By Greg Belpomme
Our latest 2021 salary guide survey found that 51 percent of professionals say they’re serious about leaving their current role. Meanwhile, over a quarter said they planned to do so in the next three months. But marine construction companies are still struggling to find and attract top talent. So where is the breakdown stemming from?
Twenty-eight percent of companies say local competition for talent has been their biggest hiring challenge. However, the survey results demonstrate that there are substantial numbers of professionals willing to make a move.
Part of the hiring challenges seem to stem from either potential candidates not being fully aware of what opportunities are out there and potentially available to them, or companies simply not doing enough to separate themselves from the rest of their competition.
With the pandemic we have all been living through, it’s become apparent that there is a fairly large disconnect between both job seekers and hiring companies.
From a job seeker perspective, it can often be incredibly daunting to picture yourself leaving your current employer (no matter how happy or unhappy you may be). Combine that with the uncertainties of the pandemic, and those thoughts and feeling are truly placed under the magnifying glass!
So what can a job seeker do to ascertain control over their leaving process? For starters, the power of a well written resume is often under rated. Not just because it helps one stand out in their application in a new role, but it encourages the writer to think back on past project involvement, what projects they liked and what ones they didn’t. What projects went well and why they went well, what aspects of the job they truly liked most. This exercise can help zone in on what type of company they may feel interested in moving to next (or what ones they may wish to avoid). Second, the power of networking has never been so important. Speak with local industry experts, get a feel for the local environment you are in. There is never a 100- percent “perfect” time to leave a job, but having as much information as possible certainly makes the ride smoother!
For companies hiring, this can also be an extremely challenging and often confusing process.
First off the mark, companies should invest in stronger recruitment marketing to attract the over 50 percent of candidates who say they’re interested in changing jobs over the next three months. Employers will also need to have a strong employer brand that can be showcased in their recruitment marketing efforts. By employer brand we mean the “why join” aspect of the business.
Long gone are the days where a company could advertise a role online or in the local newspaper and receive an abundance of qualified applications. The skill shortage is clear throughout the country, with 74 percent of employers nationwide mentioning they are dealing with a skills shortage in their industry.
The same goes for sense of urgency in the recruitment process. If a company finds someone they like and believe to be a match, adopting a mindset of working to entice the person to join should be at the forefront of their hiring goals. Stalling or waiting to make an offer to potentially see what else is out there can not only risk on losing a strong candidate, but also potentially close doors of future relationships due to a less than satisfactory recruitment experience.
Finally, with Hays latest data showing that company benefits are often a huge driver in the decision making process—and that has strengthened during the pandemic—this should be a key area of focus. One new perk is that many companies have been forced to shift the way they work and a lot of people have enjoyed that it or benefited from it. This could be introducing remote working or flex working. Offering employees new technology to stay connected or simply holding more and more meetings virtually, thus allowing people to live areas further away from the office, may open up a wider pool of candidates. In construction, it’s not always easy, practical or the best way to conduct business remotely, but the results have shown that companies willing to adapt a more open mind set in general seem to attract quality staff and retain them. A higher base salary isn’t always the best way to ensure strong levels of candidate attraction. However, low cost or free employee health coverage, strong company 401k contributions, increased vacation time, flexible working, regular career reviews and hybrid roles (for example, project managers that can bid and build their work) are all playing extremely significant parts in employee attraction.
For more information on hiring support or to request a free copy of HAYS Recruitment 2021 salary guide, please contact Greg Belpomme, Senior Business Manager at Hays Civil Construction, Transit & Marine at greg.belpomme@hays.com or by phone at (347) 352-1692.
Republished from Marine Construction Magazine Issue IV, 2021
