Consider This When Choosing A Construction Company to Work For
In my last post, I discussed the differences between tiers in the construction industry, from a perspective of what it looks like to work at said different sized companies. When you're starting out, I know the temptation of wanting so desperately to get your foot in the door, and I still think that you should do everything in your power to do so. As part of the process though, you, my dear students and graduates, need to carefully vet the company to make sure you have an idea as to the kind of experience you're getting yourself into. What you don't want, is to find yourself working for a company you can't stand, on projects you don't like, with no further opportunity, and want to leave in 6 months time, or less.
In my opinion, you should be selective/considerate as to the type of company you want to build your career with. This can be as simple as not applying for a client side project management firm when you want to be working on site, or applying for site-based roles when you want to be working in a head office estimating position, or applying to really small companies and having to do everything in a business; whereas you may have no interest in other aspects of a construction business...! See what I'm getting at? The construction company has to align with what you want to get out of our career.
Other than the job on offer, here's a few things to consider when you are choosing a construction company you want to work for or preparing for your next interview that I found important when building my career in construction.
Structured learning and development
When applying for entry-level positions, consider how your learning and development will be supported. Some companies offer a graduate programme, with a handbook and timed rotation across the different departments in a construction business so you get an all-round exposure over say 1-2 years. Other companies will throw you into the deep end, and you either sink or swim (they should be helping you swim though!), and you can find yourself estimating and delivering projects all at once. Graduate programme or not, you’re learning which is exactly what you need to be doing, but make sure that you’re not just photocopying and printing plans for one year – that’s not structured learning or development.
In my experience, it’s also important that you have access to a mentor when you’re new to a business. This is someone who is checking in as to how you are going and ensuring that you’re getting the right experience and exposure to help to progress. It also shows that the company and people therein are invested in you and your learning.
Quick tip: in an interview, ask, "how will you support my learning and development?"
Site Exposure
In my experience, being site based has been absolutely imperative in building my career. It's where the magic happens! It's where you actually get an in-depth, detailed appreciation of what is actually involved in building construction. You literally learn how to build, manage a site, deal with people, understand costs, appreciate the importance of safety on site, to name a few. This cannot be garnered or fully appreciated from a head office desk job, or, never stepping foot on a construction site. If you are looking to build a career in construction, make sure you get site exposure; either by being placed on site, or, the company has no qualms about you spending as much time on site as required.
Processes and procedures and systems
Within larger organizations, rightfully so, there are many more processes and procedures that need to be followed, as there has to be a level of consistency and governance amongst projects. A company with say, 100 people cannot have everyone doing something else, it’s a mess! So tasks can be quite administratively heavy, but, they have to be. Smaller companies, may not have said systems in place and that can be a source of frustration for some people. For example, larger organizations will have cost reporting and control software, whereas smaller companies may run this on excel. What’s important to consider, is if you will be learning industry best practice. Make sure what you’re learning is industry relevant, so you can be a quality industry professional with the right skills and competencies.
Quick tip: in an interview you can ask, "what systems and processes do you have in place for project delivery/estimating/safety and how does this benchmark against industry practices?"
Culture
Culture refers to the beliefs and behaviors that influence how a company's employees and management interact with each other and people outside of the business. To thrive in a workplace and want to stay in a business, the culture of a company must align with your core values. Whether this be flexibility, equity, transparency, family-values, whatever your values are, question your future employer on what their culture and values are. It's as simple as asking "can you tell me about the culture in the workplace?" and really listening not just for the key words, but for examples that support this. Such as, company team events which demonstrate a family-orientated culture or 4pm Friday finishes which demonstrate work-life balance (ish).
Growth opportunities
Look, I'm sure you're not looking to be a graduate forever and ever. This is something that is further ascertained at a job interview. You need to be ready to talk about what you desire your career trajectory to look like, at least for the immediate future. At the same time, you need to question the employer on the type and quantum of opportunities available. Ask them to give you an example of where other graduates in the business have scaled to. This will give you insight if they value building people, pushing them up through the ranks and promoting internally. There is little point in joining a business if there's nowhere to go in it, unless that is what you want, of course.
This list is not exhaustive, and there's only so much so that can be ascertained about a company before getting your feet under the desk, or without knowing someone that works there to give you a full disclosure. Plus, in construction when you're rotated amongst different project teams, you're going to get different experiences working with a variety of people.
I consider it important to make conscious decisions as to where you want your career trajectory to go and finding a company that aligns with your passions, goals and values. Spend the time doing your research about a business via talking to as many people in the industry about them, as reputations are well known in the industry. We all talk.
Head to my contact page to get in touch with me for assistance if you’re starting out in industry! Don't forget to share this post with someone who is currently looking to build a career in construction.