Engineering Inc. - November/December 2007 - (Page 25) more by Wylie Wong ThaN I Derek Lea Money Salary is just one of several factors in finding and retaining top-notch engineering talent n just the past 18 months, H.W. Lochner, a Chicago-based engineering and design firm, has increased its salary for entry-level civil engineers by 20 percent to 25 percent, yet the firm still struggles to recruit recent college graduates. n As the pool of high-quality engineering graduates continues to shrink, the best entry-level candidates often have their choice of job offers. The result: Engineering firms that want to compete often are pressed into bidding wars for their services—and money is just one of the carrots at their disposal. The firm offers internships and has increased the number of seasonal trips it makes to college campuses. In years past, the company could attract top-notch engineering students by visiting campuses two to three months prior to graduation. Now, the firm’s recruiters visit at least nine months in advance. “The demand for engineering talent is so high that the number of students graduating is not November / December 2007 eNGINeerING INc. H.W. Lochner, for example, offers additional perks, such as flexible schedules and inhouse training and development programs to help new hires advance their careers within the organization. Lochner, which specializes in transportation projects, also has gone on the offensive by stepping up its recruitment efforts to nab prospective job candidates prior to graduation. 25
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