10 best recruitment strategies for construction companies

Do you want to hire highly motivated construction workers? If yes, here are 10 top recruiting tips, tricks, and strategies for HR building companies.

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, representing a 35 percent increase from the previous year.

The robust economy and the rise is predicted that spending on real estate will further increase construction hiring in 2021. The industry not only needs to create new jobs, but it must also replace its workforce that will retire in several years.

With a lot of construction crews competing with each other, it shows that they will not get the best workers by recruiting the way it has always been done or by recruiting workers in an emergency.

To maintain a competitive edge in the ongoing battle for the best and the brightest, HR departments and recruiters must continually seek new and creative ways to target and approach their future talent. To this end, here are some strategies that construction companies can employ when recruiting employees to get the best out of it.

10 best recruiting strategies for construction companies

1. Plan before the big day

One of the main recruiting strategies for construction companies is planning ahead. You can never get the best hands when you are in the habit of recruiting in an emergency. Construction companies must know if their business is improving, or when change is imminent to know where to channel their recruitment.

These companies should also check their upcoming project schedules to ensure they have enough workers, managers, and staff for all upcoming projects. If they don’t, then it should be an indicator that it’s time to recruit. Some of the skills you may be recruiting for may include:

• Manual orientation skills. Bricklayers, 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 as well.
• Construction management skills. Larger projects will require managers with good organizational, project management, and people skills.
• New technological skills. Here you will need employees comfortable with software, computer models and high technology of different kinds. They may or may not have worked in construction before.

Businesses have more fruitful searches when they have time to do a comprehensive search for the various skills they need. When companies have a strict hire deadline, they tend to hire the first available person rather than the most qualified person, so it is best to plan ahead.

2. Describe your job descriptions

After determining the required positions, the company must now go ahead and write the job description and establish the minimum internal requirements. One of the recruiting strategies for construction companies is to present clear job descriptions for potential candidates.

It seems simple, but it is a great cause in poor candidates. A clear construction job description will help you stay on track in your search and interview process. For your job description to be functional, it should include:

• The exact skills for the position
• Whether the position is temporary or permanent
• Likely background for candidates who have the necessary knowledge or experience
• Any required qualifications, whether educational or professional

Your job description will help applicants know if this is the right job for them or not.

3. Use the right recruiting platforms

One reason some businesses get fewer requests is that they often don’t advertise their open position on the correct platforms. Different candidates often use different sites when conducting job searches. Therefore, companies have to post work on many sites or select the few that will be most helpful. Here are some of the platforms where employers post their job vacancies:

Job 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 produce the best qualified candidates and invest more resources on those platforms.

Social Media – Social media is a growing platform for recruiting. About two-thirds of adults use social media, and most check it out several times a day. Depending on the desired demographic, some platforms are better for posting than others.

4. Keep your interviews

Interviews are one way that employers change the workforce to come out with the best. Depending on the type and level of the position to be filled, candidates may need to attend one or more interviews with the company. Clarify the interview process at the beginning. Interviewers have different styles, but in general, interviewers seek a frank and open exchange about what they want and what the candidate can do. Equally;

• Allow a few minutes to put the candidates at ease. Both of you will get more out of the interview.
• Ask open-ended questions (starting with ‘What’ or ‘How’, for example) to start a conversation.
• Conclude by thanking them for their time and stating the next step in the process, whether it be a yes (job offer) or no (no job offer) decision on their part, or an additional interview.

5. Show attractive working conditions

In the employee market, candidates may also be evaluating as much as you are evaluating them. One way applicants evaluate employers is by the working conditions they are bringing to the table. You may need to adjust your company’s benefits to attract skilled workers to join your team.

You may be required to provide equal career paths and opportunities, insurance coverage and health benefits, possibly extending beyond the construction season, better on-site working conditions, including breaks, pay according to the value that the candidate brings to the company, etc. Remember that potential employees may be seeking continuing education and training to help them advance in their work and careers.

6. Offer excellent career paths

Before applying for a vacant position, workers generally 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? Failure to do so could prevent you from getting the best workers. Work with employees to determine what your career goals are and how you can help them achieve them.

Help identify any additional education, training, or experience they may need and outline a timeline and milestones to reach to reach their career goals. As you trace a career path with each employee, determine what resources your company can contribute to its success. This could range from providing in-house training or mentoring programs to tuition reimbursement for employees who may need further education.

Offering a good career path is a great way to retain workers and ensure they stay with your company, but it can also be a solid recruiting tool that shows your commitment to your workers by promoting from within.

7. Provide staff training

Providing continuous training is a benefit that can be obtained by both employees and the company. Offering training opportunities to your employees shows that you have a vested interest in their professional growth. Retain workers by providing ongoing training to help them achieve their career goals.

Continuous learning will help you keep your workers interested and interested. Cross training is a great way to teach employees different aspects of the business and it also ensures that you have skilled workers to handle multiple tasks when labor is short.

8. Communicate locally

People entering the workforce these days don’t exactly flock to the construction industry. If you want to generate interest, you should start reaching out to recent graduates 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 is no local program in your area, consider starting one or sponsoring some other type of program that promotes careers in construction. Don’t forget the colleges and universities in your local community. Be sure to attend career events or job fairs to recruit local talent.

Offering internships and cooperatives are good ways to promote your company and find future workers. You can even work with your local community colleges to create apprenticeship programs.

9. Explode your safety culture

Safety should always be the top priority of a construction company. If your company has a strong safety culture or a solid safety record, you can use that to recruit workers. By adopting a strong safety culture, you can promote your commitment to protecting workers when recruiting new employees. It also shows that you value and care about the well-being of your employees and will help you retain workers.

10. Reformat your company brand

The younger members of this generation want to work for an up-to-date and modern company. For this reason, this could be a good time for you to change your brand. This can involve something as simple as changing your company logo or as great as updating your company culture and values. Millennials and young workers are attracted to new things, and making your company look new could attract the best of them to apply for jobs.