HOW TO HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES FOR YOUR CONSTRUCTION BUSINESS

If you’re having trouble finding the right employees for your construction business, then you’re probably looking for them as opposed to attracting them.

Without a systematic way to attract, prequalify, and indoctrinate your next best employee, your construction business is going to suffer.

You’ll waste time interviewing multiple candidates who aren’t the right fit, and you’ll lose money if the person you hire doesn’t work out.

In a previous article, I discussed why most employees are not engaged at work and what you can do about it.

When you have a system to recruit, hire, and train the right employees in your construction business, then you can use the lack of employee engagement at other companies to your advantage.

And you can use social media to implement your system without wasting time and money on the wrong people.

3 WAYS TO USE SOCIAL MEDIA TO HIRE THE RIGHT EMPLOYEES

Social media is an effective form of marketing your business to your ideal customers, but it’s just as effective at attracting your next best employee.

Here are three ways to use social media to attract, prequalify, and indoctrinate your next best employee into your construction business.

1. CREATE A JOB AD THAT SOLVES A PROBLEM

Hiring the right employee starts with advertising.

The process you should use to attract your ideal customer is the exact same process that will attract your next best employee.

Most good advertising focuses on the problem the customer has and shows the benefits customers receive when they purchase that product or service.

The same philosophy applies to attracting your next best employee.

Write a job ad that states the problem (or asks a question) your ideal employee is experiencing at his/her current employer. (See the article about employee engagement).

Examples:

“Do you want to get off the tools and become a Project Manager/Superintendent/etc?”

“I am sick of getting text messages the night before telling me where to go the next day.”

“I don’t see a future with this company because I don’t know what’s next for me.”

“Do you want more freedom and the ability to run your own projects?”

Most job ads start with “We’re Hiring,” and then they tell you to “join our team” as a fill-in-the-blank (name of the position).

That type of ad will attract a lot of people just looking for a new job, but you’re going to have to spend time and money sifting through all the applicants to find the good ones.

But if you design a job ad that states the specific problem you know you can solve for your employees, then you’ll attract the right candidates who want that problem solved because they want a better life.

2. DESIGN ONLINE SURVEYS

The other problem I see with the “We’re Hiring” ads is they usually tell the applicant to send a message (email or direct message) to the owner.

Again, nothing wrong with that, but there is a better way.

Invite the applicant to fill out a written application online.

This application can be a simple online survey where you ask the applicant all the basic information you need to know about his/her experience and references.

You can also use this online application/survey to gather other important information about their work experience, how they would respond to certain situations, and you can even test them on technical aspects of the position for which they are applying.

You don’t need to spend time upfront gathering this information. You can automate this part of the process.

Then you can review the applicants very quickly and decide if you want to move them to the next step in your process, which may be a face-to-face interview.

3. SHOOT A VIDEO AND POST IT ONLINE

Great candidates do their homework. They will research your company before they apply, because they are looking for meaning in their work and want a good work environment.

Make it easy for great people to find you by recording a video showing the work you do, the team you have, and the culture you have created.

Don’t spend a lot of time or money on this video.

Pull out your cell phone and “catch” your people having fun at work, working together to accomplish hard things. Show the personality of your team.

This video doesn’t need to be fancy. It just needs to be authentic.

At the end of the video, look directly at the camera and state the problem you’re going to solve for the applicant, then tell the viewer to go to your online application/survey and start the process.

Post your new recruiting video on Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and your company’s Facebook page.

Repost this video often and direct your current employees to share it with their network of people. 

A recruiting video works like a charm.

STOP WASTING TIME INTERVIEWING THE WRONG PEOPLE   

Many construction business owners waste time and money interviewing warm bodies – people who submitted a resume and responded to a job ad. That is no way to hire the right employees for your construction business. 

When you create a system to attract, prequalify, and indoctrinate your next best employee, you’ll spend less time responding to applicants and more time interviewing people who are the right fit for your construction business.

Create a job ad that markets to the right employees by offering to solve their problems. Direct them to fill out your online application, and ask questions that help you prequalify the best candidates for your open positions. Make it easy for them to see what it’s like to be a member of your team by shooting a simple cell phone video, and post it everywhere online.

PRO-TIP: You’re not looking for the Unemployed. Your next best employee already has a job, but he/she is looking for a better opportunity. Show them what life can be like when he/she works for you, and advertise that message again and again.

WANT THE SYSTEM TO WRITE THE PERFECT JOB AD?

If you want a step-by-step Hiring system, including how to hire the right employees by writing the perfect job ad, then apply for a program in the Built to Build Academy®. 

You’re going to struggle until you have these systems in place.

JOIN THE SYSTEM BUILDERS™ COMMUNITY FOR FREE

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Then click here, join the System Builders™ online community for free, and get access to a ton of free trainings, resources, and your new peer group of professional contractors.