The right workers are beneficial for businesses, including construction companies. With the ideal team, you can boost your productivity while leaving little room for downtime. Moreover, they can prevent costly mistakes that can affect your business finances. Despite these, hiring competent construction workers can be daunting, with research indicating that their numbers have fluctuated significantly from 2019 to 2023. Fortunately, you can achieve success with the right tips. Here are a few you can consider when hiring staff for your construction business. 

 

  • Prioritise loyalty and stability 

It’s easy to hire any candidate that pops up. However, this practice may be more harmful than beneficial, especially with the dwindling number of construction workers in the industry. Not only do you risk experiencing a high turnover rate, but you may also incur significant costs of rehiring workers frequently. Therefore, ensure you prioritise loyalty and stability when vetting candidates. As a tip, work with candidates who intend to remain with your business for a long time. Recruitment experts recommend assessing their work history carefully for a more informed decision. They are less likely to stay with your brand if they have had several jobs in less than five years, and vice versa. However, considering their reasons is also important. Perhaps their previous employers cared less about their welfare and safety. In this case, you can retain them if you treat them well. However, seek out other candidates if they offer no substantial reasons. 

 

  • Focus on other aspects rather than technical skills 

While skills and technical know-how are important, you shouldn’t limit your hiring requirements to them. That said, consider focusing on their soft skills. While people may reserve soft skills for more corporate jobs, this is far from the reality. It’s worth noting that soft skills are valuable, as it enables workers to be more productive. For instance, time management can enable your team to meet deadlines without compromising work quality. Likewise, communication skills can allow them to collaborate while reducing the risks of job misunderstandings. You can determine what soft skills candidates have with the right steps. 

You can ask them how they adapted to a task they have never done before or how they handle conflicts with clients, colleagues or previous employees. While at it, you should consider their overall health to ascertain if they are fit for the job. Admittedly, construction work isn’t for people with certain conditions like vertigo, especially if working from great heights. Fortunately, allowing candidates to undergo safety critical medicals can be beneficial for this purpose. 

 

  • Familiarise yourself with employee expectations 

Notably, the construction industry has risks, making familiarising yourself with employee expectations essential. This way, you can create a job offer that appeals to the right talents. Moreover, the volatile state of the industry’s labour force can cause rival companies to attract the candidates you want. By prioritising your employee needs, you can stay ahead of your competitors. As a tip, prove to potential staff that you offer a healthy work-life balance. Although remote work is impractical for construction workers, you can give them part-time work options, paid days off, and staggered work schedules. Alternatively, make room for career advancement through mentorship and apprenticeship programs. Job security is also a factor that construction candidates look out for, so feel free to consider this. 

 

  • Make your brand appealing to candidates

Your employer brand can attract or repel potential candidates, so keep this in mind. Fortunately, you can create an appealing brand image with the right strategies. Candidates will often check your social media presence to determine your business credibility. Therefore, ensure you are active on your social media platforms. Alternatively, create job ads with your company’s colours, logo, and mission statement. Whether you hire them or not, responding to candidates’ applications is beneficial. While at it, publicise the benefits of working for your construction company, which can motivate top talents to apply. 

 

  • Embrace diversity 

Diversity is essential in every industry, including construction. Indeed, opening your business up to candidates from various walks of life has advantages. For instance, it can fill employment gaps while promoting employee engagement. This, in turn, can boost employee happiness and company performance. Likewise, a diverse construction company can appeal to top talents and clients, so feel free to consider this. The first step is evaluating your company culture to determine if there’s any form of discrimination. Likewise, review your hiring process to ensure that every candidate is given a fair opportunity, regardless of race, religious background, and so on.