Construction Recruiter Reveals Secrets to Hiring Top Management Talent
Construction recruiter reveals secrets to hiring top management talent. Most contractors are great at putting buildings together but are poor at selecting talent. Overcome this deficit with the secrets given in this article.
(PRWEB) May 13, 2005 -- When it comes to hiring top management talent in the
construction industry, the concepts are very simple to understand. It's just a
matter of doing those things that win the most desirable candidates to your
team. "It really is that simple," says Scott Love, founder of the Construction
Leadership Institute, a retained executive search firm specializing in senior
level recruiting for construction companies. "But the problem is that most
people never take the time to find out what really motivates the
candidate."
Love says that there are four critical steps to make your
company more appealing to the talent that everyone else is chasing after. In an
increasingly competitive market, you need to think out of the box and focus on
how you can serve the prospective candidate pool.
1. Get clear on the
uniqueness of your organization and the opportunities within it. Love states
that most construction companies miss the mark when it comes to this because
they've never taken time to look at their hiring process from a marketing
perspective. "Marketing is all about differentiation, so you need to find out
what is different about your firm and what is different about the experience
that a recent graduate or seasoned manager will feel when working there." Love
recommends talking to existing managers and employees and getting their feedback
through confidential surveys. Ask them why they joined, why they stay, and if
there was one bit of information that they could pass on to a prospective
candidate, what would it be?
2. Find out from the candidate what
motivates him or her beyond compensation and show how your company can deliver
on those desires. Find out what the top three things are that they would need to
see in an opportunity (outside of compensation) and present your prospective
position in those terms. Love sums it up by saying, "Don't sell your company
based on why you joined it or why you find it appealing. Instead, find out why
someone else would join it, and show them that your opportunity will help them
achieve what they really want. Remember, it's not about you. It's about
them."
3. When the candidate transitions, stay with them. At the time
they turn their notice in, they are susceptible to changing their minds and
taking a counteroffer to. "That's the most critical time of the whole deal and
the time that they need to build positive relationships with as many future
colleagues as possible." Love says that the mistake most employers make is to
assume that the deal is closed when the candidate accepts the offer. "It's not
closed until they show up, and even then sometimes it's not really
closed."
4. Love says to tell stories of how a future colleague is
experiencing what that prospect wants to experience. Tell success stories which
validate that the motivations of the candidate can be realized within your
company. "Credibility is built on specificity. If you back it up with factual
evidence, such as stories, then it's not your opinion but an irrefutable fact.
If you tell them your opinion, then it loses credibility. But if you say, 'Let
me tell you about one of our senior level executives and how he is doing what
you are telling me is important to you,' then you win them over
completely."
Love is also the author of two books on recruiting and
writes a nationally syndicated leadership column called 'Leading to Win." He
conducts senior-level searches within the construction industry and speaks
professionally at corporate and association meetings on leadership, rain-making,
and building authentic employee motivation. He can be reached at 828-225-7700 or
at www.constructionleadership.com.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/5/prweb239297.htm