Kittelson & Associates

Many People, Many Roles, One Focus

OVERVIEW

KAI continually seeks people who share our enthusiasm for the transportation profession and our excitement in having a positive impact on our communities. Such candidates are sought after for professional, administrative, technical, and corporate roles. Our firm has a specific interest in helping individuals find the career path best suited for them. Many of our employees come from different backgrounds and experiences, which adds to our diversity and allows us to offer unique perspectives on all aspects of project work and careers. The KAI core values and commitment to hiring people who share similar goals, principles, and outward focus lead to natural and real friendships that transcend the workplace. The office environment at KAI is energetic, team-oriented, and professional. All staff levels leave their office doors open to encourage free discussion of problems and questions. This team approach results in a high level of trust and respect among staff. The interaction promotes an environment where staff members at all levels and all roles are open and willing to help each other and call on others.

TYPES OF CAREERS

Ideally, KAI seeks to be the place where individuals grow personally and professionally, as opposed to simply providing a job to a person seeking employment. The interests and passions of our staff lead and direct the firm's activities, whether it's venturing into new applied research areas or using state-of-the-art technologies and practices in our work. By following our staff, we create opportunities for all employees. Thus, we look for professional, administrative, technical, and corporate staff who will take advantage of the opportunities provided and create new ones for others.

Thoughtful and Informed

Independence and outward focus define KAI's employees and culture. We seek employees who take advantage of existing opportunities while also creating new ones for others. We look for potential employees who want to join us for a career, not just for a job. Because of this, our hiring efforts and activities are customized for each candidate to collaboratively determine whether joining KAI is a good fit, with the goal of allowing the candidate and KAI to make a thoughtful and informed decision. Our interactions are designed to expose individuals to all aspects of the company and working environment.

Whether talking with KAI or other potential employers, we encourage candidates to proactively guide and direct the interactions by asking questions and evaluating the prospective employer just as the prospective employer would the candidate. At KAI, we encourage informal office visits and meetings with small groups that allow the candidate to experience the working environment first hand and interact with individuals at all levels of the firm. It is common for us to put next steps back on the candidate to follow up with a summary of what they learned in the interactions, questions remaining, and their feelings about continuing our interactions.

After a variety of interactions where we and the candidate determine a formal interview is the next step, we may invite candidates to one of our offices; not always the office location nearest the candidate. Candidates are often asked to prepare written responses to questions prior to a formal interview. The responses to these questions help us gain additional insights into the candidate's interests, characteristics, values, and background. The formal interview allows the candidate to meet staff from all offices (via video conference) and often includes a firm-wide presentation. The presentation is typically conducted over lunch and focuses on a topic chosen by the candidate.

While these activities may involve significant time and effort, we believe this multiple-interaction-with-multiple-people approach is the most effective way for the candidate and us to make an informed career decision.

We encourage candidates to learn as much as possible about KAI during hiring activities. There are quite a variety of ways to begin this process even prior to meeting with us for the first time, including browsing the following pages:

Meet KAI Staff
Who We Are

Following us on social media is also helpful to get to know our firm (reference links in footer)

If you think KAI could be a good fit for your professional career goals, express Interest to get the discussion with us started.