5 Personal Questions You Shouldn’t Ask When Interviewing a Candidate
Posted on Sunday, June 25th, 2017 at 9:20 am
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:
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.
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Construction Staffing Agency: How to Select One?
Posted on Friday, March 17th, 2017 at 3:03 am
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/
6 Traits to Look for When Hiring Construction Executives
Posted on Friday, February 17th, 2017 at 5:41 am
In the next few years, the construction industry in the USA is expected to witness an unprecedented growth. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, between 2014 and 2024, the projected growth rate of the position of a construction manager is 7%. Not only that, demands for other executive positions also expected to grow in the coming years. Apart from great technical skills, there are a number of other traits that makes a successful construction executive. Let’s take a look at the essential traits of a successful construction executive:
1. Passion
From unfavorable weather to building conditions, a job in the construction industry always tests your limit with uncompromising situations. These hurdles are always accompanied by a constant pressure of the deadline. And it’s tough to handle such situations if you lack passion for the job. A successful construction executive is passionate about work and is not constrained by such hurdles.
2. Team Player
The construction industry is all about teamwork. From labors to sub-contractors, a construction executive has to work with multiple people at the same time. A successful construction executive is the one who can successfully lead teams and work within it as and when required.
3. Excellent Communication Skills
Excellent communication skills are vital for having a successful career in the construction industry. As a construction executive, you have to communicate with a variety of people working on a construction project. They can be engineers, architects, superintendents or suppliers. An excellent construction executive knows how to adjust his/her communication style accordingly. They keep honing their communication skills.
4. Problem-Solving Skills
This is an essential trait of successful construction executive. From unexpected delays in supplies to small mishaps, small problems can eventually become a big issue in a construction project and might result in unnecessary delays. A successful construction executive is efficient in handling such issues with a practical approach to problem-solving thereby limiting the scope of costly mistakes.
5. Planning and Organizing
This is a valuable trait that hiring managers usually look for while recruiting construction executives. Since construction projects come along with strict deadlines, executives are expected to have strong organization and planning skills to ensure time optimization and prioritization. Great construction executives know how to organize their regular tasks, make plans and work independently to optimize production.
6. Document-management abilities
Apart from using complex technical diagrams and designs, the job of a construction executive also involve lots of documentation. They prepare and go through job reports, proposals, and other documents related to the project. A great construction executive can thoroughly analyze, interpret and extract information from such documents to gain a deeper understanding of contract requirements and construction norms.
These tips will help you get a fair idea of the essential traits of a construction executive. If you want to know more about construction architecture executive recruitment, you can get in touch with us. We are among the best construction staffing agency in Texas. Call us today at 214-935-3626.
Source:
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/management/construction-managers.htm
7 Things to Know About Construction Staffing
Posted on Wednesday, September 28th, 2016 at 6:45 am
The construction industry contributes to a major portion of the US economy. And the construction staffing agencies are one of the key drivers of growth within the industry. According to an article published in Fortune in 2015, the construction industry in the USA accounts for 20% of the jobs created in the month of April in 2015. The report mentioned that during that particular month, 223,000 new jobs were added. The construction staffing agencies operate within the industry. They have a well-developed network within the industry and have years of expertise in finding the best staffing solution of various organizations within the industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has projected a very positive job outlook for the construction industry between 2010 and 2020. They have projected that the construction industry is likely to witness job growth at a rate of 21% compared to the overall employment growth rates of 14%.
Here are a few more facts about the construction industry:
1. A report by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) found that in the year 2010, the construction industry contributed about 3.5% to the total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the nation. This was lower than the rates in 2005 (4.9%). Compared to 2006, in 2010, the value of private residential construction dropped by 61%.
2. During the great recession between 2007 and 2009, about 1.1 million long-tenured workers in the construction industry lost employment. However, by 2010, 44% of them were re-employed. Although, 21% of that proportion found jobs in some other sector.
3. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the unemployment rate in the construction industry has increased to 5.1% (as of August 2016). On an average, the hourly income of a construction worker is $28.22 (as of August 2016).
4. According to a data published by CPWR in 2010, a total number of construction establishments in the USA was about 3.39 million. Out of them, almost 2.66 million construction establishments did not have any payrolls.
5. The report also emphasized that the rate of construction employment has decreased by 2.7 million in 2010. In 2007, the number was 11.8 million while in 2010, it dropped to 9.1 million. During the same period, the number of Hispanic construction workers also diminished by 755,000.
6. Do you know that 12% construction establishments employ day laborers and about 22% of the construction firms do not have full-time employees on their payroll? About 8% of the firms hired temporary employees through staffing agencies.
7. Employment in the construction industry is projected to grow by 2020. It is estimated that it will grow by 1.84 million (about 33%) by 2020. This is more than double of the projected growth rate of the overall economy of the USA.
If you are looking for building construction staffing solutions in Texas, get in touch with us. We are the top construction staffing agency in Texas and can help you gain access to the best talents in the industry. Call us today at 214-935-3626.
Source:
http://www.cpwr.com/sites/default/files/publications/5th%20Edition%20Chart%20Book%20Final.pdf
http://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag23.htm#iag23emp1.f.P
http://fortune.com/2015/05/08/construction-jobs/