How Top AEC Firms Are Winning the Talent War: 5 Practices That Build a Doer-Recruiter Culture
Across the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC)world, a familiar challenge continues to surface: growth is outpacing hiring and everyone is feeling it. . At a recent gathering of talent and operations leaders from organizations ranging from 40 to over 1,200 employees, one executive summed up the dilemma clearly:
“We have hundreds of employees, but only a few recruiters. Imagine if everyone helped us recruit.”
This observation captures a growing reality in professional services. The firms that succeed in attracting and retaining talent are not those with the largest recruiting teams but those that engage the entire organization in the process. Recruiting is no longer confined to human resources, it has become a shared mission.
The Limits of Traditional Recruiting
For many AEC firms, the conventional approach to hiring has reached its limits. The HR team posts openings, screens applicants, and manages interviews while project managers and senior engineers remain largely uninvolved. This model assumes a steady supply of available talent and predictable demand. Neither assumption holds today.
Competition for qualified professionals, particularly mid- to senior-level engineers and project managers, has intensified.Many of the people you want most aren’t scrolling job boards – they are performing well somewhere else. and they are not easily swayed by generic recruiter outreach. As one participant noted, “We’re all fighting for the same people.”
Traditional recruiting systems, designed for volume rather than persuasion, often fail to reach these candidates. In response, leading firms are redefining recruiting as a firmwide capability rather than a departmental function.
From HR Function to Organizational Mindset
Forward-thinking firms are cultivating what some call a doer-recruiter culture—a mindset in which every employee sees themselves as an ambassador for the organization. The shift is subtle but powerful: it reframes recruiting from a transactional activity to an act of storytelling, relationship-building, and brand stewardship.
In this model, employees at every level contribute. Senior engineers talk about the firm’s mission at industry conferences. Project managers mentor interns and introduce them to the culture. Executives personally called candidates who have accepted an offer to welcome them. Even administrative staff share open roles through their networks. The result is a distributed recruiting engine fueled by genuine advocacy.
Recruiting excellence, in this sense, becomes less about headcount and more about alignment: aligning purpose, culture, and behavior across the organization.
5 Practices That Build a Doer-Recruiter Culture
1. Clarify the Story
Employees cannot advocate for what they do not understand. Every person in the firm should be able to to say – clearly and confidently -who we are, what we stand for and why someone would love working here. Firms that craft a clear, authentic narrative, one grounded in purpose, not platitudes, equip their people to speak credibly and confidently.
2. Simplify Referrals and Make Success Visible
Referrals remain one of the highest-quality sources of hires, yet most programs are underutilized. The best firms remove administrative barriers, promote referral opportunities regularly, and publicly celebrate contributors. One company found that small, symbolic rewards—a lunch with a senior leader, public recognition in meetings—generated more enthusiasm than large financial incentives.
3. Equip Managers to Represent the Brand
Your hiring managers are your brand. Equip them with the stories, data and language to make every interaction a “wow” moment. In many cases, this training also improves internal engagement: managers who can “sell” the firm externally tend to lead more effectively internally.
4. Recognize Recruiting Behaviors, Not Just Results
Embedding recruiting into performance expectations signals that it matters. Recognizing employees who attend university career fairs, share posts on social media, or mentor emerging talent reinforces the idea that everyone has a role to play. Recognition creates momentum; momentum builds culture.
5. Model from the Top
Leadership behavior sets the tone. When executives personally welcome new hires or post about the firm’s culture online, it legitimizes recruiting as a strategic priority. One CEO personally told me he personally calls every new hire before day one. Not a single one ever backed out. That’s impact. Small gestures can have disproportionate impact.
The Broader Payoff
Firms that lean into shared recruiting don’t just hire faster-they build strong teams and cultures that stick. They see stronger engagement and retention, because employees feel accountable for the caliber of their peers. When people help shape the team, they invest more in its success.
The cultural dividends extend beyond talent acquisition. A workforce that can clearly articulate why the firm matters also strengthens client relationships and brand reputation..In today’s market, trust and authenticity close deals as much as technical chops-alignment becomes your edge.
Practical Steps to Begin the Shift
For leaders ready to operationalize this approach, the path starts small:
- Kick your next staff or company meeting with a short “recruiting win”. Stories spark copycats.
- Add a “talent engagement” metric to leadership scorecards, it signals that recruiting is everyone’s business.
- Pair new hires with internal ambassadors who embody company values.
- Encourage senior staff to post about their work and culture on professional platforms.
- Audit every step of the candidate journey for consistency with your brand story.
These low-cost actions begin to replace passive recruiting systems with active, human ones.
A New Definition of Recruiting
The firms redefining talent acquisition in the AEC industry share one insight: recruiting is not a process to be optimized but a culture to be built.
When every employee sees themselves as a recruiter—someone who represents the firm’s purpose and attracts others to it—hiring becomes more than a transaction. It becomes a reflection of organizational health.
In a business built on people and projects, culture IS you strategy-and your biggest return on investment.
Want a Better Talent Strategy? Connect with Our Team
Need a Better Talent Strategy? Connect with Our Team
If you’re ready to strengthen your recruiting culture or need support building a talent strategy that actually works, our team at Thrivence can help. Our team comprises former senior executives who have led major transformations in large organizations. We understand the pressures you face and the complexity of leading large-scale strategies.
- Overseen 66,000 hires annually for over 100 sites across the country
- Directed significant HR transformations for large organizations with over 400 recruiters and 100 executives
- Led the talent acquisition market intelligence for a global operation with over 80,000 employees
We blend AEC experience, proven processes, and practical coaching to move your firm forward with confidence. Learn More
About the Author
Deborah Casaubon is deeply passionate about talent acquisition. By aligning individuals with their ideal roles, she empowers organizations to fulfill their aspirations and achieve exceptional results. Her experience includes serving companies such as Cisco, HCA, and Wellpath, where she has consistently driven growth and innovation. Deborah believes that innovation is most potent at the peripheries of an organization—where teams directly interact with customers. It is this diversity in thought, experience, and background that cultivates truly effective teams. Her enthusiasm is most evident when leading high-performing teams, particularly within Engineering and Healthcare sectors. Deborah thrives in both expansive and turnaround scenarios, known for her ability to drive scalable business outcomes and provide pertinent solutions. Her professional approach is characterized by a strong collaborative spirit. Deborah excels in bringing clarity to complex situations, delivering quick wins early, innovating, leading cross-functional teams, and exerting substantial influence to achieve strategic goals.
