International Construction Recruiters Don’t Fish in the Same Ponds

Infrastructure is crumbling and the cities of tomorrow need to be digitised. People are moving to urban sprawls which are bursting at the seams. Technology seems to be the answer, but the question of how to harness this technology can only be answered one way…. By the “right” people.

Only the “right” person will make the smartest possible decision – for their employer and for their customers. It is a hot market, but somehow the right people are simply not finding their way into enough of the right jobs. That is a recipe for eventual stagnation. Why? Simple, really – top talent is scarce. 

With the technological step changes and operational challenges that lie ahead, increasing amounts of construction and engineering businesses are having to rethink their approach to hiring. Working the same way that they have worked for decades is now not sustainable.

If they don’t improve their odds, the impact is unthinkable – they won’t be able to respond to market needs, they will lose bids to their rivals and fall behind in the race to innovate.

There are efficiencies to be found in recruitment technology, employers are starting to brand themselves better on social media, and savvy candidates are increasingly starting to approach their desired future employers directly. Yet, with all this change, one thing remains constant. The best recruitment happens when you work with a great recruiter.

The trouble is that the construction recruiters in the U.S. have grown somewhat complacent with the volume of roles in the market – if a candidate is a near fit to a job description, they will likely get an interview. Put forward enough candidates from your “pool” on a regular enough basis, and a regular income stream is guaranteed.

The problem with this is that contingent recruiters can only put forward candidates that they know. It is highly unlikely that they will scour the whole market when they know that they have two or three “good enough” candidates, and employers know that they have to make a quick offer or even these candidates will be snapped up elsewhere.

It is a situation where everyone is seemingly satisfied with mediocrity.

That is, until a company decides to source their engineering talent with a UK-based recruiter who is looking to expand to the U.S. Here, there are a whole heap of proven advantages.

The IT recruitment industry led the way in this regard, and many overseas recruiters have revived a stagnant U.S. candidate market that was carved up by a whole host of local players. The Brits came, they conducted nationwide searches and they found the very best talent (that is increasingly interested to move geographically for top roles). Many were so successful that they set up offices in the U.S. and rather than fish from a historically limited pool, they continued to spread their recruitment net far and wide.

With a disruptive newcomer there are no off-limits clauses, no client loyalty and no geographical bias. They simply want to find the very best people for their clients.

This is what we are about to do in the construction and engineering world. In the autumn we are starting to take on our first roles in the U.S. We use cutting-edge sourcing technology, we have decades of industry experience, and we intend to give our clients the very best of British service. That is a high bar that not all U.S. recruiters can sustain.

I am writing to say that we won’t fish in the same limited ponds as your local construction recruiters. Our approach will be far more comprehensive; and it will be driven by a deep understanding of your needs. When a recruiter knows that they will “float” a few average candidates over and have a chance of one of them being placed, they will pay lip-service to the job brief. We want to win your business, find someone great who will stay and shine, and then repeat the process. For that, you have to search far and wide for the perfect fit.

You may well have already experienced the difference in coverage and service that a “foreign” recruiter can offer, but if not, we would welcome the chance to get to know you and discuss how we can take your talent acquisition to the next level.

Just get in touch. Simple as that. getus@jamesgrayrecruitment.com