of
emotional
intelligence
which
is
an
attractive
attribute
in
today’s
talent
market.
(Read
emotional
intelligence
blog.)
Consider
your
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
career
goals
and
be
prepared
to
explain
how
the
role
and
its
opportunity
complement
them.
Beyond
reading
an
organization’s
web
site,
gather
information
about
its
financial
stability
and
initiatives,
its
competitors
and
customers,
and
recent
news.
You
can
obtain
this
information
by
utilizing
search
engines
or
reviewing
the
company’s
LinkedIn
page.
In
addition,
you
can
often
become
familiar
with
the
specific
interviewer
by
using
similar
approaches.
Develop
a
list
of
questions
regarding
the
organization’s
goals
and
growth
strategies
and
how
the
role
may
impact
them.
This
will
illustrate
your
genuine
interest
in
the
company
and
the
long-­‐term
opportunities
it
provides.
During an interview: Present yourself as a solution
provider.
Throughout
the
interview,
make
connections
between
your
skills
and
experiences
and
how
they
apply
to
the
position
and
its
expectations.
Reiterate
your
willingness
to
expand
and
diversify
your
skills
and
competencies
to
adapt
to
the
role
and
potentially
take
it
to
another
level.
When
discussing
your
career
achievements,
provide
quantitative
statements
with
numbers
and
specifics.
Describe
in
detail
how
you
may
have
reduced
costs
or
improved
a
process.
You
may
also
want
to
explain
how
you
identified
a
particular
challenge,
and
how
you
subsequently
developed
and
implemented
a
solution.

2. Asking questions
Many
times,
candidates
show
more
intelligence,
competence,
motivation
and
interest
by
the
questions
they
ask
during
interviews.
Questions
we
recommend
addressing
at
the
appropriate
time
are:
‣ What
are
the
overall
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
goals
of
[organization]?
‣ In
which
of
those
goals
does
this
role
have
involvement?
‣ What
is
the
overall
impact
this
role
can
have
upon
[organization]?
‣ What
are
the
key
projects,
tasks,
and
expectations
of
the
role?
‣ Who
does
the
position
interact
with?
What
are
their
work
styles
and
attitudes?
What
is
the
management
structure?
‣ What
is
the
corporate
culture
and
the
particular
work
environment
of
the
role?
‣ What
is
the
average
tenure
within
the
role’s
department?
‣ What
are
the
opportunities
for
advancement?
‣ How
is
the
role
incentivized?
For roles within architecture/engineering/construction:
‣ What
makes
[organization]
different
from
its
competition?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
plans
to
strengthen
its
competitive
advantage?
‣ What
is
[organization’s]
backlog
of
work?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
current
and
planned
technological
initiatives?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
plans
going
forward
to
streamline
the
design
and
construction
process?
Is
it
exploring
alternative
project
delivery
methods
to
adapt
to
owners’
needs
and
wants?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
strategies
for
maximizing
the
pursuit
of
target
markets
and
are
there
new
vertical
and
geographical
markets
being
explored?
‣ How
does
[organization]
perform
succession
planning?
For roles within facilities management:
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
current
sustainability
plans
and
future
goals?
‣ How
is
[organization]
aligning
information
technology
and
facilities
to
effectively
manage
utilities,
buildings,
capital
projects
and
budgets?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
plans
for
improving
energy
management?
(i.e.
strategic
procurement,
production
and
distribution
practices,
initiation
of
commissioning
and
decommissioning
programs)
‣ What
alternative
project
delivery
methods
are
being
considered
for
capital
projects?
‣ What
are
[organization’s
]
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
capital
programs
and
building
initiatives
(including
green
building)?
‣ What
are
[organization’s]
financial
commitments
for
capital
projects
and
maintenance
initiatives?
‣ How
well
does
[organization’s]
administration
team
support
facilities
management
efforts?

3. Interviewing for executive-level roles
Due
to
the
strong
competition
for
senior-­‐level
roles,
executive
candidates
need
to
be
keenly
aware
of
the
ways
they
can
differentiate
themselves
from
other
high-­‐caliber
professionals.
Suggestions
for
accomplishing
this
are:
Provide
as
much
substance
as
possible
in
initial
meetings
as
it
sets
the
tone
for
future
discussions
and
establishes
you
as
a
viable
candidate.
If
the
prospective
position
is
responsible
for
managing
profit
and
loss,
quantify
past
experiences
and
successes
with
hard
facts
and
data.
Highlight
key
financial
growth
initiatives
that
you
have
led
as
well
as
the
scope
of
staff,
geography,
and
vertical
markets
that
you
have
covered
during
your
career.
When
appropriate,
do
not
hesitate
to
project
yourself
into
the
role
that
you
are
interviewing
for
by
citing
similar
past
experiences.
This
shows
that
you
have
the
abilities
to
perform
similar
tasks
to
what
the
employer
would
require
while
also
emphasizing
that
you
are
actively
interested
in
the
position
and
thinking
about
the
tangible
results
that
you
could
achieve
if
given
the
opportunity.
Ask
direct
and
candid
questions
to
extract
information
which
will
allow
you
to
fully
understand
the
pros
and
cons
of
the
position
and
the
organization.
In
the
engineering
and
construction
communities,
it
is
likely
you
have
shared
acquaintances
and
colleagues
with
an
interviewer.
If
the
opportunity
presents
itself,
discuss
those
shared
connections
as
it
is
usually
beneficial
to
do
so.
This
shows
that
you
are
well
connected
within
the
industry,
and
it
can
also
provide
a
discreet
avenue
for
the
potential
employer
to
get
an
outside
opinion
on
your
personality
and
capabilities
(with
your
permission).
Remember
that
an
executive
interview
is
as
much
of
an
information
gathering
session
as
it
is
a
forum
to
highlight
your
personal
successes.
*Note
that
it
is
common
for
initial
meetings
for
executive
positions
to
take
place
at
a
neutral
location
with
the
interviewer
also
being
the
person
to
whom
you
would
directly
report.
After the interview: Express your appreciation
Send
a
personalized
thank
you
card
or
email
to
all
interviewers
within
48
hours.
Because
many
candidates
do
not
take
the
time
to
do
this,
it
is
an
opportunity
to
continue
differentiating
yourself.
Writing
a
simple
note
that
expresses
your
appreciation
also
demonstrates
professionalism.
If
you
want
to
add
specifics
about
the
interview,
remember
to
be
brief
as
you
only
want
to
express
your
gratitude.
It
is
also
worth
noting
that,
in
this
highly-­‐
technical
world,
a
handwritten
note
garners
more
attention
than
a
standard
email.
While
waiting
for
a
second
interview,
continue
researching
the
organization
to
gain
additional
knowledge
and
be
prepared
for
future
meetings.
To
read
more
articles
about
talent
and
career
management
and
the
A/E/C
and
facilities
management
sectors,
subscribe
to
Helbling’s
quarterly
newsletter
and
blog
at:
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