If you want to stay competitive in the construction industry, then landing the best candidates for your construction jobs is vital to your success. From wastewater and healthcare construction to multifamily and institutional construction, an experienced executive recruiter will take a selective approach and reach out to those highly-qualified candidates who aren’t looking for a job, yet may be open to just the right opportunity.
Problems Filling Construction Jobs
A common mistake many companies and hiring managers make is that they take what I call the “shotgun approach.” This approach includes placing ads in the newspaper and on Monster or CareerBuilder. It includes basic networking with potential leads and referrals. This approach means reaching out to everyone and hoping you’ll reach someone who has the optimal skills and experience for the job. But, you’ll typically only receive responses from those who are both unemployed and looking for construction jobs, or possibly those who are employed . . . and miserable in their current position.
Working with a Search Firm
When it comes to drafting a list of candidates for executive-level positions, it doesn’t matter who’s looking, or who’s not looking for a job, if you are working with an accomplished search firm. Those who are happy and taken care of aren’t looking for better opportunities that might be available to them. Those are the candidates that you want to land, but it takes a special approach to do so. An experienced recruiter knows how to reach out directly to those stellar candidates on your behalf.
Landing the Best Candidate
Sometimes, it takes making hundreds of phone calls to find these “passive” prospects, and traditional hiring managers generally don’t have the time, nor the resources available to seek out passive candidates. Expert recruiters are not looking for “low hanging fruit,” they’re actively seeking out the very best. With their skills and experience, search consultants are able to break through the barriers that are preventing you from landing the best candidates. The best candidates for your position might not even be local to your region. They might live in another city, state, or even another country. Search firms cast a very wide net. For example, there may be 22 companies that could have your optimal candidate, and 84 candidates with the right background. A great executive search firm will reach out to all of them.
A skilled search firm targets everyone who is a possible candidate that’s qualified for the job. They give a presentation, build chemistry, and get to know a candidate’s pain points and goals. And once the preliminary work is done, they consider a meeting with the prospective candidate.
Trying to find the best person who happens to be unemployed and sees the ad is a bad approach! You’ll have a much better chance of finding the perfect candidate by working with a search firm who will reach out to all the best candidates who have the right background and will present them with the potential job opportunity. Great recruiters give clients the opportunity to hire the best candidate possible because they’re reaching all of them.
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.
