Network Mountain
Real observations from real conversations. Every post starts the same way. A call with a building technology professional, a hiring manager, or a thought that would not leave me alone afterward. This is what comes out of those conversations.
I got off a call with a VP of Operations this week who had been trying to fill the same systems engineer role for four months. Three offers made. Three declined. As we talked, it became clear the problem was not the candidates. It was the brief. Here is what we found when we stopped looking at the resume pile and started looking at the role itself.
Read the PostAfter 14 years of cold calls into building technology, I have noticed a pattern. The candidates who end up being the best fits almost always open with the same response. It is not enthusiasm. It is something quieter and more telling than that.
Read the PostI have had some version of this conversation four times in the last two weeks. The service manager pipeline in this industry is thinning and it is not just a market issue. There is a structural reason and most companies are not addressing it at the source.
Read the PostA controls engineer I have known for three years called me last week. He had just accepted a counteroffer from his current employer. Six weeks later he called again. Here is what that conversation taught me about how candidates should really be thinking about compensation.
Read the PostI placed someone last month who had four offers in play at the same time. The company that moved in ten days got her. The company that took four weeks called me asking what happened. This is not a talent shortage problem. It is a process problem.
Read the PostI talked to a fire alarm tech this week who has changed jobs four times in six years, each time for more money, each time leaving within eighteen months. We talked for a long time. The moves were not bad decisions. The framework he was using to make them was.
Read the PostHe called to catch up. We ended up talking for an hour. His team has had zero turnover in two years in a market where everyone else is scrambling. I asked him what he was doing differently. His answer was so simple it almost sounded wrong.
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