How to Hire Construction Workers in 6 Steps
This article is part of a larger series on Hiring.
Hiring in the construction industry is unique due to the seasonal and project-based nature of the work, as well as the diverse range of specialized skills and safety considerations required for various construction roles. To hire construction workers effectively, you’ll need to implement a solid recruiting and vetting process to take you from writing your job description to posting your job, reviewing and interviewing candidates, running background checks, and making your offer. But first, determine the type of worker you need—i.e., general laborer vs brick mason vs construction inspector.
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Step 1: Determine the Type of Construction Worker You Need
Construction workers do various types of jobs in numerous industries. Although general construction workers are capable of doing many different types of construction work, most workers specialize in one or a few areas.
Click on the drop-down to find out more about the most common construction job roles.
- Role: Performs a variety of tasks on construction sites, such as cleaning, moving materials, and assisting other workers.
- Skills/Experience: No formal qualifications required but should be physically fit and capable of performing manual labor.
- Risks/Hazards: Injuries from lifting heavy objects, falls, and accidents with tools or equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure proper safety training and provide necessary protective equipment.
- Role: Installs, repairs, and replaces roofs on buildings using various materials.
- Skills/Experience: Typically requires on-the-job training or an apprenticeship; experience working at heights is essential.
- Risks/Hazards: Falls from heights, heat-related illnesses, cuts, and injuries from tools and equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Provide proper fall protection systems and safety training, and ensure workers are comfortable working at heights.
- Role: Constructs and installs iron or steel structures, such as buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; welding and rigging skills may be required.
- Risks/Hazards: Falls, injuries from heavy lifting, burns from welding, and exposure to extreme temperatures.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure proper safety training, provide necessary protective gear, and verify workers have appropriate certifications (e.g., welding).
- Role: Examines buildings and infrastructure during and after construction to ensure compliance with codes, regulations, and specifications.
- Skills/Experience: Background in construction and knowledge of building codes; certification or licensing may be required.
- Risks/Hazards: Falls, exposure to hazardous materials, and accidents from site inspections.
- Employer Considerations: Verify relevant certifications and experience, provide safety training, and ensure proper insurance coverage.
- Role: Installs various types of flooring, such as carpet, hardwood, laminate, and vinyl.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of different flooring materials and installation techniques.
- Risks/Hazards: Injuries from tools and equipment, repetitive motion injuries, and exposure to adhesives and other chemicals.
- Employer Considerations: Provide safety training and protective gear, and ensure workers have experience with the specific flooring materials being used.
- Role: Installs tiles on walls, floors, and other surfaces in residential and commercial buildings.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of tile materials, cutting, and installation techniques.
- Risks/Hazards: Injuries from tools and equipment, repetitive motion injuries, and exposure to adhesives and other chemicals.
- Employer Considerations: Provide safety training and protective gear, and ensure workers have experience with the specific tile materials being used.
- Role: Constructs, installs, and repairs wooden structures, such as framing, cabinetry, and trim work.
- Skills/Experience: Formal training, such as an apprenticeship; proficiency in using tools and equipment.
- Risks/Hazards: Falls, cuts, and injuries from power tools and equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure proper safety training and provide necessary protective equipment.
- Role: Applies paint, stains, and other finishes to interior and exterior surfaces of buildings and structures.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of paint materials, application techniques, and surface preparation.
- Risks/Hazards: Exposure to chemicals and fumes, falls from ladders or scaffolding, and repetitive motion injuries.
- Employer Considerations: Provide proper safety training, protective gear, and ensure adequate ventilation for work areas.
- Role: Installs, maintains, and repairs electrical systems in buildings and infrastructure.
- Skills/Experience: Specialized training and licensing, depending on the jurisdiction; knowledge of electrical codes and standards.
- Risks/Hazards: Electrocution, burns, and fires from working with high-voltage systems and equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure workers have the necessary qualifications and adhere to safety regulations.
- Role: Constructs and repairs brick and stone structures, such as walls, arches, and chimneys.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of masonry materials, techniques, and tools.
