Recruiting thrives on curiosity, trust, and purpose, because people – not processes – are the true drivers of organizational success.
I was once told that recruiting is often like sales, but that it involves one of the hardest variables to control: people. Not just skill sets, but individuals with goals, motivations, and personal interests that cannot always be predicted or perfectly aligned with an organization. There is truth in that idea. Yet people have always been a pivotal resource in my growth. They have offered learning, market insight, exposure to new perspectives, and a reminder that even when motives differ, the common ground is often the shared goal of doing meaningful work and making an impact on the communities we live in day to day.
Seven years ago, I was tasked with building the first recruitment function in my office within the water and wastewater engineering industry. When I asked my mentor and manager at the time what exactly the industry was, he simply said, “That is for you to go figure out.”
I jumped in headfirst, spending hours researching the market, the firms that shaped it, and the type of talent that drove the industry. I wanted a strong understanding of the space I was stepping into in order to be an effective resource for both our company and the professionals I would be representing. Yet what came next was not the moment I had imagined. After weeks of preparation and building what I believed was a solid foundation, I made my first outreach call to the principal of an engineering company to introduce myself and our hiring solutions, positioning myself as a market expert. The response on the other end was direct and humbling: “You have no idea what you are talking about. Please do not call me or anyone at my firm again.”
From that point on, curiosity became the most valuable tool in my growth, long before strategy or structure. In technical industries, it is easy to assume you must show up with answers, but I learned quickly that the people who gain trust are the ones who show up with thoughtful questions and insight that come from genuine interest. Instead of trying to sound like I knew everything about the industry, I made it my mission to understand it. I asked engineers what excited them about a project, why a certain treatment process mattered, or what kept them up at night during planning. Those conversations built real knowledge, and that knowledge built credibility.
As I grew, I came to understand something fundamental. Systems and software are important, but they do not create alignment, and they do not build teams. People do. People drive culture, innovation, and mentorship. I would strongly argue that people are the real competitive advantage in our industry. Technology can support success, but it cannot replace the trust and understanding that comes from people working toward a purpose together. When you recognize that, you stop thinking in transactions and you start thinking in relationships.
Recently, I transitioned from external recruitment consulting to establishing a talent division for MKN & Associates, a mid-sized engineering firm in California. This role gave me the opportunity to channel my experience supporting some of the best engineering firms in the United States into building internal operations, improving systems, and strengthening talent sourcing for our organization. Our goal is not only to elevate recruitment efforts, but also to support brand growth while deepening relationships across California. This shift has allowed me to move from supporting the industry from the outside to helping shape a team and culture from within.
Looking back, that transition marked the moment I moved from recruiter to organizational resource. Early on, my measure of success was filling roles. Today, success looks very different. It looks like long-term teams, shared purpose, and strategic alignment. It looks like being part of leadership discussions that shape firm culture and the future of our workforce. When you invest deeply in learning the business and the people in it, you move from selling a service to influencing direction.
The industry taught me an important truth. You cannot accelerate trust, and you cannot shortcut expertise. You earn both through patience, curiosity, and a genuine desire to help. By understanding how engineers think, what motivates them, and what personal goals they hold, I became more than someone who brings candidates to the table. I became someone who understands the responsibility and purpose behind the work.
One moment reminded me why this work matters. There was a leader at a firm who had been struggling in his previous role, living in a city that did not fit his life and working under circumstances that drained his desire to make an impact. We had connected months earlier through a simple call. From there, I helped him find an opportunity that aligned with the career and life he envisioned for himself. At the end of his first week in his new role, he said something I will not forget: I never imagined taking a random phone call could change my life.
That moment echoed the early days of entering this field, moving from a place of uncertainty to a place where conversations can truly impact someone’s path. Growth in this work is never about arriving at expertise, but about continuing to learn, listen, and create space for others to succeed. It is these experiences that make the work meaningful and reinforce the purpose behind building teams and supporting people.
In the talent world, success is not defined by filling roles quickly or sounding like an expert. True progress comes from understanding people, honoring their aspirations, and helping them find opportunities where they can contribute and grow. That approach strengthens organizations, deepens culture, and creates teams built on trust and shared purpose.
Talent is not a transaction. It is an opportunity to elevate the people who dedicate their work to our communities.
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Logan Neitenbach is a talent acquisition specialist at MKN. Connect with him on LinkedIn. |