Are social media remaking the world of construction recruitment and job-hunting?
Over the next week I’ll be gathering information for a story on the subject and I’d like to hear from you.
As I look around the Internet, I see many job advertisements on company websites. These companies don't seem to be very active with social media, even if the company has pages on Facebook and Linkedin.
But with many types of positions, with the exception of top management positions for which executive recruitment firms do the search and screening work, there is a considerable amount of electronic resume-waving, brand and image-building and compiling and winnowing down prior to a match-up.
For example, you see a postings like these by searching construction jobs on Twitter
#Construction #Jobs taper & jointer - Experienced taper and jointer
required. Must hold valid CSCS card and idea... http://t.co/Phcn8Pkw
Over the next week I’ll be gathering information for a story on the subject and I’d like to hear from you.
As I look around the Internet, I see many job advertisements on company websites. These companies don't seem to be very active with social media, even if the company has pages on Facebook and Linkedin.
But with many types of positions, with the exception of top management positions for which executive recruitment firms do the search and screening work, there is a considerable amount of electronic resume-waving, brand and image-building and compiling and winnowing down prior to a match-up.
For example, you see a postings like these by searching construction jobs on Twitter
#Construction #Jobs taper & jointer - Experienced taper and jointer
required. Must hold valid CSCS card and idea... http://t.co/Phcn8Pkw
or
DesignConstruct
Sep 27, 1:06am via dlvr.it
Estimators - Commercial & Residential Clients - Mid to Large Tier
Contractors http://t.co/dO1D5w9O #construction #
Placed by companies and recruitment firms.
You also see Linkedin pages for veteran construction superintendents, like this one for Dennis Mouser at DWG & Associates, Inc., in the St. Louis area.
And you read of major construction industry companies, like CH2M Hill, discussing how it used Linkedin to recruit. According to this account on the website of Link Humans, a social media and recruitment consultant, CH2M Hill had posted jobs on jobs boards and tried to use Twitter. But that tactic flooded the company with too many unqualified applicants.
DesignConstruct
Sep 27, 1:06am via dlvr.it
Estimators - Commercial & Residential Clients - Mid to Large Tier
Contractors http://t.co/dO1D5w9O #construction #
Placed by companies and recruitment firms.
You also see Linkedin pages for veteran construction superintendents, like this one for Dennis Mouser at DWG & Associates, Inc., in the St. Louis area.
And you read of major construction industry companies, like CH2M Hill, discussing how it used Linkedin to recruit. According to this account on the website of Link Humans, a social media and recruitment consultant, CH2M Hill had posted jobs on jobs boards and tried to use Twitter. But that tactic flooded the company with too many unqualified applicants.
So the company
“bought licenses for the recruitment solutions and so they have access to the 90 million members of Linkedin with 50 inmails per month and per license. And as David Mason explained, because of the access to all the profiles on Linkedin, they can solve their recruitment issues quicker.
He gave a specific example of when they needed to hire a very specialised civil engineering post in Korea. They had had no luck using the normal routes but with Linkedin they were able to produce a long list of 100 targets in 30 minutes. This was soon pared down to make a short list of 10 candidates. They then entered into conversation with these 10 and were able to match one of them to the post – all without the use of an expensive agency or third party.”
So anyone who’s used social media to find a construction job, or put a new employee to work, let me know your experience or where you believe things are headed.
Anonymous comments are welcome, but if you want to be in the story give me a way to find you or email me directly at
“bought licenses for the recruitment solutions and so they have access to the 90 million members of Linkedin with 50 inmails per month and per license. And as David Mason explained, because of the access to all the profiles on Linkedin, they can solve their recruitment issues quicker.
He gave a specific example of when they needed to hire a very specialised civil engineering post in Korea. They had had no luck using the normal routes but with Linkedin they were able to produce a long list of 100 targets in 30 minutes. This was soon pared down to make a short list of 10 candidates. They then entered into conversation with these 10 and were able to match one of them to the post – all without the use of an expensive agency or third party.”
So anyone who’s used social media to find a construction job, or put a new employee to work, let me know your experience or where you believe things are headed.
Anonymous comments are welcome, but if you want to be in the story give me a way to find you or email me directly at
kormanr@mcgraw-hill.com.
And thanks.
