In this age of worker shortages, finding and hiring construction workers for your projects is only going to get more challenging – even more so if you’re in a niche area like the pharmaceutical, data centres or battery tech industries!
To assist you in your quest to fill your open Construction Engineer role, here is a blueprint for finding such top talent from our construction recruitment agency specialists here at Konstrukt.
Consider Widening Your Hiring Parameters
The pharma, data and battery tech build industries are not as widely recognised as some of the larger construction sectors. Consequently, construction engineers tend to gravitate towards more well-known commercial building sectors.
That’s why it’s sensible to broaden your recruitment approach by considering candidates from a broader range of sectors and geographies. This can vastly increase your available pool of potential hires.
From our construction recruitment agency vantage point, we’ve successfully placed Construction Engineers who’ve worked in power stations, defence, healthcare, telecommunications, high-tech warehousing and logistics, into pharma, data and battery tech build roles.
We’ve also seen a big employment shift from employers focusing purely on qualifications to transferrable skills. When it comes to hiring construction workers, many of our clients are now selecting candidates with a much wider range of educational backgrounds and experience, while being willing to provide extensive on-the-job sector-related training.
It may be worth reflecting on your hiring requirements to consider whether you have scope to expand them. If you need some support when doing this, our Konstrukt recruitment team would be happy to help.
Leverage European Mobility
Being open to employing cross-border talent is a smart way to broaden your hiring options. The UK currently has a rich pool of engineering talent with world-class university qualifications and construction experience. Many of these professionals are open to moving for work, whether on a contracting or permanent basis.
If you do make the smart decision to source UK candidates, ensure your recruitment materials reflect the unique project opportunities you have, as well as what you can provide to ease their relocation to entice them to apply.
This task is often easier by engaging with a construction recruitment specialist with experience in placing overseas talent (it would be remiss of us to fail to mention that we do!).
Offer Competitive Pay and Career Growth
To attract great Construction Engineers, your offerings should be on par or above your competitors. This relates to salary but also to benefits, such as work-life balance, a robust well-being program and a professional development program.
On that note, review the continuous learning opportunities in your company and reflect on whether they’re attractive enough. Consider certifications, on-the-job training, job shadowing and mentoring.
Create an Enjoyable Place to Work
Company culture matters. Invest in creating a work environment that promotes collaboration and innovation. You can consider your workspaces, team-building activities, as well as channels for employees to voice their ideas and provide feedback.
Construction Engineers who feel valued, listened to and engaged are more likely to be productive and stay with your organisation long-term.
Focus On Diversity
The construction engineering sector is still largely male-dominated, but the rewards a diverse workforce brings are well documented and worth pursuing.
Consider establishing a program that actively encourages women to apply for your open roles. Whilst you might already have a diversity and inclusion program and equitable recruitment practices, you could go further with specific mentorship, networking events and support for women in your sectors, whilst also focusing on providing flexible work conditions where possible.
Get Social
For any organisation that is hiring construction engineers, being viewed as an employer of choice is a worthwhile goal. Essentially, this involves giving people reasons to be interested in working for your business.
One way to do this is to cultivate a positive online presence, particularly on platforms such as LinkedIn or Facebook. Use the company’s social media profiles and website to share updates about its latest projects, innovations or company culture.
Employee stories are a good way to connect with your audience. Why do your team members enjoy working for the company? What are the success stories of construction professionals who have achieved career growth while working for your organisation? Highlighting these stories can showcase your good reputation as an employer.
Partner with Educational & Training Providers
This strategy requires some time investment, but it has the potential to give you major long-term rewards.
With many Construction Engineers nearing retirement across Europe, it’s imperative to capture the attention of the younger generation, many of whom are unaware of the exciting opportunities in the data, pharma and battery tech construction sectors. Offering paid internships or apprenticeship programs is one way to access younger talent.
To do this, you can go to the source — the universities and colleges shaping the next generation of construction engineering talent. Participating in job fairs and engaging campus recruitment advisors can also provide links to top graduates or alumni who might be suitable for your needs.
Use A Niche Recruitment Agency
Many of the strategies mentioned here require a considerable time investment. Partnering with a specialised construction recruitment agency can help you hire your construction teams even faster.
The best agencies will cover all aspects of the recruitment process, from identifying suitable talent and interviewing candidates to providing administrative support for identity checks, work permits and more. Using a reputable construction recruitment agency often works out as the most cost-effective way to secure the talent you need.
Here at Konstrukt, we have many years of experience developing an extensive network of client, candidate and industry contacts across Europe and the UK in the pharma, data and battery tech construction industries.
We can support you in a host of ways to locate excellent Construction Engineer talent, whether on a contract or permanent basis. If you want to take the option of sourcing UK talent, we can also help with this process. Please get in touch with our team for more information.
