1. Are you encouraged to interact with clients, play key roles on projects, innovate, and learn new things on a regular basis?
When you join Kimley-Horn, you join a consulting firm—not merely an engineering, planning or landscape architecture firm. As such, you’re not expected to sit at a computer and crank all day. You’re encouraged to have face-time with your clients, cultivating relationships and learning new skills. You will constantly learn and grow as you take on new opportunities.
2. Are you rewarded financially for your contributions to your current firm’s success—enough to build a strong financial foundation and security for your future?
As one of the most profitable firms in our industry, we share our profits with those who generate them: our employees. The result is incentive compensation, retirement contributions, and robust health benefits that exceed those of competitors. For example: you will receive an annual company-paid retirement contribution equal to 18% of your salary and bonus.
3. Does your current firm provide formal training to help you become a better consultant and leader?
Through Kimley-Horn’s formal training programs, you’ll be coached on things such as technical development, software skills, project management, marketing, business fundamentals, mentoring, and leadership. These programs, typically taught by our senior professionals, are intended to augment day-to-day mentorship that happens organically in our offices.
4. Do you have the potential to be an owner of your current firm and the confidence that your firm will not be subject to a merger or acquisition?
In an industry where ownership transition is a common challenge, we stand out from the crowd. With our more than 50-year history, you can be confident that our transparent and established ownership transition plan will position us well for decades to come. More than 600 of our employees are shareholders, and we recognize new ones each year (73 in 2021). If you join Kimley-Horn and make significant contributions to our success, you will have an opportunity to be an owner—and be part of helping us remain fiercely private.
5. Is your current firm recognized as a great place to work?
FORTUNE magazine has recognized Kimley-Horn 14 times as one of its “100 Best Companies to Work For.” They have also named us as the best workplace in consulting and professional services and one of the best workplaces for women, millennials, and parents. The selection criteria for these awards is largely based on employee surveys, meaning our teammates are proud to be here. Other organizations such as local WTS chapters have named us their firm of the year because of our outstanding workplace practices.
6. Are you surrounded by like-minded people who are as motivated and talented as you are?
There is a discernible difference when you are surrounded by motivated and talented people, especially when those people are also kind and helpful. That difference is often one of the first things people notice when they join Kimley-Horn, and one of the things they most enjoy about being here. It is satisfying to know you are surrounded by gifted and passionate people working with you toward collective success.
7. Do you have the ability and resources to delegate to newer and younger staff so you can move on to new challenges?
To take on new responsibilities, you need to delegate your current responsibilities to someone else—but that’s hard to do if you don’t have someone to delegate to. That’s where our college recruiting program comes in. Each year, we hire hundreds of new graduates and interns, providing people eager to take on your responsibilities and allowing you to learn delegation skills and have the time to accept new challenges.
8. Do you have partners who are invested in your success and actively support your career growth?
Long ago we realized that the best way to grow our firm is to grow our people, so we place great emphasis on the development of our staff. Combine that emphasis with a culture and structure that fosters teamwork and collaboration, and you have a unique environment in which people are invested in each other’s success. You’ll find that our core purpose says it best: we “provide an environment for our people to flourish.”
9. Do clients trust your current firm to take on the most challenging and premier projects?
Clients routinely trust us with their most challenging and premier projects because they know we’ll serve them well, providing creative solutions in a timely manner. At Kimley-Horn, you will find tremendous professional satisfaction as you play increasingly important roles on these projects that transform our communities.
10. Does your current firm encourage you to exercise your entrepreneurial flair?
Current and prospective employees alike will hear the term “Practice Builder” in discussions about our company’s structure. Practice Builders are the foundation of our firm and are supported, encouraged, and rewarded for their entrepreneurial spirit. As a Practice Builder, you’ll pursue opportunities that let you exercise your passion for work, while contributing to the firm’s success.
