Striving for competitive advantage, A|E|C industry players are realizing that 'out of the box' or 'unconventional' candidates can bring very different business experiences and valuable contributions, helping their companies to get out of their comfort zones and stimulate progress. Within this article, the viewpoints of Wes Miller (Managing Consultant) and Tom Dunn (Search Consultant) are discussed as well as case studies on recent executive searches they performed in which unconventional candidates were secured.

1. T h e Va l u e o f H i r i n g
‘Out of the Box’ Candidates
in the A|E|C Industry
An
Executive
Search
Perspective
Written
by
Sami
L.
Barry
A
cross
the
Architecture,
Engineering
and
Construction
[A|E|C]
industry,
organizations
are
Associates
understands
the
value
of
looking
at
recruitment
with
an
open
mindset
to
secure
an
individual
implementing
various
strategic
initiatives
to
strengthen
who
will
not
only
be
qualified
for
a
position
but
who
will
their
competitive
advantage
and
sustain
long-­‐term
bring
dimension
to
a
role
and
elevate
its
value
within
an
success.
To
make
their
plans
as
effective
as
possible,
organization.
The
following
discusses
the
perspectives
of
forward-­‐thinking
firms
are
putting
much
effort
into
Helbling
consultants,
Wes
Miller
(Managing
Consultant)
acquiring
strong
professionals
for
critical
executive
and
Tom
Dunn
(Search
Consultant)
who
work
extensively
leadership
and
operational
level
roles
who
are
financially
with
A|E|C
clients
in
securing
professionals
for
high-­‐level
astute
and
technologically
savvy,
and
who
can
manage
operations
and
senior
executive
roles.
profitable
business
units
or
regions
and
foster
a
culture
of
When
representing
A|E|C
organizations
and
related
collaboration
and
innovation.
With
a
limited
talent
pool
firms,
what
is
the
value
of
expanding
search
parameters
and
an
aging
industry
population
impeding
their
plans
to
to
consider
unconventional
candidates?
secure
these
types
of
candidates,
A|E|C
firms
are
increasingly
turning
to
‘out
of
the
box’
or
‘unconventional’
Miller:
First,
it
is
important
to
note
that
every
client
is
candidates.
unique
as
well
as
their
goals
and
planned
strategies
which
makes
every
search
process
unique
as
well.
That
is
why
it
There
are
many
factors
that
can
make
a
candidate
is
critical
to
begin
every
search
by
understanding
our
unconventional
and
they
range
from
the
individual’s
industry/ client’s
organization,
its
overall
short-­‐
and
long-­‐term
objectives,
its
internal
vertical
sector
experience
and
Industry players are realizing dynamics
and
its
specific
expectations
corporate
culture
mentality
to
market
perspective,
management
that unconventional of
securing
an
individual
for
the
candidates can bring very particular
role.
After
these
initial
style
and
unique
skill
sets.
In
the
discussions
with
our
client,
we
highly
competitive
landscape,
A|E| different business perform
applicable
and
C
players
are
realizing
that
these
unconventional
candidates
can
experiences and valuable comprehensive
research
and
analysis
bring
very
different
business
contributions, helping their on
market
conditions,
industry
and
vertical
market
competition,
experiences
and
valuable
companies to get out of candidate
talent
pool
and
a
host
of
contributions,
helping
their
companies
to
get
out
of
their
their comfort zones and other
factors.
We
then
discuss
the
intelligence
gathered
with
our
client
comfort
zones
and
stimulate
stimulate progress.
and,
together
with
them,
develop
a
progress.
search
strategy.
Many
times,
this
As
search
consultants
that
strategy
includes
target
organizations
specialize
exclusively
in
construction,
engineering,
that
our
client
had
not
previously
considered
and
thus
facilities
management
and
real
estate,
Helbling
&
candidates
from
outside
industries
or
vertical
markets

2. Value of Hiring ‘Out of the Box’ Candidates in the A|E|C Industry Winter 2013 Navigator
who
may
have
the
experience
and
skill
sets
to
add
Dunn:
The
majority
of
our
clients
understand
that
immediate
value
to
the
role
and
to
our
client’s
intangible
leadership
skills
and
personality
traits
are
all
organization.
In
essence,
we
take
what
could
be
a
translatable
to
other
industries.
They
also
know
that
an
traditional
recruitment
process
and
turn
it
into
an
unconventional
candidate
will
have
to
recognize
that
he
untraditional
recruitment
process
to
ensure
that
we
or
she
will
need
to
learn
new
target
markets,
conditions
of
explore
all
options
of
candidates
who
can
bring
value
to
those
markets,
the
competition
within
those
areas
and
our
client.
