Methods for Finding Workers for Your Construction Project

Finding workers is one of the more essential tasks that a construction manager faces, especially at the beginning of a project or beginning of their business.

When you are hiring people to work on your project, it’s important to have several methods of finding qualified workers who can get what you need to be done in a satisfactory and professional manner.

This means finding several different ways to get people’s attention that there are jobs available and they should apply.

It also means you need methods of weeding out the underqualified or unreliable while searching for people to fill the positions that are open. The following are methods for finding workers for your construction project.

Use Staffing Services

Many recruiting companies will search for employees with specific skill sets or experience and match them with clients needing help getting their projects done.

This is an easy way to find people with different skill sets than yours to fill the gaps as they come up, as the recruiting service does virtually all of the work for you.

This means they take care of all the screenings, interviews, and all you have to do is agree to hire prospective employees or not.

Often, this service will cost more money upfront, but you may be able to offset these costs by reducing turnover assuming the people who end up hired are as good as the service claims to be.

It might even be worth looking into multiple recruiting agencies until you find one you like or trust more than the others.

Post Job Listings Online

There are many job board sites online, including Google itself, where you can post your want ad to. There you can request all the necessary documentation such as references, cover letters (if you think that’s necessary), resumes, and maybe even questions that give you a better sense of the person applying.

You can try posting an ad on Craigslist or looking on Monster.com. Most cities also have classifieds where people post jobs and recruiters post ads for open positions.

It’s easy enough to use a software program like JobLite to scan through the hundreds of postings each day. If you want to hire locally, you might consider using a site like PeoplePerHour.

They offer hourly rates of $10 per hour. The trick here is not only finding someone right away (in which case you could have called them instead of going through the hassle) but making sure you get references from previous employers so you can get an idea about the prospective new hires you’re looking at.

Ask for Referrals From Current Employees

Getting a referral from someone you know is usually easier than looking outside of the company for new hires because they are already familiar with you and your operation.

However, make sure that you don’t ask for too much information about the person that referred you. Ask for general comments on their performance or if they had any other concerns.

Ask how long they have worked for the company if they’ve been working together long term, and how often they recommend you.

Use Construction-Specific Job Search Sites

Unlike the general job board sites, these sites are meant to offer construction jobs and recruit contractors and tradespeople specifically.

Some examples include ContractorJobSearch.org, GeneralConstructionJobs.com, BuildYourOwnWebsite.com, and BWEntryLevelBuilder.com. Many of these sites allow users to upload certifications and licenses needed to work on your particular type of contract.

Go Through Trade Associations

Find local business groups representing your industry and reach out to the association to see if they can put you in touch with potential candidates.

Trade associations are valuable resources for finding qualified labor because they are people who share similar backgrounds and interests.

Since they are built around your profession, they’re likely to know about people with the qualifications you need and have access to those potential hires.

The best way to find workers for your construction project isn’t always obvious. That’s why we found the five most popular ways to do it so that you can pick what works best for you and your hiring process.

When trying what you think might work best for you, make sure to keep an open mind to the other processes, and in time you might even find a process you prefer over the others.

Hiring people who do good work and have a strong work ethic is vital, whether starting a new team from scratch or replacing workers to fill the hole in your team.