Engineering Inc. - Spring 2020 - 33

essary for the position, and commit to working full time for the
12-week "returnship" period.
"As a manager, the process was the same as a regular hire,"
Greene says. "We held the candidates to the same standards. The
interviews were the same."
Except for one difference. "They were not penalized for having a gap in their resume," she says. "It is really discouraging to
me how much of an impact that can have on the ability to get
interviews."
100 PERCENT CONVERSION

Ultimately, CDM Smith ended up hiring two Reboot applicants. Environmental scientist Sarah Scarff returned to work
after a three-year break to have children, and water resources
engineer Faith Kuria was looking to restart her career after serving in the military.
"Once we identified our hires, they attended a firmwide orientation and then a shorter Reboot orientation," Lucas says.
"Over the 12-week period, they worked full time with their
teams on real projects."
Every other week, Scarff and Kuria participated in a lunchand-learn to find out more about the company culture and
resources. Each of them also worked with a mentor. "We identi-

"Tapping this
talent pool does
not result in firms
cannibalizing
each other. We
can pursue these
midcareer folks, and it does not
cause a staff shortage for any of
us. It could be transformational in
the industry."
TIM WALL
CHAIRMAN AND CEO
CDM SMITH

fied individuals who were especially interested in being
Reboot mentors," Greene says. "They were women who
had similarly taken leave and come back."
According to Lucas, the "returnship" period gives the
Reboot employees a chance to consider their decision.
"For people coming back into the workforce, the transition can be scary. With Reboot, it is a great opportunity
for the candidate and CDM Smith to test things out.
They may decide they are not ready to return to work."
Both Scarff and Kuria decided to continue working at
CDM Smith. "Our goal is to have a 100 percent conversion rate," Lucas says. However, after six months Kuria
decided to take a job in Texas with one of the firm's clients, the Bureau of Reclamation.
"It was primarily a location decision," Lucas says. "We
did not have any openings in Texas, but the bureau had a
good match for her skills and goals. We like to think the
Reboot program gave her the opportunity to reacclimate
herself to her career path."
For the second cycle of the Reboot program, which
began in January 2020, CDM Smith offered eight opportunities in five locations. Additionally, the firm started a
Talent Community on its website for professionals who
are interested in restarting their careers but whose skill set
or location do not match any of the current offerings.
"We are always looking for ways to expand the program," Lucas says. "In the first 40 days after we started the
Talent Community, 35 people signed up."

Pictured left to right: Julie Lucas, manager of talent acquisition programs and
operations; Matthew Gamache, Reboot hiring manager and senior water resources
engineer; Faith Kuria, program participant and water resources engineer; Tim
Wall, chairman and CEO; Sarah Scarff, program participant and environmental
scientist; and Jill Greene, Reboot hiring manager and senior geologist.

SPRING 2020

ENGINEERING INC.

Engineering Inc. - Spring 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Engineering Inc. - Spring 2020