Where to Look for Construction Job Candidates

While the candidate pool is getting better in the construction industry, many hiring managers are still struggling to find enough good employees to fill positions and keep projects on track. The normal avenues – online ads, help wanted signs, and referral bonuses to current employees – all may still work for you, but you might wish to consider adding some more aggressive tools to your hiring process. Where should you look for construction job candidates?

The following strategies have shown to provide excellent results for some construction hiring managers and recruiters:

Job fair – whether you start your own job fair or attend others put on by high schools and colleges, you will find a good candidate pool. Many successful hiring managers have found that attending job fairs and conducting on-site interviews and testing, helps them find great talent.
Vendors – your vendors are a wealth of information when it comes to leaders in the industry. Ask them for recommendations on others they interact with. They often deal directly with many talented workers and would be more than happy to refer them to you.
Apprenticeship – consider offering at least one apprenticeship within your company. Many companies today are offering at least one in each specific trade, for example, one in electrical, plumbing, finishing, painting, excavation, etc. There are many companies that claim their programs have produced top talent!
Associations – many companies and hiring managers stay clear of associations, however, it is in your best interest to create a good relationship with them for a variety of reasons. One reason, they can refer excellent talent.

Use some creative thinking and think outside the box. There are many ways you can attract talent and have more construction job candidates than you can handle. There are workers out there that are looking for a company like yours to work for. You just need to look in the right places.