Confessions of a Recruiter: How to make your Construction Management team unpoachable.
Being pigeonholed poses an existential threat to many young professionals.
We work daily with thousands of estimators, QA/QC specialists, site clerks, project coordinators, project managers, designers, architects, engineers, and construction management professionals. All of them aspire to advance their careers, recognizing that to do so, they must enhance their value to their employer. The 'pigeonhole dilemma' threatens this dream of career growth. For young construction professionals, the belief is that limitations on their tasks and responsibilities will limit their value to the firm and hinder career growth.
Even if not entirely accurate, this perception can have an impact. The reality is that most employers have high hopes for the growth of their staff. Many proactively map out growth plans and invest in mentorship. Convincing professionals that there is no threat of being pigeonholed is a challenge in itself.
A solution:
Many candidates who prove challenging for us to relocate share a common characteristic: they are deeply involved in various aspects of the business. Typically, in pre-construction activities, feasibility assessments, scheduling, client interactions to some extent, project management or monitoring, handling disputes and changes, and participating in closeouts and turnover processes. To leaders, this sounds like a rockstar candidate! And that's because most rockstar candidates often have experience across many business facets. For example, many Project Coordinators and Project management professionals have experience with pre-con, estimation, bid and tender, qualifying trades, etc. Their pre-construction skills complement their on-site experiences seamlessly.
We call professionals who are enthusiastic about running projects, from pre-con to close: 360.
There's a rising trend among candidates for 360 roles. Recently, we encountered a significant number of estimators eager to integrate construction management tasks. This move not only helps them avoid pigeonholing but also enhances visibility. It's also no surprise that many, not all, career estimators will be entering retirement soon. (But that could be said for most construction positions anyway!)
Conversely, among the many Construction Project Coordinators we work with, most are excited to alternate between estimation and construction management. They aim to demonstrate their reliability and flexibility, driving career advancement.
Here's where you can have your cake and eat it too: hire a professional to bid on the project and oversee its construction. Analyze your workload pipeline for trends indicating the need for both an estimator and a project manager. Employing a 360 professional to fulfill both roles could be an excellent solution. They're likely to feel more at ease with career growth within your company, potentially deterring recruiters from moving them elsewhere.
Contact us to explore how best to match a 360 PC and 360 PM to meet your business needs.
