As construction projects become more and more complex and the technology necessary to complete them becomes more innovative, both engineering and construction expertise are often required to complete these projects. When hiring, construction company owners are beginning to see the fields converge and find that they need both skillsets but don’t necessarily know how to find them. Here are a few ways to make the hiring process less stressful and to make a company more competitive in the hiring market for niche positions.
Hire for Core Competencies
When hiring in a rapidly evolving field, it’s important to be forward-thinking with your approach to candidate selection. Think about the skills needed in the future as the company and types of projects evolve. Competency-based questions create scenarios for the candidate to navigate and give practical examples of their skills. Asking interview questions that begin with, “How would you handle a situation where…” is a good place to start. Questions like this help to not only identify skills the candidate has but also to the extent they are developed.
Expand Your Search
For niche positions that are hard to fill, consider multiple options to maximize the pool of qualified candidates. Reach out to colleges with engineering programs to recruit and develop young talent. Go to career fairs to grow relationships with individuals who are actively seeking employment—and those who are not. Sponsor local events to boost brand recognition. Also, make sure job listings are posted to job sites that are relevant to the industry.
Streamline the Process
The key to a successful hire is a system that can track and batch applicants based on skills and experiences. A high-quality, fully integrated ATS can help a company efficiently gather a pool of quality applicants through an easy, widespread application process. Look for an ATS that also works with OFCCP and EEO compliance to minimize time spent filing paperwork so hiring teams can be better focused on interviewing and making decisions regarding candidates.
The BirdDogHR™ (ATS) is a cloud-based solution created to simplify employment branding, job distribution, candidate management and reporting for efficiency and compliance. The result is a centralized, automated process for attracting high potential employees that will help attract the talent needed to fill niche positions.
