Good construction leadership always strives to have the best workers on their team. They leave the job of finding top talent to construction recruiters, so those recruiters need to figure out how to find candidates that are a good fit. This is especially challenging with the current skilled labor crisis during Covid-19.
Prioritize Transparency with your Construction Hires
Throughout the entire process, ensure that you are transparent about what the role involves. This should also include its challenges, as you want employees to have realistic expectations. The goal here is to ensure that your chosen employee will be a good fit for the company. They are also more likely to stay with your construction company if they know what to expect—both good and bad.
Be as honest as possible. For example, if the position requires odd working hours, note that on the job description.
Follow Up with your Hires
Construction recruiters also need to consistently follow up with candidates throughout the process. This includes during the hiring process as well as during the early days of employment. This helps ensure that you and the candidate are on the same page. It also prevents wasted effort recruiting a candidate who finds a job somewhere else.
Include a Test of Skills
Most interviews traditionally just include a conversation with various questions. To get the best candidates, however, you also want to test their skills. With the skilled labor crisis, you should be mindful that some candidates for construction careers won’t have much experience if any. Instead, look at their ability to learn.
Check Their References
Talking to references lets you confirm a candidate’s work history is as they say. It may also give you insight into how they will fit in with your company culture.
Know-How to Attract the Best Talent
Part of making better construction hires is attracting the right talent in the first place. To do so, you need to do a few things.
- Develop employer branding – Try to create positive employer branding. If there are negative reviews online from past employees, address them, ideally in a direct reply to each review.
- Offer competitive compensation – With the skilled labor crisis, those in construction careers have their choice of positions to fill, or at least apply to. The best way to ensure they consider your company is to offer competitive benefits and pay. As a bonus, this will improve your employer branding.
- Ask current employees for recommendations – Let your current employees know you need to fill more positions. They will understand what the position requires and the company culture, so their recommendation should be a good fit.
With these tips, you’ll be better prepared to fill the open positions in your company with qualified candidates, and your possible construction hires.
How can we help you?
Searching for an opportunity in the construction industry? Contact The Birmingham Group’s team of seasoned commercial construction recruiters today to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.
Are you a hiring authority in need of construction talent? Submit a search request today.
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