The labor crisis in the construction industry means that hiring managers need to find new ways to expand their methods for hiring new candidates. The tactics you relied on in the past do not cut it anymore. There is too much competition. Here are some tips that will help you find highly qualified professionals in the competitive construction market.

Define Your Company Culture

Every year, company culture climbs higher on the list of deciding factors for accepting a job offer. This is because many millennials care more about the work culture than the work itself. It is thus crucial that you define your company culture in a way that is easy for candidates to understand. When you write a job description, you want to emphasize the important values that you want the candidate to represent. This extends to the company website as well. When a candidate clicks on your website, they should readily be able to find the company’s values and mission statement. Team bios are important too. Candidates want to know who they will be working with and what those team members care about.

Having a clearly defined company culture also helps hiring managers make better hiring decisions. They can customize the interview and screening questions that will identify candidates that have values and goals that align with the company.

Be Transparent

When the market is this competitive, it is tempting to sugarcoat the job position. You want to fill the job position quickly, after all. However, it is always best to portray the job requirements as realistically as possible. Do not oversell. Although you might lose out on a candidate in the short-term, transparency helps reduce turnover. Having to hire for the same position twice costs you time and money you cannot spare.

Use an Industry Recruiter

In today’s competitive job market, working with a recruiter is often the fastest way to find top quality candidates to fill vacant jobs. Recruiters target candidates who are gainfully employed, which opens up a pool of stronger candidates you would otherwise not have access to. Some recruitment firms specialize in a niche. In many cases they are familiar with the major names in their field and already have a built-in network. It’s important to vet the recruiter before you engage them. Find out about their niche and how long they have been recruiting in that particular area. Most important, ask them to describe the process they use to find the best candidate. A lot of contingency recruiters take on all searches, just to be able to work on the ones that are low hanging fruit. The most successful recruiters are able to clearly describe a process where they are targeting and presenting the opportunity to every qualified candidate in their client company’s marketplace.

Consider Internal Candidates

Usually when a company hires from within, it is in the form of a promotion. The employee moves to a job that requires a similar skill set but has more responsibilities. Yet, you might find that there are members of your team who are looking for a completely new challenge. One way to expand your candidate search is to encourage employees to openly discuss their career goals. Hiring internal candidates is an excellent option because you already know if they fit in with the company culture. You already know the candidate’s personality, work ethic, and ability to learn, and this gives you a clear advantage when making hiring decisions.

Accept Employee Referrals

Like you, most of your employees have their own network in the construction field. They have worked for other construction companies in the past and have kept in contact with their former coworkers. Ask your employees if they know anyone who has the skill set and experience needed to fulfill the requirements for the position. They will be able to give you insight into the candidate’s personality as well. They are familiar with how the candidate works with others, so they will have an idea whether the candidate would fit in with the team. You can even offer referral bonuses for a successful match if you want to give them an added incentive.

Hiring is tough when there are dozens of other construction companies struggling to fill their team. You have to find intuitive ways to appeal to potential candidates that will differentiate you from the pack, or you will lose out on top talent.

 

How can we help you?

Searching for an opportunity in the construction industry? Contact The Birmingham Group today to discuss your career path or browse our open positions.

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