If you have a ton of experience in construction, looking for a job is kind of like shooting fish in a barrel. A layup. There aren’t enough highly skilled tradespeople to fill all the job openings, so you should get snatched up pretty quickly.
If you’re just getting started, though, it can take a little more . . . persistence. It will take a plan.
Treat the job hunt like it’s your job
When you’re unemployed, it can be easy to get distracted. There are so many interesting things to scroll through on the internet other than want ads! You don’t have that luxury—not if you want to stand out from all the other minimally or moderately experienced people looking for construction work.
That means you “clock in” and you “clock out.”
Decide what your schedule will be and stick to it. When are you most motivated to read through job postings? That’s when you should be looking for work. Make it the same time every day. Whether you’re searching online postings or driving out to jobsites, establish a start time and stick with it!
Should you apply on the jobsite or with a temporary agency? Both.
Go ahead and apply with every temp agency, but then narrow your attention on the firms that treat you with respect and show an interest in growing your career.
Set daily goals
You should expect to get one to two interviews for every 10 applications you fill out. Figure out what you have to do—how long it takes exactly—to fill out 10 applications and plan out your week accordingly.
Plan each day the night before. Spending just 15 minutes before you go to bed the night before to create your to-do list, and prioritize it, will give you a head start on the next day. To ensure that you are continually moving toward your goals throughout the day, pick essential tasks and place a small star next to them to remind you that these are the tasks that need to be done.
Make those applications count
The goal is two or three quality applications per day. Quality—not slap-dash. This means you need to research the company. Is this a company you want to work for? This means you proof your application—and have someone else proof it as well.
Adjust your resume to fit the job description. Make sure you get yourself past the resume robots that are looking for keywords!
Remember what contractors and temp agencies you’ve applied to. Create a doc that has the company name, the position, and a link to the posting so you can refer to it when they reply to you.
Measure and recalibrate
Review your stats at the end of each week during your search and make adjustments as needed. What was the job title of the person you talked to at each opportunity? Maybe you can try a different person. Or maybe you’ve been focusing on the large construction companies—and getting nowhere, frankly. (The person in the site trailer just tells you to go to their website!) So maybe try the “mom and pop” contractors. (They probably don’t even have a website!)
Be willing to start at—or near—the bottom
When contractors are looking to fill a specific need, they’re looking to get the most experienced person they can—a framer, for example—for the best price. They’re not interested in holding somebody’s hand on the jobsite to make sure they really know what they’re doing.
That means the only jobs you’re going to get hired for are the “carpenter’s helper”—or maybe just “general labor”—jobs. Unglamorous, yes—but it’s a foot in the door. Make sure you’re the best carpenter’s helper in the universe, the most eager to learn. Pick up construction debris like your life depends on it. That way, the contractor will use you on their next project. Pretty soon, someone on site will take you under their wing. (See: How a temporary a temporary assignment can be your doorway into a construction career and How a general laborer job can get you into the construction industry.)
Hang in there; your day will come!
Nobody likes rejection. But you should know that construction—specifically skilled trades—is a growing field. There is a so-called “skills gap” in the skilled trades. A lot of journeyman tradespeople are getting close to retirement, and there aren’t a lot of young people in the wings wanting to get into the trades.
By the 1990s, high school principals started to turn their focus away from construction-based shop class toward areas of focus that were supposed to propel students toward high-growth paths. The irony, of course, is that construction-based jobs are among the fastest growing in the U.S. over the next decade.
Students are pinning all their career hopes on a four-year degree. Today, just 14% of high schools offer construction-based shop class. Yikes!
By 2028, there will be more than 3 million openings in the skilled trades. But, given that just 5% of parents expect that their high school children are going to pursue these jobs, the crisis will worsen.
So now’s the time! Get that foot in the door with a local contractor and get noticed!
Women, all this applies to you, too! Why women make awesome skilled tradespeople
Okay, you got a construction job. What’s next? You may like:
- Everything you need to know to become a welder
- Everything you need to know to become a plumber
- Everything you need to know to become an electrician
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