With Baby Boomers retiring in large numbers and Gen X unable to fill the void, now more than ever, there is a smaller candidate pool across the construction industry. Top talent is in strong demand and the competition to procure this talent is fierce. Bringing in the best talent to interview for your opportunity begins not only with clarity of who it is you are seeking, but also by making it easy to apply for the vacancy.

With the candidate-driven market, top talent will not spend time completing a lengthy application process. Applications that require a candidate to first complete a registration process is a huge turnoff. A great example of this are applications that require the candidate to answer questions or input data that is already given on their resume. These types of application processes result in higher abandon rates.

Determining who to interview can be a challenge since resumes and cover letters do not always give the full story of a potential candidate. They may not show the full scope and depth of knowledge and experience since the resume is a means of learning the candidate’s basic information.  From this, they can expound upon their experience during an in-person or over-the-phone interview.

When reviewing resumes, put yourself in the candidate’s shoes. Look for potential while reading between the lines to discover what is not written such as transferable skills, creativity, and inquisitiveness. These are the qualities in a great candidate that go far beyond education and even experience. Remember, for many construction positions, many skills can be learned on the job. Motivation, initiative, and positivity cannot be learned.

When you have determined who to invite to interview, make scheduling the interview easy for both you and the candidate. While calling the candidate personally to set up the interview is preferred, in some cases this results in a loop of telephone tag. If this occurs, or if you are interviewing someone who is not local, consider using an online calendar. That way you can provide times that work for you and it gives the candidate the ability to select a time that also works for them, saving everyone time in the back and forth.

Careful review of resumes is an important step in the interview process. It allows you to get to know the candidates on paper and determine what additional information is needed. From that, you can begin to develop unique questions for each candidate to determine fit, not only for the position, but for the organization as well.

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