Tips for Recruiting Construction Workers

Construction business owners are finding it challenging to hire qualified workers to staff their projects. Ever since the pandemic, it has been a real struggle for construction companies to compete with other companies in other industries that don’t demand manual labor for employees. For this reason, if you own a construction company or work in the HR department for one, you must start thinking outside the box to recruit high quality construction workers. The professionals at https://easyrenovation.com/ show us how it’s done.

 

Start With a Good Employment Ad

 

Without a good employment ad, you’re not going to attract the right type of employees. Just as you would if you were trying to sell an item online, your employment ad must sell your company to prospective employees. Your ad needs to be informative with a clear job description that outlines every duty the candidate would be performing. For example, if the position requires extensive manual labor or overtime, put that in the ad. Transparency is key to getting the right applicants.

 

Provide an attractive description of your company to include past projects that job seekers can research to find out more about what you do. Don’t assume that potential employees know anything about your company and use the opportunity to explain why someone would want to work for you. Keep the employment ad as simple as possible but include all relevant information that would attract a skilled worker to your business.

 

Definitely include salary information in the ad. Studies have shown that people are increasingly skipping ads that don’t tell them exactly or approximately what they will be making per hour or per year in the described role. Currently, only about 12% of employers provide salary information in their ads, so one way you can stand out is to make it clear what an employee will be making if they accept a position in your company.

Post Your Employment Ad in the Right Places

 

While things are changing somewhat, construction workers have been slow to adopt online job boards like Monster.com and Indeed. It’s perfectly acceptable to place your ad on those platforms, but because your industry is not generally as tech-savvy as others, you may have to post on job boards that cater to the construction industry as well. With these boards, you’ll know that your ad is getting in front of the right types of employees: those who are looking for construction work.

 

Craigslist is another good option for construction jobs because it offers a separate section for skilled trades, which means only people who are interested in construction work will likely check out that section. Craigslist has become a top website for job seekers, but the quality of candidates you get will vary quite a bit since it casts a wide net. You’ll need to carefully screen your candidates with an application process that might include other qualifiers like a test or license information.

 

Offer Training and Apprenticeships

 

One of the problems that construction companies have in finding qualified employees is that they often need someone with specific skills that can jump in and contribute to the competition of projects right away. If you don’t need someone immediately, but know you will have a need in the future, offer training or an apprenticeship to bring in entry-level job seekers who want to learn the business and grow with you.

 

Having a training or apprenticeship program allows you to shape the employee exactly as you want. They won’t have any previous habits or misconceptions about the industry and job that can sometimes present a problem with experienced employees. Moreover, you can usually pay entry-level employees less until they learn the job. However, you’ll still need to offer an attractive starting rate to bring in employees with potential.

 

To find eager entry-level employees, check out trade schools and provide them with your apprenticeship ad or information about your training program. If you don’t have an official program, work with the trade school to develop one so that you establish a pipeline of students who want to work in your industry. This will give you an excellent pool of candidates every year.

 

Ask Current Employees for Referrals

 

Your current employees probably know other construction workers, some of whom might be looking to change companies. Don’t be afraid to ask them to refer them to you. There’s nothing wrong with hiring talent away from other companies, especially if it’s mutually beneficial to both you and the employee. Even if you don’t offer more money, you might have a better culture, better benefits, and of course, a friend who already works for you.

 

Offering an incentive for employee referrals is a great way to get them rolling in. Whether you offer a monetary bonus to the referring employee or a perk like a half day off, employees are always more willing to refer people to you if you give them something in return. Make sure you only pay out the incentive if the employee stays for a specific amount of time (three months or six months are the norm) so that they don’t refer people to you who don’t intend to stay long term.

 

Seek Out Veterans

 

Military members who are now civilians often have skills that translate well to the construction industry. For instance, they often have experience building structures, driving large equipment or vehicles, and reading plans and blueprints. They also know how to work well with a team, can improvise and change gears quickly, and are highly focused on safety. Of course, you can also count on them to follow directions and work hard at manual labor tasks.

 

Reach out to organizations that help veterans find work after their military careers have ended. These groups have new applicants every day and can help you find the right match for your company’s needs. You might have to train a veteran to do your specific type of construction work, but they will be willing to learn and eager to find their footing in their post-military life.

 

There are also job boards that cater to veterans, so be sure to post your employment ad on those platforms as well. Again, be as transparent as possible about what the role entails to make sure you only get applications from the veterans who really want to work in the type of job you’re offering. 

 

Consider Offering a Signing Bonus

 

If you’re a small construction company that’s really having trouble competing with large construction companies that can offer better salaries to prospective employees, consider offering a signing bonus to hirees. The upfront cash can be a real incentive to people who are looking for work and have options. A signing bonus can be especially useful to someone who leaves another company for yours and as a result, leaves behind some benefits.

 

Additionally, a signing bonus can be a way to get around strict salary structures. For example, if your company only allows you to offer a specific role at a specific salary and there is no wiggle room, you might find a way to make up the difference between what a candidate is looking for and what you can offer them in salary. 

 

The upfront bonus is also a great way to bridge a new employee who is hired between pay periods. No one likes to wait three weeks for a paycheck, but sometimes that’s unavoidable. A bonus can make up for that.

 

Showcase Employee Testimonials

 

You can tell prospective employees all you want that you’re a great company to work for, but they probably won’t fully believe it unless they hear that from current employees. Talk to your current workers to find out what they like about working for you and put their quotes in your employment ad or on your company careers website page. 

 

Job seekers want to know that they’re getting into a good situation if they take a job with you, so showcasing the parts about employment with your company that are popular among current workers is an excellent way to do that. If you have glowing Glassdoor reviews from current or previous employees, put snippets of those reviews on your website as well.

 

Keep Prospective Employees in the Loop

 

A major complaint about job seekers today is that they never hear from the company again after the interview. Everyone deserves transparency into the hiring process, so let the prospective employees who come in for interviews know exactly what to expect from thereon out. Contact them whether they get the job or not and if you’re not hiring someone and they ask what they could have done to get the job, give them some honest advice. If they take your suggestions to heart, they may just be your next hire.

 

Conclusion

 

It’s not easy in this market to hire construction workers, even as the industry continues to boom. As a construction company, you must improve your recruiting processes and become better at reaching the right prospects, enticing them to join your company, and making sure they always know where they stand during the interview process.

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