As a contractor for a construction company, you want to do everything in your power to ensure the work is completed without any problems. For this, you need to be skilled when it comes to labor hire. Any laborers and tradespeople you hire should be highly skilled and qualified, but also be reliable and a good fit for the company, whether they’re temporary or permanent. Also find out How to Hire Temporary Workers?
But hiring the right people for a job can be difficult. There’s more to it than posting an ad online. You need to not only attract the right candidate, but you have to make sure your competitors don’t beat you to them. To give you an edge, we’ve put together the following ten tips to see you hiring the best construction workers out there.
- Be smart around hiring times
Many construction companies hire new workers when a new project comes in. Often, they have a limited time frame to find new workers, which means they may settle for workers who do not have the required skills or aren’t up to the company’s usual standards.
To avoid reactionary hiring, forecast projects regularly and give yourself as much time to hire workers as possible. If it’s feasible for your company, try and hire all year round so you have a substantial pool of workers to select from. Be prepared to move workers from different projects as required to match skills and experience to the complexities of projects.
Hiring in advance also means you can hire quality employees before your competitors can.
- Be seen
While an online job ad is often a necessity for any labour hire process, make use of the other avenues out there. Be seen at job fairs and tertiary education campuses.
Being visible to potential employees means they’re more likely to contact you if a job is advertised or even to submit their application unsolicited.
- Use industry contacts
Ask industry contacts to recommend potential employees. Explain what the job is and the kind of person you’re looking for. Ask them to spread the word around or if they can think of a suitable candidate.
- Keep records of former employees
Further to the above tip, retain contact information for model former employees. Don’t be afraid to reach out to them to see if they would be interested in working with you again, or if they can recommend someone they have worked with.
- Perfect the job ad
Even if you only use word-of-mouth to recruit a new employee, make sure you have a strong job ad written. This job ad should include a detailed description of the role, including responsibilities, as well as the skills and experience required. You can break skills and experience into required and desirable categories to narrow it down without negatively shrinking your pool of potential candidates.
Don’t forget to include a brief description about the company so potential candidates understand the role in context. Write about why working at your company is a good thing. This can include listing pay and benefits, as well as explaining the company’s values.
- Hold a professional interview
Job interviews can be relaxed but they should remain professional. Avoid asking questions that are not directly related to the job’s role. Questions should help you see how the candidate would fit into the company, as well as why they would suit the role.
If you’re having difficulty coming up with questions, a construction recruitment agency can help you out.
- Complete background checks and references
Not everyone is truthful in interviews and on their resume. Ask for and contact at least two references from previous places of employment. Make sure to ask about the candidate’s work habits and attitude, as well as their skills and qualifications. Try and get examples of their best and worst work.
Depending on the project, you may also need to look into the background of a candidate. For instance, you may need to get the candidate to complete a police check or working with children check. Do not hire anyone who fails required checks.
- Offer competitive wages, hours and benefits
Offer appropriate and competitive wages and hours for candidates. Work-life balance is difficult to achieve and making it easier for workers can make working for your company extremely desirable.
Also consider what benefits you can provide beyond what is mandatory under Australian law. They can be simple, like catered lunches once a month or extra time off over holidays, or more advanced, like regular career development opportunities. Ask current employees what they would like to get an idea of options you can provide.
- Balance skills and character
While sometimes you can find your ideal candidate, it’s not always possible. This is why it’s important to be able to balance out the required skills of a job against the required character. Self-motivation and reliability cannot be taught, but skills can be.
You can use on-the-job training and professional development days to get your worker up to scratch, as well as being realistic about what is vital and what is merely desirable. If the project is a residential construction, it may not be necessary for the candidate to have three years’ experience in commercial construction, as much as you would like it.
Think about how the candidate will fit into the role and the company. Trust your instincts but involve those who will be working closely with the new employee to help make the decision.
- Use a recruitment company
If you’re having issues finding suitable new employees or aren’t able to commit the time necessary to finding the right candidates, construction recruitment agencies can help. Provide them a list of skills, experience and qualities, as well as a job description, and they can do the hard work of finding suitable candidates.
Finding the right candidate for a job can be tricky, but the work is worth it. Follow these ten tips and you’ll be sure to find a great new employee in no time.
