Do you want to hire highly motivated construction workers? If YES, here are 10 best recruitment tips, tricks and strategies for construction companies HR.
The construction industry is a robust and profitable industry. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry added 30,000 jobs in December 2017. Overall, the industry added 210,000 jobs last year, which is a 35 percent increase over the previous year.
The robust economy and the surge in spending are anticipated to boost construction hiring even more in 2019. The industry does not only need to create new jobs, but it needs to replace its aging workforce that will be retiring in a number of years.
With a lot of construction outfits competing with each other, it shows that they will not get the best workers by conducting recruitment the way it has always been done or by recruiting workers in an emergency.
To maintain a competitive advantage in the ongoing battle for the best and brightest, human resource departments and recruiters need to continually look for new and creative ways of targeting and approaching their future talent. To this end, here are a few strategies construction companies can employ when recruiting employees so as to get the best.
10 Best Recruitment Strategies for Construction Companies
- Plan Ahead of the big day
One of the top recruitment strategies for construction companies is to plan ahead. You can never get the best hands when you are in the habit of recruiting in an emergency. Construction companies should know if their business is picking up, or when change is imminent to know where to channel their recruitment.
These companies should also look at their upcoming project schedules to ensure they have enough laborers, managers, and staff for all upcoming projects. If they don’t, then it should be an indicator that it is time to recruit. Some of the skills you may be recruiting for may include:
- Manually-oriented skills. Masons, plumbers, electricians, and glaziers, for example.
- Customer-facing skills. Sales staff and account managers are in this category, preferably with the skills to use construction customer management applications too.
- Construction management skills. Bigger projects will require managers with good organizational, project management and people skills.
- New technology skills. Employees at ease with software, computer models and hi-tech of different kinds will be needed here. They may or may not have worked in construction before.
Companies have more fruitful searches when they have time to do a complete search for the various skills they need. When companies have a strict hiring deadline, they tend to hire the first available person rather than the most qualified person, so it is best to plan ahead of time.
- Outline Your Job Descriptions
After determining needed positions, the company should now go ahead and write the job description and set internal minimum requirements. One of the recruitment strategies for construction companies is to present clear job descriptions for potential candidates.
It seems simple, but it is a big cause in poor candidates. A clear construction job description will help you to stay on track in your search and interview process. For your job description to be functional, it has to include;
- The exact skills for the position
- Whether the position is temporary or permanent
- Likely backgrounds for candidates having the requisite knowledge or experience
- Any qualifications required, whether educational or professional
Your job description will help applicants to know if this is the right job for them or not.
- Use the right recruitment platforms
One reason why some companies receive fewer applications is that they often don’t advertise their open position on the right platforms. Different candidates typically use different sites when making job searches. So companies either have to post the job on many sites or select the few that will help the most. Here are some of the platforms where employers post their open positions:
Employment Websites – depending on the position, LinkedIn, Indeed and other similar sites can be great places to list open jobs. Using historical data, a hiring manager can determine which sites produced the best-qualified candidates and invest more resources into those platforms.
Social Media – Social media is a growing platform for recruiting. About two-thirds of adults use social media, and most check it several times a day. Depending on the desired demographic, some platforms are better to post on than others.
- Hold your Interviews
Interviews are a way employers shift the workforce so as to come out with the best. Depending on the type and level of position to be filled, candidates may need to attend one or more interviews with the company. Make the interview process clear at the beginning. Interviewers have different styles, but generally speaking, interviewers aim for a frank and open exchange about what they want and what the candidate can do. They equally;
- Allow a few minutes to put candidates at their ease. You will both get more out of the interview.
- Ask open questions (starting with ‘What’ or ‘How’, for instance) to get a conversation going.
- Conclude by thanking them for their time and by stating the next step in the process, whether this will be a yes (job offer) or no (no job offer) decision on your part, or a further interview.
- Showcase Attractive Work Conditions
In an employees’ market, candidates also may be sizing you up just as much as you are assessing them. One way applicants assess employers is by the work conditions they are bringing to the table. You may need to tune up your company benefits to entice skilled workers to join your team.
You may have to provide equal career paths and opportunities, insurance coverage and health benefits, possibly extending beyond the construction season, enhanced on-site working conditions, including breaks, pay according to the value the candidate brings to the company, etc. Remember that potential employees may be looking for continuing education and training to help them progress in their work and their careers.
- Offer great Career Paths
Before applying for an open position, workers typically want to know if they can move up the ladder as they gain more experience and seniority. Does your company offer career paths and advancement opportunities to all employees? If you don’t, then this could keep you back from getting the best workers. Work with employees to determine what their career goals are and how you can help achieve them.
Help identify any additional education, training or experience they may need and outline a timeline and milestones to hit in order to achieve their career goals. As you map out a career path with each employee, determine what resources your company can contribute to their success. This could be from providing internal training or mentoring programs to tuition reimbursement for employees that may need further education.
Offering a good career path is a great way to retain workers and ensure they will stay with your company, but it can also be a strong recruitment tool that shows your commitment to your workers by promoting from within.
- Provide Training for staff
Providing ongoing training is a benefit that can be reaped by both employees and the company. Offering training opportunities to your employees shows you have a vested interest in their professional growth. Retain workers by providing ongoing training that helps them achieve their career goals.
Continuous learning will help you keep your workers engaged and interested. Cross-training is a great way to teach employees different aspects of the business and it also ensures that you have workers trained to handle multiple tasks when labor is short.
- Reach Out Locally
People entering the workforce these days aren’t exactly flocking to the construction industry. If you want to generate interest, you need to start reaching out to newly graduated students to introduce them to the construction industry. Offering summer jobs or internships to high school students can spark an early interest in a career in construction.
If there isn’t a local program in your area, consider starting one or sponsoring some other sort of program that promotes careers in construction. Don’t forget your local community colleges and universities. Be sure to attend career days or job fairs in order to recruit local talent.
Offering internships and co-ops are good ways to promote your company and find future workers. You can even work with your local community colleges to create apprenticeship programs.
- Blow up Your Safety Culture
Safety should always be a construction company’s top priority. If your company has a strong safety culture or a rock-solid safety record, you can use that to recruit workers. By adopting a strong safety culture, it allows you to promote your commitment to protecting workers when recruiting new employees. It also shows you value and care about your employees’ well-being and will help you retain workers.
- Reformat your company brand
The younger members of this generation want to work for a company that is updated and trendy. For this reason, this might be a good time for you to change your branding. This may involve something as simple as changing the company logo, or as grand as updating your company culture and values. Millennials and young workers are attracted to new things, and making your firm look new might attract the best of them to submit a job application.