Tips on how a construction company can attract more great talents
Research says that the construction industry is aging, and fewer new talents are wanting to work within the industry.
This means that construction companies have to change their tactics in how they attract and keep new talent. Because competition is just getting tougher.
The quick answer of how to solve and attract more great talents is by brand building. People want to work for great companies that care about their employees and provide opportunities for them to thrive. Being a great company does not necessitate a multi-million-dollar turnover; you can start everything with just one team.
What is construction brand building?
Construction brand building means that the company steps out from the shadows and shows everyone what they do, how they work, who the people behind it are, what they have accomplished, and being active on social platforms. In the end, the main goal is that once the employee or applicant opens the homepage or their social media pages, they get a sparkle in their eyes and want to work with them. They can imagine themselves being with your company and they want to bring value for your company. Let’s see quick step by step, how to build a brand for a construction company. I will mainly focus on small (5 employees) to midsize companies (100+ employees).
Start with your website
Now I want you to judge your website and see where it stands with these questions:
- Can you see what your company does? I mean, if your company offers concrete works, can you see them within the first 5 seconds of opening the page?
- Do you have any statistics of how much work is done, how many meters of cables are installed, or how many cubic meters of concrete are poured?
- Is your webpage visually appealing? Open your main competitor’s website and compare yours to his. You can even open a poll in your company to see what employees say about your company’s website.
- Do you have references?
- Do you have a team page on your website?
- Do you have actual photos of the process of how everything is being assembled or produced? This is a must, and it is always a selling point. Why? Because people can imagine them working for your company.
The list could go on and on, but all these six points are important ones to consider when judging your website. Your website will be the first search for your company by your clients, so make sure it nails it. If your answers to all six points are yes, then great! You have done a good job. If not, you need to improve the points where you lack. You can do it yourself or better yet, hire construction branding agencies that specialize in working with construction companies.
Social media
Young people use social media, and this is a place where you have to be and show who you are. Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean you will have to create viral content. Great companies show up on social media to attract and talk with new potential great talents. They make their brand known through social media. In fact, best practice dictates that the manager or founder of the company become active in social media. People follow great leaders, and they want to work with them. There are some company owners who have even started their own YouTube channels where they talk about challenges they face, how they deal with them, etc. This not only attracts talents but also clients and keeps current employees motivated.
Storytelling
Every construction company has its own unique story. This step is difficult and often requires marketing agencies or specialists. But by telling stories through social media, or website content, your company slowly comes to life. People start to see who is behind it, how they work, and what challenges they face, and they want to take part with them.
Photography and Videography
Use as much as possible unique pictures from site or production. Show how your team works on site and how they deal with challenges. We all know site work is not for white gloves; it is dirty, but at the same time, that is the beauty of the work. This allows everyone to visualize their role within your company, and existing employees will feel proud that their work is being recognized.
It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to bring professional photographers and videographers. You can take photos and videos with your smartphone. That trend of having photoshopped photos is long gone. Now everyone values how everything looks in reality without filters!
Overall, I can see the trend that those construction companies that start to care about their brand eventually attract more new talents and more clients. We live in the 21st century, and these changes are inevitable. There are fewer young people willing to work in the construction industry. The game for attracting new talents is only getting tougher! The construction industry must change, and it will change. Of course, there are also other values, such as teambuilding and etc., but I will talk about them in upcoming articles. Nevertheless we are in a recession and this is the time when you should refresh your brand.
Author – Emil Berzins. Follow me on 