Dear prospective employee

When we founded AWK in 1986 we found ourselves confronted with an almost insurmountable problem: how to attract capable members of staff for a start-up company which on the one hand was still completely unknown, and on the other hand had to work with relatively limited financial means?

In this situation, we turned to enthusiastic university graduates with two promises: that their work at AWK would be more exciting, more challenging and more independent than in the companies which we were our competitors at that time, and that they could make much more progress during their time at AWK than elsewhere. We have always kept these promises, and today, as an established firm known across Switzerland, with over 100 employees, we are in a better position than ever to offer a working environment which can provide what is in many ways an ideal career basis.

At universities specialising in science there is still a common preconception: that the professional career of an engineer must start in the development lab; and that after the first grey hairs have started to appear and the engineer no longer has the advantage of cutting-edge knowledge, there is always the option of becoming a consultant. Far from it! Consultancy that is worth its name works to find solutions to complex problems in an environment which is highly demanding, especially from the technical standpoint. An excellent technical education and the ability to rapidly extend one’s own knowledge are just the first preconditions for successful consultancy work. Equally important are a strong grasp of the whole picture, a methodical approach, and highly developed social skills – because everything we do, we do with others and for others.

We therefore encourage anyone who chooses to work professionally as a consultant in the AWK Group to develop themselves, not only in terms of their technical ability, but in a holistic way. The job of consultant thereby becomes a real training in management: developing the individual’s professional, methodological and social skills, so that they not only recognise what works, but are also in a position to apply it in practice in a targeted and efficient manner.

Our promise “We will take you forward” is no mere advertising slogan. The whole AWK culture is directed towards this aim. At the AWK Group, we are very aware that purposeful and challenging work forms a central part of the quality of our life. Work can only be enjoyable and can only lead to lasting satisfaction if it also entails a further development of oneself as a person. Because the owners of the AWK Group themselves play an active role in the work of the firm, this statement applies as much to them as to all the other staff.

I would be delighted if you were to decide that you would like to join the AWK Group. But even if you should choose some other career path, it’s always worth having a chat with us.

With best wishes,

Kurt Biri

Managing Partner
AWK Group