Tufts Q&A w/ Adam Gersh; Talent Acquisition Leader, Early Careers at Arcadis
Information about Adam & his role at Arcadis
What is your role in your organization?
I lead Early Careers recruiting in North America for Arcadis. That includes internships, entry level hiring, campus strategy, recruiting events, and partnering closely with business leaders to align talent pipelines to real workforce needs.
What do you enjoy most in your role?
I like helping students connect their interests to real work and real careers. Early careers is also one of the highest impact areas of recruiting because the people we hire now become the future leaders and technical experts of the company.
And honestly, I enjoy building systems. Making recruiting more structured, more fair, and more aligned to actual project needs is something I care about.
What do you recommend to candidates as they consider working at your organization?
I recommend candidates focus on fit and growth, not just brand name. Ask what work you will actually do, what the learning curve looks like, and how the team supports early career development.
If you are joining Arcadis, the best thing you can do is come in ready to learn fast, communicate clearly, and take ownership of your work. That is what makes people successful here.
Introduction to Arcadis
Company Culture
How would you describe your company culture?
Arcadis culture is collaborative and pretty project driven. The work is fast paced because the projects are real and the deadlines are real, but people are not left on their own. The best teams here are the ones that share knowledge and support each other.
From an early careers perspective, Arcadis is a place where you can grow quickly if you take initiative. If you raise your hand, do solid work, and communicate well, people notice.
Describe how diversity, equity, and inclusion is supported by your company
DEI is important at Arcadis because our work impacts communities, and strong solutions come from different perspectives. You will see this through employee networks, inclusive hiring practices, and development opportunities that help people grow.
For early career talent, a big part of equity is access. Getting students real exposure through internships, mentorship, and project experience is one of the most important things we can do long term.
What is one value of your company, and how does that show up in your day to day work?
Collaboration is a value that actually shows up constantly at Arcadis. Not in a poster on the wall way, but in how we deliver work. Projects require coordination across disciplines, offices, and experience levels.
In my day to day recruiting work, it shows up in how closely we partner with project leaders. We are not recruiting in isolation. We are building pipelines based on real business needs and real project demand.
Day in the life
What does a typical day look like for an entry level position?
A typical day depends on the practice area, but most entry level roles at Arcadis involve supporting project delivery. That could be design support, calculations, mapping and GIS work, report writing, data analysis, or coordination with project teams.
The key thing to know is that early career employees are not doing busywork. They are contributing to real deliverables, with strong review and mentorship built in. The learning curve can be fast, but it is a good thing.
What is one benefit or perk a student could look forward to if they worked at Arcadis?
One of the biggest perks at Arcadis is real career mobility. Because the company is large and the work is diverse, early career employees can build a foundation and then grow into different project types or focus areas over time.
If you do strong work and you are proactive, opportunities open up. That is very real here.
Details About Arcadis
Applicant Qualities
How can students set themselves up to be the best candidate?
At Arcadis, the students who rise to the top are the ones who can show real evidence of what they have done, not just what they have been exposed to. If you can talk through a class project, research effort, internship, or field experience and clearly explain what you owned, what you produced, and what you learned, you are already ahead.
Also, be intentional about the type of work you want to do at Arcadis. We recruit across very different areas like Water, Environment, Mobility, Places, and intelligence driven work. The strongest candidates have a clear direction, even if it evolves later, and they connect their interests to the actual work we do.
What qualities have your most successful hires exhibited?
The early career hires who do well at Arcadis usually have a mix of humility and confidence. They are coachable, they want feedback, and they take ownership of their work product even when they are new.
They also communicate well. Consulting is team based and deliverable based, so the ability to explain your thinking clearly and follow through consistently matters a lot. Honestly, that reliability goes a long way early on.
Interviewing
What can a candidate do to stand out in an interview?
Be specific about your work. If you tell me you worked on a water resources project, I want to know what you actually produced. Was it a model, a map, a report section, calculations, a field summary. What tools did you use and what part did you personally own.
And one thing that stands out at Arcadis is when a student understands the consulting environment. Ask questions about project delivery, quality control, how teams collaborate, what onboarding looks like, and what success looks like in the first six months. That tells me you are thinking like a professional, not just a student interviewing.
What is one interviewing mistake you see people make? How can students avoid it?
The most common mistake is overstating experience. Saying you are strong in a tool or technical area and then not being able to talk through it creates doubt fast.
It is always better to be clear and direct. Something like, I used this in class and I am building confidence, or I supported this part of a project but did not own the full analysis. That kind of honesty actually builds credibility.
General Industry Insights
What industry sector are you in?
Arcadis is in the AEC consulting space, focused on engineering, design, and environmental consulting. Our work includes water, environmental remediation, climate adaptation and resilience, transportation and mobility, and the built environment.
What is a recent development or piece of news in your industry landscape?
In AEC right now, the big shifts are around climate resilience and infrastructure reinvestment, especially in water systems, transportation, and environmental work.
Another major change is digital delivery. GIS, automation, data driven planning, and AI assisted workflows are becoming part of how projects are delivered, not just extra tools on the side.
What should a student who is interested in your industry know before applying to jobs?
First, this industry is deliverable based. Your work turns into reports, plans, designs, models, and documentation that clients rely on. Second, it is very team based, so communication matters.
Students who do well at Arcadis tend to be organized, curious, open to feedback, and comfortable iterating. Consulting is not one and done work. You refine things constantly.
How to Apply
How can students engage with your company early on? (internships, recruitment events, etc.)
Internships and co ops are the best early entry point at Arcadis. Campus events matter too, because we are intentionally building relationships with schools and student orgs aligned to our practice areas.
I also recommend connecting with Arcadis professionals on LinkedIn, especially people doing the work you are interested in. A short message that is thoughtful and specific goes a long way. You can email us at: college@arcadis.com or me directly at: adam.gersh@arcadis.com if you have any questions.
Are there any specific recruitment timelines students should be aware of?
For Arcadis, fall is the main recruiting season for summer internships. That is when many of our teams plan ahead and build their pipeline.
Spring can still have opportunities, but it is often more targeted and based on specific project needs.
Are you currently hiring for any positions?
Arcadis regularly hires interns and entry level talent, but openings vary by location and practice area. The best way to see active roles is through the Arcadis careers site and LinkedIn postings.
Where can students learn more about your company?
Students can learn more through the Arcadis careers site, Arcadis LinkedIn Page, and Arcadis project case studies. I always recommend reading about our projects, because it gives a much clearer picture of what we actually do than generic company descriptions.
