Be yourself.
Be strong. Be brave. Be confident. Be humble.
Diversify your network.
Bust your butt, not to impress others, but for yourself.
Put your energy where it matters.
Know your uniqueness, embrace and leverage it.
That was parting career advice six Kiewit women gave to 74 collegiate women at the end of a question and answer session at last month’s Future Women in Kiewit Summit.
The event, hosted at Kiewit University in Omaha, Nebraska, was attended by women in construction and engineering programs across the U.S. and Canada. Some of the women were also incoming full-time Kiewit employees or interns.
“The goal of the Future Women in Kiewit Summit is to expose upcoming new hires, interns or high-potential candidates to successful women and senior leaders across the organization,” said Kiewit Talent Development Director Alicia Edsen.
The Future Women in Kiewit Summit is an immersive experience into Kiewit’s culture. Attendees heard from women across the Kiewit organization, networked and learned about Kiewit’s diverse markets and career opportunities.
“We want to get people excited about the efforts Kiewit has in place to improve our ability to recruit, develop and retain women at Kiewit and within the industry as a whole,” Edsen said. “Kiewit has always been dedicated to being more than just a job for its employees. This is a targeted way to ensure we are continuing to foster a culture of career-long opportunities.”
Emma Horgan, an attendee from the University of Victoria, shared her takeaways in a LinkedIn post following the event.
“We had the opportunity to hear authentic experiences from successful women in (the) industry, attend sessions on confidence, resilience, and strength development, and learn all about the different projects Kiewit is working on,” Horgan said.
A question and answer session with Kiewit CEO Rick Lanoha concluded the summit. Lanoha shared some of his experiences in more than 30 years with Kiewit and offered advice for a successful career.
“Be focused on being the best you can be today,” he said.
