Every encounter with your construction company’s culture influences a candidate’s perception of your firm, and the interview is no exception. An invitation for a second interview with a candidate is a sign that the first one went well. But does every candidate who interviews with your construction firm want to be invited back for a second interview? If not, consider ways to maximize the odds of candidates wanting to return. How can you communicate your company’s culture while also improving the candidate experience throughout each step of the selection process?
Team Members as Cultural Ambassadors
How employees represent the company’s culture and mission is as important as anything said by human resources or leaders during the hiring process. Within the first interview, a candidate needs to understand what is unique about the organization, environment, and opportunity. If a candidate asked, “why your firm,” do you know how your employees would respond? Consider providing employees with an example of a strong and succinct elevator pitch to be used in both social settings as well as the interviewing process. Make sure everyone involved in the interview is on the same page and has a solid understanding of the firm’s mission and vision.
Meet Candidates Where They Are
Contrary to popular opinion, prospective candidates do not wait to get home from work to look for new career opportunities or research alternative employers. The most popular day to search for jobs is Monday, and it tapers off throughout the week before plummeting over the weekend. This means that candidates are looking for jobs while at work. Since most users realize their computer use is monitored, those searches are conducted on their mobile phones. Having a mobile-optimized career website is critical to create a recruitment strategy that aligns with candidate behavior.
Use Videos to Tell Your Story
At one time, the construction business was rooted in personal relationships and one-on-one interactions. Now we use much more automation with email and job boards which remove the human element of relationships. Electronic communication works well, but video communication personalizes the candidate experience even more. Having videos of employees talking about why they love the organization or key customers sharing why they value the firm serve to provide multiple perspectives to potential candidates. Videos clips on your website from around the office or job site can be an effective way to share “why your firm” to prospects considering applying to your firm.
Find Ways to Engage
Prior to a first interview, provide candidates with an “About Us” packet highlighting the history of the company, growth plans and success stories of employees that will engage them on a human level. Sharing testimonials from recent hires who can attest to how much they enjoy their new roles and the firm, or snapshots of recent promotions and advancements within the ranks are also great ways to get candidates feeling good about your organization.
Communicate Effectively
Take time to evaluate the lines of communication between prospective candidates and your internal hiring team. When a candidate applies to your organization, is an automatic response sent to notify that the information has been received? If the candidate interviewed and is no longer in consideration for the role, how is that communicated to the candidate? Set expectations and do not leave candidates in the dark; be clear about what your process is, when they can expect feedback, and how quickly a decision will be made.
Are you ready to build your dream team?
The Birmingham Group is a tenured construction recruiting firm dedicated to helping you build your dream team. If you are ready to take a proactive approach to recruiting and retention, reach out today to discuss a custom recruitment strategy.
