What You Need to Consider While Assessing Your Heavy Civil and Commercial Construction Recruitment Efforts During the COVID-19 Crisis

It's been a couple of months since the world unexpectedly changed, and we are all still trying to adapt to our "new normal" for the time being at a personal and business level. 

 

One of the challenges that many construction firms are facing at the moment is deciding whether to keep moving forward or put a hard stop to their recruitment initiatives. 

 

In this blog post, we highlight some of the critical aspects we advise you to consider while assessing your recruitment efforts during the Coronavirus Crisis.

 

There Will Be Changes Whether We are Ready to Accept Them Or Not

 

We are all going through this process, both companies, employees, and individuals in general. The uncertainty around when lockdown measures are going to be softened for good; if they would be put back in place in the foreseeable future; and the yet-to-be-seen impact in the economy; are key aspects that companies need to be considering while deciding what's the best way to keep their operations running as smooth as possible. 

 

The construction industry is considered an essential one. However, this doesn't mean that business owners in the heavy civil and commercial arena are not feeling the impact of money circulating slowly and the tax base shrinking. 

 

As construction company leaders are keeping a focus on the financials, they still need to make sound decisions about what makes a company sound and moving forward: its people.

 

The Impact of the COVID-19 Crisis In The Heavy Civil and Commercial Construction Workforce

 

It's undeniable that many construction firms are going through a rough patch while trying to keep their workforce as intact as possible, while others will need to reduce their workforce. 

 

In any case, companies should avoid putting a hard stop to recruitment initiatives as things will eventually fall into a new normal that we all need to be ready for. 

  

Although we are not clear on how that new normal is going to look, we know that the need to hire the right people, with the right background, skills, and personality traits that fit your company's culture will still be a part of it.

 

The Importance of Keeping Recruitment Efforts Up and Running in the Heavy Civil and Commercial Construction Industry

 

It all comes to this:

 

Should the company start just hiring anyone when the time comes?

 

Should the company continue with its recruitment efforts during these uncertain times?

 

Although not being able to predict the financial impact of this crisis clearly and if companies are going to be able to hire new staff in the coming months is frightening, continuing your search efforts is absolutely vital at this time. 

 

As it was before COVID-19 kicked in, construction firms will need to hire new talent to replace someone or to build up their existing team to face new challenges or upcoming projects.

 

Many firms are downsizing or seeing a reduction in project opportunities. This will put some of the industry's top talent on the street or beginning to seek other opportunities with more stable construction concerns. Take advantage of this time to meet with these best-in-class individuals to strengthen your organization.

 

Some organizations are asking their senior, tenured employees to accept early retirement. These individuals will typically have 5-10 years of bandwidth left in their career and could be a great addition to your team.

 

If you are one of these firms, you may need to bring on a younger, less expensive replacement for that outgoing senior leader. Without keeping your recruitment thoughts and doors open, you will be passed up by these potential top-shelf employees.

 

These are some of the aspects we invite you to consider when deciding if it's time to continue or put on hold your talent search efforts.

What You Should Keep in Mind About COVID-19 and Your Recruitment Efforts in the Heavy Civil and Commercial Construction Industry

 

 

Heavy Civil and Commercial Construction Pros have more spare time at the moment.

 

Think about it. 

 

If you are a construction professional considering a career transition, you are likely more available to attend calls and virtual interviews now, and you are probably more receptive to job opportunities at the moment.

 

Some industry leaders are acting impulsively with their staff and overhead. These times are showing the true colors of leadership’s vision for the firm – showing instability and only thinking of the short term and current bottom line. This will put thoughts of seeking a new opportunity in many construction professionals' heads.

 

 

Keeping your recruitment efforts up and running will keep you ahead of your competitors.

 

As brutal as it sounds, many highly skilled and qualified professionals will lose their jobs in the near future and will be open to new opportunities. 

 

You might not be able to bring them on board right now, but having a good map of the talent that might be available and interested shortly will help you save time and effort when it's time to fill up your job openings.

 

Executive recruiters have more headspace at the moment.

 

As you probably understand, hiring highly skilled senior construction talent requires time, energy, and resources. You have surely seen yourself and your hiring managers scrambling around to get the right person for a specific job.

 

Since several aspects of their operations may be on hold at the moment, construction recruiting teams and advisors have a better opportunity now to thoroughly screen and vet candidates, which will guarantee you a more efficient and accurate hiring process.

 

Being proactive about recruiting can help you increase the effectiveness and accuracy of your process.

 

When you take a proactive instead of a reactive approach towards hiring, you get the chance to effectively qualify candidates instead of making rushed decisions. 

 

This is a huge game-changer. 

 

Being able to stay on top of which candidates weren't interested in a change two months ago but might be now, will help you make better hiring decisions. 

 

With video conferencing and other tech tools, the interview process can still be carried on. 

 

Working remotely is bringing up people's "other sides."

 

Being able to collaborate virtually and work from home is almost a whole skill set on its own.

 

With a vast majority of the workforce working remotely from home for the first time in their professional lives, hiring managers are experiencing the opportunity to see" new sides" of their team members. 

 

Some people need the in-presence, one-on-one interaction to perform well, while others can be more productive from home, while apart from day-to-day distractions in the office.

 

The new reality shapes how these "new sides" can impact if a professional will remain the right person for one job or not, so it's better to keep your eyes open for the right candidates to fit your newest and adapted job descriptions.

 

The value of partnering with a construction executive search firm right now 

 

Now more than ever is the right time to partner with a construction recruitment firm to find out the best solution for your hiring needs.

 

Finding the right construction talent advisor will help you carry out your recruitment initiatives in a more seamless, streamline, and efficient way so that you can focus on how to get your business ready to navigate the uncertain times to come. 

 

Finally, this is no time for impulsive business decisions. 

 

Take some time aside to reflect on how businesses, your business, in particular, can be more productive, streamlined, and efficient. 

 

Slow down. Keep moving forward with your proactive hiring efforts and make sure you make the right, informed decisions on the growth and stabilization of your workforce. 

 

Keep your construction executive search partner informed of your needs to strengthen your firm as there are many best-in-class professionals that are now seeking stability and an optimum cultural environment.

 

The ability to think outside the box will be key to the survival of many construction firms in the months and years to come.

Want to find out more about the benefits of working with a construction recruiter?