- Risks/Hazards: Injuries from heavy lifting, cuts from tools, and exposure to dust and chemicals.
- Employer Considerations: Provide proper safety training and protective equipment, and ensure workers have experience with the specific masonry materials being used.
- Role: Installs and replaces glass in windows, doors, and other structures.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of glass cutting and installation techniques.
- Risks/Hazards: Cuts from handling glass, falls from heights, and injuries from tools and equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure proper safety training, provide necessary protective gear, and verify workers have experience with the specific types of glass being used.
- Role: Measures land and property boundaries, as well as other features, to assist in construction planning and design.
- Skills/Experience: Bachelor’s degree in surveying or a related field; licensing may be required depending on jurisdiction.
- Risks/Hazards: Exposure to outdoor elements, uneven terrain, and potential accidents while working near construction sites.
- Employer Considerations: Verify relevant education, licensing, and experience, and provide proper safety training and equipment.
- Role: Operates cranes and other lifting equipment to move heavy loads at construction sites.
- Skills/Experience: Specialized training and licensing; knowledge of load capacities, rigging techniques, and safety procedures.
- Risks/Hazards: Accidents involving crane operation, such as collisions, tip-overs, and dropped loads.
- Employer Considerations: Ensure operators have the necessary qualifications and certifications, and adhere to safety regulations.
- Role: Installs, maintains, and repairs plumbing systems in residential and commercial buildings.
- Skills/Experience: Formal training, such as an apprenticeship; licensing may be required depending on jurisdiction.
- Risks/Hazards: Exposure to hazardous materials, injuries from tools and equipment, and potential for water damage.
- Employer Considerations: Verify relevant training, licensing, and experience, provide safety training, and ensure proper insurance coverage.
- Role: Installs and repairs piping systems that carry liquids or gasses, such as water, steam, or chemicals.
- Skills/Experience: On-the-job training or apprenticeship; knowledge of pipe materials, installation techniques, and tools.
- Risks/Hazards: Exposure to hazardous materials, high temperatures or pressures, and injuries from tools and equipment.
- Employer Considerations: Provide proper safety training and protective equipment, and ensure workers have experience with the specific types of piping systems being used.
- Role: Develops, implements, and oversees safety programs and procedures to minimize risks and ensure compliance with regulations at construction sites.
- Skills/Experience: Background in construction safety, knowledge of safety regulations and best practices; certifications, such as OSHA or CSP, may be required or preferred.
- Risks/Hazards: Potential exposure to hazards while inspecting job sites and accidents during safety training and audits.
- Employer Considerations: Verify relevant education, certifications, and experience, and provide necessary resources and support to ensure effective safety management.
Each of these construction jobs will require a different employee with a different set of skills. That’s why it’s crucial that you have a complete understanding of what you need a person to do before you create your job description.
You have some options on the type of employee to hire—full-time, part-time, seasonal, and even independent contractors. However, we recommend against looking for independent contractors as construction workers because of workers’ compensation concerns. Some states explicitly forbid independent contractors from working in the construction industry for just this reason. Learn more about the types of employees in our guide to employee classification.
Many companies find that partnering with a staffing agency or temporary placement agency works better than hiring employees. These companies have construction workers on-hand to do whatever job you need. The best part is that you pay the other company an hourly rate, and they handle payroll, overhead, and benefits for the employee, including workers’ compensation and related overhead. This may be a great option if your small business has smaller construction projects or if you do not need a construction worker full-time. Learn more about this option in our guide on how to hire using a temp agency.
Just make sure these companies have proper insurance and workers’ compensation coverage. Any reputable organization will gladly send you a copy of the Certificate of Insurance (COI).
Step 2: Write the Job Description & Determine Pay
When writing your job description, include the skills you need a person to hold and some general tasks the employee will need to perform. For a full guide, check out our article on how to write a job description—we also provide a template to help you out.
You should also include a few sentences about your company culture and the highlights of working in it. In today’s job market, especially in a growing area like construction, you need to sell a future employee on your company.
- What makes working for your company different from your competitors?
- What benefits do you offer?
- What safety equipment and training do you provide?