By
taking
the
time
at
the
onset
of
a
search
to
potential
customers
of
which
they
may
have
limited
define
our
client’s
expectations
and
to
consider
all
existing
knowledge.
An
industry
change
during
someone’s
opportunities,
there
are
more
comprehensive,
focused
career
is
always
a
precarious
situation
in
my
mind
because
and
strategic
recruitment
efforts
to
support
a
successful
it
depends
upon
the
individual’s
willingness
to
learn
a
new
outcome.
market/sector
and
accept
what
they
do
not
know
and
what
they
need
to
learn.
Getting
up
to
speed
on
these
Dunn:
To
take
it
a
step
further,
I
believe
you
have
to
things
is
not
easy
so
the
individual’s
transition
needs
to
be
consider
what
makes
a
candidate
unconventional
to
monitored
by
us
and
by
our
client
to
avoid
frustration
and
determine
how
they
can
provide
value.
Overall,
loss
of
motivation
if
the
individual
is
not
being
properly
unconventional
candidates
may
bring
new
perspectives,
supported.
The
energy
required
to
integrate
an
experiences,
strategies,
styles,
approaches
and
the
list
unconventional
candidate
is
one
reason
why
a
client
may
goes
on.
In
my
particular
experience,
if
our
client
is
be
reluctant
at
first
but
as
Wes
(Miller)
explained,
after
we
looking
for
a
senior
executive
who
can
change
the
status
provide
our
insight
on
the
intelligence
gathered
during
quo
or
enhance
its
innovation
and
competitive
edge,
it
is
the
research
phase,
they
understand
the
benefit
of
certainly
beneficial
to
open
up
search
parameters
to
opening
up
the
search
parameters.
include
unconventional
candidates
who
can
strengthen
a
team
and
broaden
its
capabilities
by
bringing
a
fresh,
What
are
some
examples
of
positions
within
A|E|C
strategic
thought
process
and
general
approach.
When
an
organizations
that
are
easier
for
candidates
to
transition
organization
is
trying
to
achieve
aggressive
objectives
into
from
other
sectors?
such
as
these,
it
is
imperative
for
its
senior
management
Dunn:
In
my
opinion,
the
positions
that
are
easier
for
a
team
to
have
a
progressive
mindset
and
be
receptive
to
a
candidate
to
transition
into
from
other
sectors
are
non-­‐
completely
different
and
fresh
perspective
that
an
operational,
matrix
roles
that
support
operations
such
as
unconventional
candidate
can
and
will
offer.
Human
Resources,
Finance,
Legal,
Business
Development
It
is
apparent
that
the
talent
demand
will
exceed
the
and
sometimes,
Executive
Management.
In
these
types
supply
in
coming
years.
How
receptive
are
A|E|C
and
of
roles,
the
skill
sets
required
to
perform
the
functions
related
organizations
to
considering
unconventional
are
often
more
focused
on
an
individual’s
abilities
and
candidates? discipline
knowledge
and
not
their
past
industry
experience.
For
example,
a
business
development
Miller:
Some
of
our
clients
know
at
the
onset
that
they
professional
who
has
worked
at
an
architectural
firm
can
want
and
need
to
secure
someone
from
outside
of
their
often
translate
their
skills
to
a
general
contractor
or
industry
and
they
already
understand
the
benefit
of
doing
engineering
firm
whereas
an
architect
from
that
same
so.
Other
clients
can
be
initially
reluctant.
However,
after
firm
may
not
adapt
as
easily.
we
perform
our
preliminary
research
and
convey
our
perspective
of
the
marketplace,
talent
pool
and
what
an
On
the
following
page
are
brief
case
studies
of
recent
unconventional
candidate
could
bring
to
the
table,
they
executive
searches
performed
by
Wes
Miller
and
Tom
Dunn
become
receptive.
It
is
our
job
to
provide
intelligence
and
for
which
unconventional
candidates
were
secured.
insight
that
aligns
with
what
they
want
to
truly
accomplish
and
they
respect
us
for
our
guidance.
HELBLING & ASSOCIATES, INC. RETAINED EXECUTIVE SEARCH
C o n s t r u c t i o n
•
F a c i l i t i e s
M a n a g e m e n t
•
R e a l
E s t a t e
•
E n g i n e e r i n g
Pittsburgh www.helblingsearch.com 724.935.7500

3. Value of Hiring ‘Out of the Box’ Candidates in the A|E|C Industry Winter 2013 Navigator
Executive
Search
Case
Study
-­‐
Business
Development
Professional
with
Heavy
Civil
Firm
Wes
Miller,
Managing
Consultant
On
a
recent
assignment,
we
represented
a
heavy
civil
contractor
that
was
looking
to
secure
a
Business
Development
professional
who
could
identify
and
develop
new
markets,
and
expand
its
presence
in
the
South
Central
region
of
the
U.S.
