THE KEY TO OVERCOMING THE UNIQUE CHALLENGES FACED BY RECRUITERS IN CONSTRUCTION AND MANUFACTURING FIELDS? A KICK-ASS RECRUITING STRATEGY.

In trades fields, qualified, reliable workers, are often needed at the drop of a hat. Training new hires from scratch is an option. It is much more cost effective and time efficient, however, to recruit a candidate who is already qualified and trained for the job. After all, an hour spent training a new skilled worker is an hour robbed from getting the job done.

This said, the following tips represent promising ways HR professionals in industrial fields can improve their recruiting strategy and find the talent they seek…

Pull your recruiting team together and ask, perhaps, the most important question… Does your company provide its workers with enough support to attract and retain them for the long haul? Our nation’s skilled workers seeks out employers who will invest in them through a respectable salary, sensible benefits, steady employment, and skills and safety training.

So take stock of the benefits and programs your company offers. Challenge your executive team to offer more support as part of a new, revamped recruiting strategy. Accountemp’s survey confirms that the top six strategies to recruit skilled workers begin with: improving benefits, increasing compensation, and investing in training and development.

“Boosting compensation and adding incentives is a useful first step for attracting talent, but it’s equally important for businesses to develop the abilities of workers already on staff…”-Max Messmer

It only makes sense to invest in the right talent. In failing to provide ample support for a skilled workforce, companies are missing out on a competitive edge. Think about it: could there be a more powerful advantage than a trained, skilled, loyal, and reliable workforce?

There’s a nice philosophy on how to improve one’s self, game, craft, or business. Or recruiting strategy, for that matter. Observe your competitors. And then do what they do… only, better.

Gather your marketing team to amass a list of your company’s core competitors. Then task each teammate with exploring the recruiting strategy of each company… How are your competitors investing in their skilled workforce through salary, benefits, training, etc.? How are they maneuvering fluctuations in project talent needs? How are they adapting to our volatile economy? Conduct this competitive audit with your team to learn from your competition. After all, they face the same challenges you do in the industry. Monitoring your competitor’s recruiting struggles and strategies is one of the greatest ways to improve your own.

“You should learn from your competitor. But never copy. Copy and you die.”  -Jack Ma

Stay afloat in the latest industry developments, trends, and events. Compile a list of industry resources to check daily that’ll help you remain plugged into the 411. This practice is key to developing an effective recruiting strategy.

Why? In order to attract and retain the right talent, you need to stay up-to-date on regional and national layoffs, plant closures, and factory closures. These industry events produce waves of unemployed workers. These unemployed workers are highly skilled craftsmen and women, desperate for new work. What’s that mean to you? Simple: laid-off workers are an excellent pool from which to recruit new, qualified hires.

Sites like Construction Dive, Industry Week, and Manufacturing.net are great resources for staying plugged into major industry events. So build your list of resources and align your recruiting team’s focus on attracting and retaining these recently laid-off workers.

Companies often fail to recognize or develop this valuable avenue for recruiting talent: their own current employees. Specifically, employees who are committed to your company and have valuable connections. These candidates are likely willing and able to help you attract the talent you need through their own networks.

Be sure to encourage your company to up the ante on employee referral bonuses. Incentivizing employees referrals is a tried-and-true way to attract the right talent. Need ideas? Check out this 6-Step Guide for building the perfect employee referral program. Or check out SmartRecruiter’s blog post that offers excellent incentive ideas.

Recruiting efforts that start and stop with no real strategy will likely yield subpar results. Ascenti’s guidebook can help you document your strategy. Tracking your efforts, successes, and failures is key to improving your recruiting strategy long term. Ere Media also offers a helpful guide on developing a written talent acquisition strategy. There are plenty of resources out there that will help you document your progress in attracting and retaining skilled talent. It is only a matter of bringing together your team, focusing in, and documenting your progress!

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