- What’s your company culture like?
- What advancement opportunities exist?
During this process, you also need to determine the salary for the job. Depending on the type of worker you need, their skills, education, and your location, the salary may vary greatly. The average salary for a general construction worker is just under $40,000. But if you need someone with unique skills or many years of experience, expect to pay much more.
Tip: If your business is hiring a construction worker in certain states, you may need to put your target salary range in your public job posting. Check your state laws to see if you need to comply. Verify whether asking about a candidate’s past salary is allowed in your state as well, or check out our guide on salary history bans per state.
Step 3: Post Job Ad & Review Applicants
Your job description will be one of the biggest assets in creating your job advertisement. Check out our how to write a job advertisement article to learn more about it. Once done, knowing where to find construction workers is the next hurdle, as there are multiple platforms and job boards to check out.
ZipRecruiter is a great platform to post a job ad—you can post to multiple job boards at once and begin receiving applicants the same day. Learn more about its features and pricing in our in-depth ZipRecruiter review.
The more junior your construction job and the fewer skills you require, the more likely you are to receive lots of candidates. The more senior the job, the fewer candidates you’ll probably get. In either case, you want to be able to screen candidates quickly and efficiently. That’s why we recommend creating a list of half a dozen or so must-have skills the employee needs to be successful in the job.
No candidate will match perfectly with all of your job requirements. By comparing their experience to your must-have list, you can quickly sort through the applicants and eliminate the most unqualified. This leaves you with a manageable list of the most qualified candidates to interview. For more tips on finding the best candidates, check out our how to screen applicants guide.
Need more ideas on where to post your job ad? Although ZipRecruiter has a wide reach, there are some job boards specific to construction workers, such as ConstructionJobs.com, iHireConstruction.com, and Roadtechs.com.
Step 4: Conduct Interviews
One of the most important steps in hiring exceptional employees is the interview process. When narrowing down your list of the most qualified candidates, try to keep it to less than a dozen. This will make your final selection process more straightforward.
When interviewing construction workers, it’s important to ask them hypothetical questions. Safety is crucial in any construction job, and making sure they understand basic safety protocols, beyond simply the required skills, is key. Here are some sample questions to ask each candidate:
- How do you ensure your safety and those around you?
- Describe your current work duties and how those responsibilities align with our job.
- What’s the most difficult piece of equipment you’ve used and how did you overcome those challenges?
- Have you ever had to respond to an emergency situation at a construction site?
- How do you handle conflict with a supervisor or colleague?
- How quickly can you learn and adapt to new safety protocols and procedures?
- What do you do when you see a colleague failing to adhere to safety practices?
- Why did you apply for a position with our company?
It’s also important to ask similar questions of each applicant. That’s the best way to grade each interview on equal footing. When you take this structured interview approach, not only do you avoid illegal interview questions, but you will naturally eliminate unqualified candidates. Most likely, you’ll have one or two standout candidates that you will want to move through to the next stage.
Need a little more help with interviewing? Check out our step-by-step guide on how to conduct a job interview.
Step 5: Call References & Run a Background Check
Hiring construction workers requires diligence to ensure you’re hiring someone who is skilled to handle the duties of the job and understands why safety is important. You can gain a better understanding of a candidate’s level of skill and adherence to safety protocols by contacting their references—learn some best practices on how to approach this in our employment reference checks guide.
When you’ve narrowed your list of candidates to one or two, call their references and speak with prior supervisors. An applicant’s supervisor is in an excellent position to give you honest feedback on the person’s qualifications and whether they could do the work you need them to do.
Ask questions like:
- Did the applicant ever breach safety protocols?
- Was the person dependable and able to get their work done?
- Did they have any conflicts with you or colleagues?
- What were their daily duties?
- Were they self-motivated or did you have to constantly check in?
You may also want to create and impose a background check policy. While it is not necessary for every job, construction workers may handle or be around heavy machinery, putting other people’s lives in their hands. A background check will ensure you’re hiring someone with adequate skills and certifications, and without any major mistakes or violations in their history.
