Useful Ideas for Mid-Career Hiring
I heard that a mid-sized general contractor where a friend of mine works is looking to hire two or three construction managers through mid-career recruitment.
"Before even thinking about what kind of person we want, we don't even know if we'll get any applications at all. Even though there's a shortage of engineers, we can't just hire anyone—but on the other hand, you can't really tell anything just from a resume or work history!" he said, so I told him, "I have a great idea!"
If you want to select the right candidate for your company from among multiple mid-career applicants, this idea will definitely come in handy. “This is an incredibly effective method for selecting the right person from among candidates with construction management experience!” he said.
Specifically, this involves showing the candidate various photos from the worksite and asking, “What do you think about these?” This is a far more effective approach than going through the motions of exchanging generic questions and answers during an interview.
While observing and listening to the other person’s reactions, I assess whether they’re a good fit for the company based on what they say. Any photo of the worksite will do, but an experienced person will likely notice various details from any photo, and some may even mention similar cases or suggest improvements.
Even someone with limited experience will speak in their own way, and rather than gauging their level of knowledge or experience based on the content of what they say, you can assess their overall capabilities—which go beyond mere knowledge—by observing their manner of speaking, how they convey information, their tone, and their facial expressions, as well as how they interact with colleagues, workers, and junior employees on the job.
What You Can Tell from Photos of the Site
The goal is to have the candidate show a few photos of a work site, share their opinions and impressions of the photos, and—while you focus entirely on listening—gain insight into their personality and other qualities. One effective approach is to interview multiple candidates at the same time to observe their level of cooperation and assertiveness.
For example, since photos taken after laying the sacrificial concrete should show the centerline of the foundation—which is the very foundation of construction—will the discussion touch on points like, “It’s most important to start pouring the centerline at the point closest to the corner of the lot, and the most common method is to extend the starting point from there!”—or will it not?
Some people will probably point out that it’s not as simple as just driving the piles in the order of the alignment line! Others will likely discuss the number of layout personnel, the equipment used, and their own experience! There will also likely be discussions about the surrounding environment as seen in the photos, the relationship with nearby buildings, the delivery route from the main road, and the security personnel required for that purpose.
On the other hand, some people may be quiet, so you should just ask them the key questions. Just because someone talks a lot doesn’t necessarily mean they’re qualified. After all, some people are only focused on how to sell themselves during the interview.
Since basic rebar work, formwork, and concrete placement are the main tasks in construction, there are probably many things you’d like to ask about. However, I’ll deliberately limit myself to these three areas—rebar, formwork, and concrete placement—to show you some photos and ask questions. People will likely have a variety of reactions—some will offer positive feedback, while others will nitpick and look for flaws.
Finally, I’d like to prepare some photos that show things like door and window frames, surface preparation for interior and exterior walls, and protective covering for floor finishes.
What are the hiring criteria?
However, this selection method only applies to experienced mid-career hires. With experienced candidates, companies expect them to contribute immediately, whereas with new graduates, they expect room for growth.
When it comes to experienced construction managers—who are in high demand at general contractors—due to the shortage of technical personnel, companies will likely base their hiring decisions primarily on the information in the resume and proceed with the intention of hiring from the outset, unless there are any major red flags.
The most important thing to consider during an interview—more than the candidate’s depth of knowledge or experience—is whether they will be able to work well with others once they join the organization, adapting to its ways of doing things, its norms, and its approach to construction projects.
If it’s a general contractor, what kind of construction projects do they primarily handle? Is the person capable of adapting to the company’s policies and work processes? If the company handles public works projects, a commitment to legal compliance is essential; if it works on relatively small-scale buildings, apartments, or single-family homes, it’s also necessary to have the ability to liaise with clients, hold detailed discussions with designers, and effectively communicate the results to the on-site workers.
A construction manager with experience specific to the types of projects the company undertakes is more valuable than someone with general construction management experience. If the applicant has worked for a general contractor that is similar in size and scope of work to the company in question, and has built structures of comparable quality, there won’t be much of a difference in perspective between the employer and the employee. However, if there are significant differences, discrepancies may arise because their respective understandings of standard practices differ.
Furthermore, there’s a world of difference between someone who has experience managing a construction site single-handedly and someone who hasn’t—in terms of their know-how for running the site and their ability to organize the work. Even if an employer wants someone to manage a site on their own, it’s difficult for anyone—no matter how talented—to do so right away without that experience.
While it’s important to clearly define the company’s policies and determine whether a candidate meets those requirements—even before considering their knowledge, experience, or qualifications—interviewers are only human, so there’s no way they can always make objective and fair judgments! Naturally, their own subjective views and personal preferences come into play.
I think the most important criterion is whether you can say, “I don’t know what I don’t know!” and “I don’t know what I don’t know!” I think using photos from the field as a starting point for that conversation is not a bad idea.
If any of you readers have ideas for effective selection methods, please share them in the comments.
