Creative Signing Bonuses
Creative Signing Bonuses
Joel G. Carson, Executive Director
I had a geotechnical engineer colleague that was a huge fan of muscle cars. Her dream was to own a 1968 Chevy Camaro.
As we all know, highly skilled geotechnical engineers with 8-12 years of consulting experience are very hard to find and even harder to hire. My friend checked all the boxes and was looking for a new job. Because of her credentials, reputation, and experience, she was
aggressively recruited by several good consulting firms.
The tipping point came when she arrived home to find a Matador Red, 2-door, chromed out, show-car quality 1968 Chevy Camaro SS in her driveway with an offer letter on the front seat. Her dream car was the signing bonus and without hesitation, she accepted the offer.
In times like these when identifying, recruiting, and hiring key employees, we need to be creative about employment terms and compensation. Get to know candidates and creatively address their needs and interests.
If you have a story about creative signing bonuses, please share it. We will compile responses and share them in future issues of NEWSlog.