Compliance Tip: Check your state laws. Some states require that companies run background checks after a job offer has been accepted. Also, never run a background check until you’ve received written authorization from the employee to whom you’ve made a job offer. Besides that, there may be a ban-the-box law that you must comply with.
Step 6: Make an Offer
After you have completed the steps above, you will naturally narrow down your choices to the final candidate. It’s now time to make an offer. We recommend calling the candidate first to discuss any final details with them and gauge their level of excitement.
After all details have been finalized, put all the information in a formal offer letter and send it to the candidate to review and sign.
When you draft the offer letter, be sure to include:
- Job title
- Start date
- Salary
- Benefits
- Duties
Also include the full job description. Having the new hire sign off on their ability to handle each task of the job is crucial to holding them accountable if they fail to meet your expectations.
When the letter is complete, you can send it to the candidate electronically using an online signature software. Give the candidate at least a few days to review and sign the offer. Once you have the signed offer letter back, it’s time to onboard your new construction worker.
Ready to onboard your new construction worker? Check out our guide to the best onboarding practices and download the corresponding template to help your new employee transition smoothly into your company.
Challenges of Hiring in the Construction Industry
Hiring construction workers can be challenging because of the unique characteristics of the industry. Some of these hurdles include:
- Finding a stable workforce – Many construction projects are seasonal or project-based, making it difficult to maintain a stable workforce. This often leads to a reliance on temporary workers, contractors, and subcontractors.
- Finding highly skilled workers – There are many construction workers without the necessary skills and experience—or probably the correct certifications or licenses. The risky nature of the work requires the correct qualifications, so finding the correct skills can be tricky.
- Heavy regulations – Small businesses must comply with a variety of legal requirements when hiring workers. These include employment laws, safety regulations, and insurance requirements. Failure to comply can result in fines, penalties, and potential legal action.
- Safety and risk management concerns – Construction work can be dangerous and employers must ensure their workers are properly trained and equipped to minimize the risks associated with their roles. Inexperienced workers are often more prone to injuries, adding to the challenges companies face.
Tips to Overcome These Challenges
Develop a strong recruitment strategy | Create a comprehensive recruitment plan to target skilled workers through various channels. Develop relationships with these organizations to create a pipeline of talent for your business. |
Offer competitive compensation and benefits | Attract and retain skilled workers by offering competitive wages, benefits, and opportunities for career growth. This includes providing training and development programs, as well as recognizing and rewarding employees for their hard work and achievements. |
Leverage technology | Utilize modern technology and software solutions to streamline project management, communication, and collaboration. This can improve efficiency, reduce costs and workplace accidents, and ensure projects are completed on time and within budget. |
Develop a risk management plan | Identify potential risks and hazards associated with each role and implement measures to minimize those risks. This includes providing appropriate safety equipment, conducting regular safety inspections, and having a clear protocol for reporting and addressing safety concerns. |
Stay up to date with legal requirements | Regularly review and stay informed about changes in local, state, and federal laws and regulations that may impact your business. Consult with legal professionals or industry experts to ensure your company remains compliant with all relevant employment, safety, and insurance requirements. |
Legal Considerations for Hiring in the Construction Industry
When hiring construction workers, small businesses must consider many legal issues. Above all, there are three main legal concerns:
- Safety regulations: Employers must comply with local and national safety regulations, including OSHA and stricter state requirements. These regulations are in place to ensure a safe working environment for all construction workers.
- Insurance requirements: Small businesses must carry the appropriate insurance coverage, including workers’ compensation, because the risks involved in this industry are high. This can be a financial burden for many small businesses as the premiums for the construction industry can be high. Learn more in our guide to builder’s risk insurance.
- Employment laws: Employers must follow employment laws, like businesses in other industries. These laws cover working hours and conditions, wages, and anti-discrimination and equal opportunity laws.
Bottom Line
Hiring a construction worker can seem daunting. You can make the right hiring decision for your small business by breaking down the process into digestible steps. Using a recruiting platform ZipRecruiter can allow you to post a job in minutes and expand your reach to 100+ job boards, helping you find the right hire, faster.
