Holmberg Recruiting: Finding the Right Employee

Kerrie Cloyd of Holmberg Recruiting is the only recruiting member we have at the SWCA. Kerrie specializes in recruiting for specific industries, such as construction. Typically, companies come to her when they don’t have the time or bandwidth to hire internally, especially since the workforce shortage has made it very difficult to find quality candidates. Gone are the days when a company could post one job and get one hundred applicants. Recruiting quality employees means actively searching for them, and most companies do not have time to do so. That’s where Kerrie comes in.  

Kerrie operates on many values, one of which is integrity. She urges companies to be careful of hiring just any recruiter. She shared horror stories of recruiters just placing warm bodies in positions to receive compensation. She warned of the shady recruiters that fudge job specifications and give the candidate an inaccurate perception of the job. Even worse, she warned that some recruiters will oversell the candidate to the company that maybe doesn’t fit the qualifications or culture.
 
Construction’s Workplace Culture
Kerrie stated multiple times that culture is important for the companies she works with. She recommends people who exhibit flexibility, reliability, meticulousness, sense of urgency, a strong work ethic, and those that are open to feedback. Overall, construction companies are looking for hard-working individuals that will do what it takes to get the job done right on-time.
 
What disqualifies candidates for construction jobs?

• Job-hopping: It’s a red flag if an interested candidate has not held their previous job for a year or more. Kerrie sees this as a great indicator of this individual leaving her client quickly after placement. Of course, some reasons for unemployment are not in an individual’s control and she suggests that applicants provide honest answers.
• Lack of professionalism: Not having a simple resume reflects on the applicant poorly. Kerrie wants to see that you will put effort into working for her clients, and that includes compiling your resume. Click here to build a stellar resume.
• Bad attitude: Kerrie tries to find individuals that operate with positivity and integrity. Her experience as a trained interviewer helps her uncover when applicants do not exhibit these qualities, leading her to lessen the likelihood of her recommending that applicant to her clients.

 
What jobs are the highest in demand?  
Many jobs within the construction industry have a large gap between entry-level and senior-level workers, posing a problem for the stability of a company. Here are a few of the highest in-demand jobs right now:

• Project managers: PMs of every level are in high-demand and are desperately needed. These individuals are responsible for making sure that everything goes right during a project.
• BIM (Building Information Modeling): This is the future: BIM uses software to efficiently manage and build projects is still a relatively new skillset within the industry, where the skills are typically learned on-the-job. Learn more here.
• Electrical engineers
• CNC machinists, HVAC and other service technicians

 
Moving Forward
Clearly, the industry needs more support for recruiting people into these positions. School districts have begun incorporating advertisement of the trades and resurrecting trade curriculums. But what about those individuals that already have a related career and are looking for a change? How are we attempting to recruit them? Alleviating the workforce gap is more than just targeting the youth and hiring the right person: it’s being innovative about how you recruit, creating a welcoming work environment, and assessing whether you offer competitive benefits for your employees.


Need a recruiter? View Holmberg Recruiting online or contact Kerrie Cloyd at kerrie@holmbergrecruiting.com or (360) 952-8241.