Articles
Best Practices in Onboarding and Retention
Onboarding is sometimes known as organizational socialization, and simply put, it refers to the process or plan whereby new employees are welcomed into a company and introduced to those things which make the company unique – its expectations for employees, knowledge base, expertise, and culture. An effective onboarding plan doesn’t begin or stop with a…
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The War for Talent: Compelling Reasons to Make a Compelling Offer
By: Taylor Maurer The “war for talent” (coined by McKinsey & Co in 1997), a labor market phenomenon that really took hold shortly after the year 2000, resulted from a low unemployment rate combined with a rising national GDP. In the construction industry this took the form of a massive shortage of talent, from laborers…
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Strategies for Resignation and Exiting Your Employer, and On-boarding with a New Company
When you’ve made the decision to leave your current place of employment – for a similar position elsewhere, because you feel it’s time for a career change, or because you are feeling ready to retire – it’s helpful to have a strategy for making your exit as smooth as possible. Here are some tips to…
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Three Points To Consider Before Entertaining A Counter Offer
It has become increasingly common in today’s tight job market for employers to make a counter offer to an employee who has announced their intention of leaving the company for a job elsewhere. After all, a lot of time, energy, and money is involved in obtaining good talent. Then there’s the time and expense of…
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Ten Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Trade Your Current Employer for a New One
Why am I considering leaving my current company? There may be one or two, or even many reasons you are dissatisfied at work. Be sure you have elucidated them in your own mind and prioritized them in terms of which ones can you live with and which you can’t. 2. Have I addressed the issues…
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The Costliest Mistake Most People Make on Their Resume
I see a lot of mistakes on resumes. Some common ones are not including dates of employment, using confusing formatting, and making typos or spelling mistakes. But the one that might be costing you the job is not distinguishing yourself from other candidates who may have similar backgrounds to yours. In this article, we’ll discuss…
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Five Indicators You Should Be Open to Other Professional Opportunities
It isn’t always obvious that we aren’t in a job that will be a good long-term career choice. The heavy civil construction sector is known for 50+ hour work weeks, often coupled with commutes to projects or sometimes even a difficult commute to the office. This demanding schedule doesn’t leave much time to assess if…
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How To Find The Best Talent Acquisition Partner
When considering outsourcing talent acquisition nearly every company I speak with for the first time focuses solely on one aspect: the bottom line; COST. I mean who can blame them. I am always looking for the best deal (though sometimes to a fault). I understand and can empathize with potential clients. That being said, when I spend enough time…
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How To Attract and Successfully Onboard the Best Estimators
Estimators are the front-end revenue generators for the hard bid construction industry. Without “winning” the work there are no opportunities to make a profit. In my nearly 15 years of recruiting in the heavy civil construction sector, estimators are by far the most highly sought-after position as well as the most difficult to fill. It…
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5 Tips for Hiring Managers: Ensure a Successful Interview Process
With the unemployment rate dipping as low as 3.4% this summer it is harder than ever to find and successfully onboard the top 20% of the workforce. Getting talented candidates to engage in the interview process is becoming more difficult which is why once you have identified a potential candidate it is important to not…
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