Hiring a new construction professional is always an important decision. You want the best of the best working on your team, so you can’t afford to make mistakes. These tips will help you develop a better hiring strategy.

Make Talent Acquisition a Priority

Talent acquisition should always be one of your top priorities. You won’t end up with a stellar team if you treat hiring as an afterthought. Often, the best talent are professionals who have integrity and a desire to learn. You can’t find these individuals if you don’t take hiring seriously enough. Jack Welch suggests looking for talent who have “a strong dose of intellectual curiosity, with a breadth of knowledge to work with or lead other smart people in today’s complex world.” When you make talent acquisition a priority, you end up a with a team that can evolve and become stronger over time.

Always Be Looking

Hiring is all about consistency. You should always be interviewing candidates, even during times when you aren’t hiring. This way you can familiarize yourself with the talent pool. When you do need to fill a role, you’ll already have a network allowing you to make quicker, smarter hiring decisions. It helps to interview multiple candidates each time you hire for a vacancy. You’ll land better talent if you interview three candidates for a role than if you only interview one candidate.

Keep Candidates Informed of Next Steps

While it is important to impress the candidate that you want to give an offer to, you also want to leave a good impression on the candidates you pass on. This affects the reputation of you company. Plus, you may interview a candidate who isn’t right for the current role they have applied for but could end up being perfect for a different role down the line. For this reason, it is important to treat everyone you interview with respect and follow up with them after the interview is over. When you do find talent you want on your team, prompt communication is key. Don’t leave them hanging. While you don’t have to rush hiring decisions, if you’re interested in a candidate, communicate this to them and clearly explain next steps. If you take too long to reach out to a candidate, they’ll end up taking a job elsewhere.

Have a Consistent Message

Having multiple people interview candidates can help you make better assessments, but it’s important that everyone on your interview team is on the same page. The message should be consistent no matter who the candidate talks to. If they receive contradictory information during the interview phase, candidates can end up feeling confused and this can negatively affect their desire to work for your company. Be consistent in presenting your work culture to candidates and communicating to them how your company is different from competitors. For example, if your company is family-oriented and values career development, this should be communicated to candidates every step of the way using personal stories and specific details.

Work with a Recruiter

Partnering with an expert recruiter who specializes in construction can go a long way in improving your hiring strategy. The best recruiters will have a deep understanding of both the industry and the hiring marketplace. They can help you identify potential talent, understand your competition, and find talent that fits with your company’s culture and long-term goals.

Hiring is one of the most challenging aspects of running a construction company, but it is essential for success. You can improve your hiring strategy by making talent acquisition a priority, communicating promptly with candidates, continuously interviewing talent, working with a recruiter, and maintaining a consistent message during the interview phase.

How can we help you?

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