When it comes to interviews, many topics should be consciously avoided.  Interview questions are mostly all about judging your ability and skills for the position; however, a few questions might indicate discrimination. Ensure that you know what not to ask a candidate during an interview. Here’s a list of a few questions to avoid during an interview:

1. Have you been arrested?

Every organization does a background check to find out whether the potential candidate has ever been convicted or not. At several organizations, you will also find that question such as “have you ever been convicted of any crime?” appears on the application form. This question can also be asked in an interview; however, the question “have you ever been arrested?” is a strict no-no.

2. Are you married or single?

You cannot ask this question to the candidates for several reasons. First, this is a subtle way of inquiring about the sexual orientation of the candidate. Second, this question can be looked upon as a way to know more about the candidate’s (especially in the case of women) future family plans – such as if the candidates are married and if their spouse gets transferred to another city are they going to relocate and leave the job? The candidate might think that such information might have implication on the decision-making process.

3. What’s your nationality?

Nationality should never be a topic of discussion during an interview. When you find the candidates have a different accent than yours, you will have this urge to know their country of origin. You can, however, ask them that whether they are legally authorized to work in the US or not and whether they have a valid work permit or not but the issue of nationality should be off limits.

4. Do you have kids? Or Do you plan to have kids?

Personal questions like this often put the candidates in an awkward position (especially women). This makes them feel that they might be overlooked for the position if they have children as the employer might assume that the candidate may demand fewer work hours. In the same way, asking about plans to have kids make the candidates feel that the company may not want to invest in them as they might go on a maternity leave soon.

5. What is your commuting time?

You might think that it’s okay to ask where the candidate is living; however, this might have serious implications. You can ask the candidates whether they will be able to get to work by 9 AM ever day or whether they can relocate (if they are staying in another city) if they get the job or not. However, if you ask the commuting time, the candidate might think that it could affect his or her application as candidates who live nearby might get the preference.

Avoid these questions to keep the interview process fair and judge the candidates by their skills.

Looking for construction jobs? We can help. We are the best construction staffing agency in Texas. Our construction recruitment agency has an expansive network of Real Estate organizations, Architectural and Engineering firms across North America. Contact us today at https://www.constructionhunters.com/contact/

Zeroing in on a staffing agency is one of the crucial business decisions for any organization. This is particularly applicable for highly specialized industries such as construction. A strong and experienced staffing agency can add value to your organization by enriching it with strong team members. So, it’s essential to evaluate all aspects before selecting a good construction staffing agency. Let’s take a look at the consideration when selecting one:

1. Identify your staffing requirements
Based on the requirements of the projects, construction companies may hire temporary, contractual, or permanent team members. So, hiring a construction staffing agency with expertise in meeting such unique hiring demands is important. For instance, a staffing agency might have expertise in handling only temporary recruitment. They may not be best for finding permanent staff. So, identify your staffing requirements first and then select a hiring agency.

2. Hire Industry-specific staffing agency
Staffing agencies can be either Jack of all trades or Master of one. While you will find plenty of staffing agencies who claim to hire for all industries but it’s essential to find the master of one (like us). It’s because industry-specific staffing agencies have in-depth knowledge about your business and your unique recruitment needs. They will be able to attract the best from your industry and add value to your organization. If you are looking for a good construction staffing agency in Texas or New York, call us at 214-935-3626. We are one of the leading engineering staffing agencies in Texas and New York.

3. Research about their Expertise
Visit the website of the construction staffing agency and check their client portfolio. Check the positions they claim to have filled up for their clients. This will help you understand whether the agency will be able to fulfill your requirements or not. Also, call the organization to do a background check regarding the reliability of the services and professionalism of the agency.

4. Look for Experience
Once you have identified relevant staffing agencies, look for their experience in the recruiting business. For how long they have been into this? What’s the qualification of their consultant? This will give you an idea about how well-versed they are in the best practices of hiring.

5. Reputation matters
A reputed construction staffing agency (like us) is the one that will connect you with the top candidates in the industry. Reputed agencies are respected by organizations and attract the most skilled candidates.

Looking for engineering staffing agencies in New York or Texas? Get connected with the best in the industry. Contact us today at http://www.constructionhunters.com/contact/

Despite growing concerns, the construction industry in the USA has grown in terms of productivity in the past few years. This is one of the major industries which generate huge employment. If you too are eager to join the construction industry, then here are a few important construction staffing facts:

1. Between 2010 and 2020, the rate of employment in the construction industry is projected to increase by 1.84 million. This growth is in terms of wage-and-salary jobs. In other words, the growth of employment in the construction industry will constitute total 33% of the total jobs created during this period.

Source: http://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/5th%20Edition%20Chart%20Book%20Final.pdf

2. The USA construction industry is among the major buyers of manufactured goods in the country. The shipment of construction materials in the year 2007 totaled $518 billion.

Source:http://www.accountingweb.com/community-voice/blogs/admin/quick-facts-about-the-construction-industry

3. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) mentions that, by August 2016, the rate of unemployment in the construction industry has increased to 5.1%. The average hourly income of a construction worker in the USA is $28.22.
Source: http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm#iag23emp1.f.P

4. A report by The American Road & Transport Builders Association, published in 2012, showed that about 11% of the total workforce of the nation (14.2 million workers) is employed in the infrastructure industry. Out of them about 15% of the people were employed in the construction industry and only 6% were involved with design.
Source: http://www.saccd.org/industry-career-salaries/construction-industry-facts/

5. According to a report published by the FMI Corporation (2014), about 3.8% of the construction workers were engaged in oil and gas construction. However, by 2012, this number quickly doubled to 6.4%. This shift was as a consequence of recession and the downturn of the construction industry.

Source: https://www.fminet.com/index.php/visitor/download/freeDownload/id/569/

6. A data published by The Center for Construction Research and Training CPWR in 2010, there were total 3.39 million construction organizations in the USA. Out of them, about 2.26 million organizations didn’t have any provision for payrolls.

Source: http://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/5th%20Edition%20Chart%20Book%20Final.pdf

7. The fatality rate in the construction industry significantly dropped in the year 2010. The rates dropped by about 34%. Not only that, in the same year, the rates of illness and other small injuries in the construction industry also declined by 1.5 per 100 full-time equivalent workers. In 1992, this rate was 5.3 per full-time equivalent workers.

Source: http://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/5th%20Edition%20Chart%20Book%20Final.pdf

8. A data published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that in 2014, women represented only 8.9% of the total workforce in the construction industry. The data also mentions that out of the total 9,813,000 people employed in the construction industry, 872,000 workers were women.

Source: http://www.nawic.org/nawic/Statistics.asp

Hopefully, these pointers will give you a statistical overview of the construction industry in the USA. In case you are looking for construction staffing agency in Texas or in any other state, then look no further. Get in touch with us today. We are among the top-notch engineering staffing agencies in Texas. Call us today at 214-935-3626.

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