Based
upon
the
company’s
objectives,
this
role
entails
developing
relationships
with
senior
decision
makers
of
Departments
of
Transportation,
Airport
Authorities,
Municipalities,
economic
development
groups
and
Fortune
500
–
2500
firms.
From
our
initial
discussions,
we
understood
that
our
client
did
not
want
to
source
candidates
from
its
competitors.
Therefore,
we
immediately
established
a
game
plan
to
identify
and
attract
candidates
from
untraditional
sources
and
to
gather
referrals
from
our
industry
contacts
to
expand
the
search
strategy.
In
doing
so,
we
were
able
to
present
final
candidates
who
knew
the
target
geographical
and
vertical
market
while,
at
the
same
time,
were
diverse
in
their
experiences
and
backgrounds.
This
provided
our
client
the
opportunity
to
consider
each
candidate’s
strengths
and
potential
value.
The
successful
candidate
came
from
a
transportation
owner
and
prior
to
that,
was
employed
with
an
engineering
and
construction
firm
where
he
handled
the
site
selection
for
large
corporations.
The
professional’s
strengths
are
his
general
knowledge
of
site
selection,
construction,
design,
permitting
and
sales
abilities.
More
importantly,
he
understands
how
to
solve
customer
problems,
filter
information,
gain
insight
from
outside
sources
utilizing
his
network
of
contacts
and
return
to
the
customer
with
a
solution
to
ensure
that
their
needs
are
met.
This
is
exactly
what
our
client
was
looking
for
–
a
professional
who
could
identify,
pursue
and
acquire
new
projects
through
his
strong
network
of
contacts,
develop
specific
solutions
and
present
those
solutions
to
customers.
Executive
Search
Case
Study
-­‐
Executive
Vice
President
with
an
A|E
and
Program
Management
Firm
Tom
Dunn,
Search
Consultant
This
senior-­‐level
search
assignment
was
with
a
major
player
in
the
industry.
Through
our
initial
discussions
with
our
client
about
their
expectations
and
objectives
of
the
role,
it
was
obvious
that
we
needed
to
attract
an
extremely
relevant
and
talented
individual
who
would
have
the
ability
to
immediately
perform
in
the
highly
critical
position.
They
had
aggressive
6
–
24
month
organizational
goals
that
needed
to
be
addressed
in
a
strategic
manner.
Therefore,
we
had
to
secure
an
executive
who
was
within
our
client’s
same
industry
and
who
was
firmly
entrenched
in
their
current
organization.
Working
closely
with
our
client,
we
developed
a
comprehensive
strategy
to
ensure
that
we
would
identify
all
potential
candidates
within
the
industry
while
keeping
the
process
highly
confidential.
We
performed
exhaustive
research
on
high-­‐
caliber
candidates
from
major
industry
organizations.
Through
gathering
this
intelligence,
we
provided
our
client
the
option
of
securing
leadership
from
a
traditional
firm
or
securing
someone
from
a
parallel
industry
who
would
bring
fresh
ideas
and
approaches
to
significantly
re-­‐engineer
the
business.
While
we
were
able
to
attract
several
key
industry
executives,
our
client
was
interested
in
one
particular
candidate
who
was
highly
qualified
for
the
role
and
was
employed
with
a
leading
industrial,
process
and
power
company.
He
was
considered
a
traditional
candidate
regarding
his
experience
and
capabilities
but
an
unconventional
candidate
because
of
his
personality
and
management
style.
A
potential
issue
was
that
he
came
from
a
very
different
corporate
culture
from
that
of
our
client
and
we
considered
him
‘unconventional’
simply
because
of
that.
While
our
client
has
more
of
an
A|E
culture,
the
candidate
had
been
trained
within
an
E|C
culture
which
would
be
considered
more
of
a
risk-­‐oriented,
fast-­‐
paced,
self-­‐performance,
and
operationally-­‐driven
environment.
Therefore,
we
had
lengthy,
candid
discussions
with
our
client
and
the
candidate
about
the
cultural
differences,
which
could
impact
the
placement’s
long-­‐term
success.
In
the
end,
our
client
selected
that
candidate
because
they
were
looking
for
someone
who
could
be
a
change-­‐agent
and
transform
their
business
and
culture.
Knowing
the
cultural
implications
up
front
and
being
prepared
to
address
them,
the
candidate
spent
his
first
several
months
addressing
operational
performance
issues
and
establishing
strategies
to
integrate
the
business
and
leverage
intellectual
capital.