The construction industry is one of the few sectors that never seems to run out of candidates looking for a job. However, with so many prospective candidates fighting for the same positions, construction recruitment can become a nightmare for those in construction management.
This is because hiring the top construction talent is like finding a needle in a haystack if you do not have the right construction recruitment strategy.
Identifying qualified candidates does not have to be difficult, though.
In this article, we will discuss a few basic strategies that you can implement to help make the construction market a happy hunting ground for you. Read on to find out more!
Why Do You Need a Recruitment Strategy in the Construction Industry?
Recruiting top talent has always been a challenge for construction companies. It has become more complicated in recent times after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which made running a construction project virtually impossible.
The growing trend of hybrid and remote workers has shifted the mindset of many construction professionals who now have different expectations from their employers. This means a good salary is no longer enough to secure the top candidates.
As such, construction recruiters have had to change the way they approach talent acquisition to be able to market their client’s brand to top talent. A strong and effective recruitment strategy is a key part of that process.
How to Recruit the Top Construction Talent
Finding the right construction talent in such a large and ever-changing job environment is difficult, but not impossible!
All you need is to develop the right mindset, implement a winning construction recruitment strategy, and take advantage of the talent that is funneled your way.
The following tips are essential for any construction management and recruitment team in the hunt for top talent:
1. Outline the Job Description
Most construction companies deal with a wide scope of projects, each with unique requirements. Construction professionals know this very well and often search for jobs that are best suited to their talents and experience.
If you want to attract the right construction talent for a specific job, it is important to be very clear with the job description so that candidates fully understand expectations.
2. Focus on Candidate Persona
Using available data and factors unique to the role you are recruiting for, you can create a fictitious candidate persona that will help candidates hone in on the specific requirements of the job.
When candidates can easily relate to the role and envision themselves using their talent and skills as part of the team, they are more likely to respond positively to your job offer.
3. Create a Recruitment Dashboard
A strong recruitment dashboard provides you with the perfect platform to attract the candidates you are looking for.
Most potential employees spend much of their time scouring the web for leads to the best jobs on the market. If you can create an attractive and simple-to-use recruitment dashboard, you will be guaranteed to receive positive responses from a number of candidates.
4. Develop an Employee Referral Program
Even though the construction industry is a huge one, it is also a tightly-knit community. News of a new construction project spreads rapidly by word of mouth throughout the industry.
This means, if you have an attractive employee referral program, you may have a number of quality candidates knocking at your door even before you begin your talent search.
5. Offer a Lucrative Package
While construction candidates now expect a lot more from their employers than just a good salary, offering a good remuneration package is still the best way to stay competitive in the industry.
You should keep an eye on global employment trends and make sure that you can attract the best talent before losing out to your competition.
It does not always have to be monetary compensation! You can offer other essential benefits, such as proper training, a strong health plan, and specific on-the-job incentives.
6. Use an Internship Program for Talent Acquisition
By the time you try to recruit a fully qualified and experienced candidate, you will have to fight off a lot of competition and probably end up paying a lot more for their expertise than you would have wanted.
However, if you have a strong internship program, you can attract the best candidates at the ground level by identifying top talent early on.
When word spreads of the great training you offer young professionals within your organization, the talent you desperately seek will come right to you!
7. Prioritize Hiring Women for Construction Jobs
Hiring women in the construction industry is an area that has been neglected for quite some time and is only now starting to make strides. As a result, there is still a lot of great talent to be found among female candidates that you can take advantage of.
8. Implement an Effective Interview Process
Attracting top talent is one thing; finding the right person to join your organization is another. Many construction management and recruiting teams fail at the very last hurdle simply because their interview process is ineffective.
If you strive to interview candidates the right way, keep the process simple, do not make candidates wait too long for feedback, and keep in regular contact throughout the process.
9. Retain Your Current Workforce
Your ability to retain the talent you already have is a great sign to potential candidates of what kind of employer you are.
This also has a ripple effect on providing client satisfaction, your ability to offer effective on-the-job training, and the impact of any employee referral program you may launch.
10. Hire a Construction Staffing Agency
Lastly, you can never go wrong with the best recruitment agency in your corner. You can take advantage of its vast global reach, the pool of pre-screened candidates, and recruiting experience to make the process of hiring construction candidates a simple one.
Simple Strategies To Help You Find Top-tier Construction Professionals!
Implement the strategies outlined in this article to help you become a highly sought-after employer in the construction industry.
For a free consultation on your construction hiring strategy, contact The Quest Organization at info@questorg.com or 212-971-0033!
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