Hiring into the Unknown: How to Build Teams for Projects That Don’t Exist Yet

In the world of engineering and industrial projects, there is a unique kind of pressure that most traditional recruiters never face:

Hiring talent for projects that haven’t even been fully defined yet. No Final scope, No Fixed timeline, No detailed brief. But the demand is already real, – and often urgent.

Welcome to the world of pre-project recruitment. This is where strategy, instinct, and trust must come together, – well before the first bolt is fastened or the first permit is granted.  

The Invisible Blueprint

At Enersense International Oyj, Expert Services Team, many of our clients operate in environments where planning cycles stretch over years, and yet teams must be ready to mobilize in weeks. This is common in energy infrastructure, offshore, data centers, and large-scale industrial investments.  

But there’s another layer

In the engineering project business, companies often sell services before they even have the full workforce onboard. When they win a new client project, they must act fast to assemble the right mix of existing employees and newly hired experts, often within extremely tight timelines.  

This means recruitment isn’t just about matching CVs, it’s about strategic orchestration. Culture fit, project-readiness, speed, and availability all need to align -sometimes before the contract is even signed. And this is where our Expert Services Team thrives.  

The art of forecast driven hiring

When you’re hiring ahead of a project’s kickoff, without clear roles or exact schedules, your focus shifts. You’re no longer recruiting for static positions. You’re building dynamic teams.  

We look for people who can:  

• Build clarity in ambiguity 
• Pivot when plans change  
• Integrate into diverse, fast-moving teams  
• Stay engaged through the quiet gaps between greenlights 

These are not qualities that appear in a traditional job description. They’re discovered through experience, deep conversations, and understanding the engineering mindset.  

With nearly 20 years of experience, our Expert Services Team is built precisely for this challenge. We operate not just as recruiters, but as project partners.

Soft skills in hard-hat environments

Engineering may be a technical field, but successful projects hinge on very human qualities: communication, trust, adaptability, and a shared sense of urgency. 

That’s why we screen beyond technical qualifications: 

• Can this person perform under time pressure with minimal supervision?  
• Do they bring value even before their tools are unpacked?  
• Have they worked in multicultural, multilingual environments? 

In project-based industries, delays aren’t just expensive, they’re reputational risks. Hiring the right person, fast, makes all the difference.

Psychological safety as a strategic priority

In projects that shift and stretch, people need more than a job title, they need stability, visibility and good communication within the team.  

Many technical professionals burn out not from the work itself, but from poor information flow, unclear expectations, or feeling like a temporary resource.  

At Enersense, we make sure our experts feel informed, supported, and connected:

• We involve them early, even before projects are confirmed  
• We build continuity between assignments  
• We remain in touch throughout the journey, not just until the contract is signed  

Because no matter how complex the project, it’s the people who carry it through.

Our final thoughts: Building the future before it exists

Recruiting for undefined projects is one of the hardest things in our industry – But it’s also the most rewarding. 

When we succeed, we don’t just fill roles, we enable entire engineering visions to move forward. We help our partners stay competitive, responsive, and ready for what’s next.  

If your company delivers technical project services and needs a recruitment partner who understands both the urgency and the uncertainty, you know where to find us. 

We’re experts in making the future hireable.

If you have any questions, feedback, or are looking for support, I’d be happy to connect. 

Melinda Holopainen
Head of Expert Services & Recruitment Enersense Engineering Oy
+358 44 734 8886
melinda.holopainen@enersense.com

Expert Services – Enersense